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A range of products by Asian Paints builds this perfect Indian home in Bengaluru
Renovated for a family of three, designer Nain Belliappa builds a rustic yet modern home where paints and wall coverings by Asian Paints perfectly tie each space together
For Nain Belliappa, principal designer at Houseof9Design, being an interior designer and design blogger stemmed from her passion and love for interiors since she was a little girl. After designing her own home, documenting it along the way on Instagram, she got a slew of requests from fellow homeowners keen on bringing her sense of style into their own spaces. In a 2,500-square-foot apartment in Bengaluru she recently designed for a couple and their daughter, she envisioned a contemporary Indian home for modern-day living with textured, art-filled walls and hints of tropical and eclectic styles. “A place of calm within the chaos of the city,” she offers.
“The apartment was a basic builder-grade home with glossy white vitrified tiles, a simple granite slab in the kitchen, bright white walls and nothing else to shout about in terms of home interior design. As we couldn’t undertake any major civil changes due to the builder’s construction restrictions, the layout of the home remains exactly the same. The only alteration we made was breaking down the foyer wall slightly to increase the entrance into the apartment,” she describes. She shares her journey designing this home, and the reason why some nifty products from Asian Paints helped her along the way.
Beautiful Homes (BH): How did the family envision their home?
Nain Belliappa (NB): Chic and effortless—they wanted a home that would come together with natural materials, solid wood furniture and stone accents, and evolve with them and their habits over time especially in terms of living room design. While the apartment needed to comfortably seat six people on the dining table and in the living room, the master bedroom needed to be specifically designed for the lady of the home. The adjacent bedrooms had to be styled for the daughter and her father, with the fourth room being converted into a family-cum-TV room. Each space needed to echo the personality of every member of the house.
“This room is designed to feel cosy. We used a nature-inspired fabric for the chairs, while the carved wood dining table has an oval-shaped marble top,” explains Belliappa.
BH: There’s a distinct Indian aesthetic that’s been given a hint of a contemporary upgrade in this home. How did you achieve that?
NB: After understanding the basic concept and idea of how the family envisioned their home, we chose colour theory [a collection of rules and guidelines which designers use to communicate with users through appealing colour schemes in visual interfaces] to narrow down specific shades that worked well for them. We then chose furniture that would complement the home’s chosen colour palette. After gauging the two, it was clear that an Indian aesthetic with a rustic contemporary touch would tie each space perfectly.
Minimalist pendant lights have been chosen for this corner of the living room to add warmth while not taking away the focus from the Madhubani painting.
The fourth bedroom has been converted into a family room with vibrant accents such as the Gokul Pichwai wallpaper from Sabyasachi’s Nilaya collection for Asian Paints and a deep green couch. A shiplap-patterned panel has been built to conceal all the TV wires for a neat, uncluttered look.
BH: What drew you to choosing paints and products by Asian Paints?
NB: The wide range and intricate number of shades Asian Paints offers, makes them our go-to brand for every home. We used their paints across all the walls in the home, with the doors were given a fresh easy upgrade with Apcolite Enamel Paint Spray. Sabyasachi’s Gokul Pichwai wall covering by Nilaya was used to adorn the walls in the family room. The exquisite wallpaper elevated the rich Indian details in the décor with the perfect heritage-style patterns we wanted to add to the apartment.
BH: You’ve paired pops of colour with darker materials across the home…
NB: We deliberately did this to add a moody aesthetic within the apartment so that the spaces would not look flat. By mixing colours, textures and materials, we created visual layers which added more depth to the interiors.
The leather sofa is complemented by wicker armchairs from Magari, along with a sleek cane loveseat opposite it. The carpet adds a touch of warmth, and the room has bursts of floral- and nature-inspired prints within the furnishings and finishes.
BH: And there are lots of materials used in their natural form as well…
NB: Instead of laminate, we chose a hardwood parquet floor which is my favourite feature in this home for its pattern and intricate design! We’ve deliberately tried using natural materials that would also be durable and long-lasting, such as exposed brick, raw wood and wicker, which pair beautifully with the flooring. And the first thing one notices is the statement wooden rafters that run across the ceiling in the living room.
BH: Do plants always play a big role in your designs?
NB: Plants and greenery always find a place in all of our projects. A home is one’s retreat of sorts, and being within nature—even in the smallest of forms—makes any space feel like an oasis.
BH: What is your most symbolic memory of this project?
NB: The daughter, who is now married, was the one who got in touch with me to design her parents’ home. While she and her mum were very involved in all the planning and decision-making, the home’s renovation was meant to be a surprise for her father. I’ll never forget my clients’ excitement and joy the day this was revealed and they all moved in!
The foyer is designed to accentuate the linearity in the space with inlay patterned tiles paired with hardwood parquet flooring and a miniature carved console from The Purple Turtle.
The main hallway leads the way from the living and dining room to the bedrooms.
Designed to feel spiritual and welcoming, the black stone wall accentuates the brass idol and fittings in the pooja room.
The kitchen displays a moodier colour palette with cream and green PU-finished cabinets, brightened up with a lighter tiled backsplash.
Washed in sage green with geometric mouldings, the master bedroom is a place to unwind after a long day. The teak bed with complementing side tables is from Tusker Katha, bed linens are from Sarita Handa and pendant lights from The White Teak Company are chosen to keep the room minimal.
Shades of black, grey, deep blues and greens dominate the daughter’s bedroom.
The guest bedroom is finished with panel detailing that continues across the entire room. The bed is the client's old rosewood cot, which fits in perfectly within the room’s aesthetic.
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