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This 2,800 sqft Mumbai apartment by Tejal Mathur channels chic European style
Dark colours and turn of the century furniture pieces come together in this medieval-inspired home by Tejal Mathur
It’s a home straight out of a medieval French chateau – cement panelled walls, beaten leather couches and wood and metal furniture against grey walls and chequered floors running alongside stained wood herringbone. Of course, once you step into the house, you realise it could be none other than Mumbai based designer Tejal Mathur who brought to life neoclassical European influences in this 2,800 sq ft sea-facing apartment.
If there ever was love at first sight, this house was it for us. From the moment you step in, you keep discovering more details. It helps that the apartment is awash in sunlight streaming in from the wood slatted windows. The expansive living room is covered in tobacco stained wood, with concrete panels covering the walls. Tall, reclaimed wood doors separate the make-shift balcony seating from the rest of the space. For full impact, all the furniture too follows the grey monochrome theme.
The master bedroom too, follows this scheme. Sourced pillars frame the bed while cast-iron roof supporters form an interesting visual. If you want to create a visual demarcation in your room, use two different kinds of flooring, the way it has been done in the bedroom.
The large living room integrates a dining table and a makeshift balcony. Instead of curtains, the windows are covered by wooden slats which allow light to stream in, giving the space a light, mellow glow. Though there are three different styles of lights used in the space, it doesn’t affect the overall cohesion.
To stay true to the brief, several pieces were sourced from Restoration Hardware, especially the vintage lights and antique chandeliers. What we especially love is how the differently sourced pieces fit well together with handmade and bespoke fittings prepared by Tejal and her karigars.
So, if you’re redoing your house and want to experiment with colours other than pastels and the usual white, take a leaf from this home and give grey, blacks and browns a spin.
The section of the living room leading upto the family den features reclaimed doors sourced from Ironworks, interspersed with stools topped with vases, creating a gallery-like display. Sourced from Ironworks, the doors framing the family den have a distressed finish. The walnut herringbone floor maintains continuity in both the spaces.
A small section by the window is occupied by the dining table in the open-plan living room. Victorian corbels dot beam intersections to fulfill the medieval look. We love how eccentric pieces are placed at regular intervals, so there’s something new to discover at every turn.
The family den has a ceiling made of acoustical fibre board. The mood to the space however, is lent by the grey wallpaper and the vintage console carved from the stump of a tree, sourced from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams.
n the master bedroom, two types of floorings have been used to create a subtle demarcation – a black Marquina and white Statuario marble chequered floor near the cabinets and tobacco stained herringbone flooring for the rest of the space. The wooden pillars are topped with cast-iron roof supporters, which again provides a sort of visual division.
The daughter’s bedroom has a cosy spot for studying, complete with a 1920s French drafting table, white brick wall and a 1940s Banker chair. Again, double flooring has been used to separate the entry from the rest of the room.
To recreate the Euro inspired look, bespoke light weight concrete panels were crafted for the walls. Even the beaten leather sectional, zinc top mercantile coffee table and deconstructed Chesterfield upholstered chair were picked up keeping the colour and ambient mood board in mind.
The “man-cave” in the house is Tejal’s favourite room, and we can easily see why. A vintage map spread across the jet-black wall and ox blood leather couch gives it a Mad Men-like vibe.
The spacious master bathroom has luxury written all over it – a large bathtub, marble flooring, vintage mirror and vanity are the highlights in this space. Here’s a quick tip you can use in your own bathroom – flank the mirror with wall sconces to immediately increase the light in the space.
The doors to the master bathroom are framed by reclaimed wood pillars and cast-iron roof supporters from Ironworks. To bring in the warm, old-school vibe in tune with the rest of the house, the bathroom doors were specially crafted and fitted with antique French handles
