Inside a cosy Mumbai home set in a colonial neighbourhood

The House of Solace designed by AS-COLAB is a compact home which makes the perfect space for its owner’s global Indian needs.

Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Yadnyesh Joshi; courtesy AS-COLAB

The site

House of Solace designed by interior designer Anushka Contractor — who heads AS-COLAB — is a compact 490 sq ft apartment set in an old and beautiful art deco building in Colaba, Mumbai. Anushka was thrilled to work on a project which had European architecture and luxuries like a 10ft high ceiling.

The brief

The architect got a simple brief: “Spruce it up in the sanctioned budget.” As for the design of the space, Anushka was given a carte blanche!

The design intent

A timeless French aesthetic infused with modern sensibilities is the design language created in the House of Solace. The result is such that, except for the trademark Mumbai hustle bustle downstairs, you could well be in a European studio, in a charming art deco building to match, with the sea just down the lane. “Contemporary to minimalism and a touch of bold classic, describes my design aesthetics,” says Anushka. “I like to camouflage hidden elements and blend contemporary and classic concepts. I also like to experiment with bold colours and put them all together. I’m in love with the combination of industrial theme with hints of luxurious bold colours. It is a challenging mix but when executed, you get to see a whole new piece of art,” she adds.

The civil intervention

The only change made to the site was to knock down the common wall between the living room and the kitchenette to effectively make the living space appear larger.

The design and material details

One enters the apartment through an 8ft simple teak wood finish door and steps into a warm living room which is doused in natural light streaming from a large window and a cosy balconette. The wood look-alike tiles on the floor seen here are pre-cut into four pieces and organised in the herringbone pattern. This not only spreads across the studio, but also seeps up the focal wall of the living room. On this wall hangs a customised artwork by a young artist in yellow and blue hues.

Below this a long chesterfield sofa in electric blue, an armchair upholstered in hounds-tooth with a gold, black and wooden frame, a wood and black glass centre table set, and a yellow wooden side table set, a white and wood console table with a round gold and wood finish mirror forms the furniture set-up. A black skirting flows throughout the walls with a wood detailing as an added design detail.

As the client works largely from home, he requested a large desk — this was placed next to the window, close to the living room seating, to capitalise on the natural light. A black detailing (on the window frame, and the desk) gives an illusion of length to this setting. Next to this corner hangs a custom designed ceiling lamp in terrazzo; and right across it is a TV wall unit with storage for gadgets and shelves to display curios picked from travels. The most harmonious nook here is the little balconette. The space was enclosed to design a serene spot for a read, a coffee or both. An art deco chair, a side table, some indoor green and a ceiling light for when the sun fades is also part of this beautiful breakout space.

Flowing out of the living area like a distributary is the kitchen. As the owner was very clear that this space would be the least used in the house, the kitchen was kept compact and fuss-free. An island houses the cooking console with an overhead chimney and storage drawers underneath. The island is flanked by a work top and appliances on one end, and a built-in glass cabinet at the other. Black finish door frame and blue panelled shelves add a fun element to this otherwise clinical space. This piece of furniture doubles up as a bar and houses liquor, glassware and books on imbibing, charcuterie and all things fine. At the foot of this space is a compact round table with chairs in blue upholstery.

The kitchen area works as a corridor to the bedchamber which wears a lovely burst of yellow and blue, tempered by a canvas of black, white and the shades that form when they’re combined. A large black framed glass double door instead of a single solid door leads the way to this private space. On the left of the room lies the wardrobe, an armoire in light grey and wood. A blue, slender panel on one side for everyday essentials is its arm candy. Adjacent to this is an unusual feature — a tall mirror next to which a customised runner (featuring yellow, blue, black and grey shades) is casually draped on a rod. This runner flows into a circular rug on the floor, lending warmth to the wood tiled floor. A queen size bed takes up the rest of the tight room. Its headboard is matte black and upholstered for extra comfort. The walls next to it are peppered with some shots of the client’s favourite cities. There is ample space at the foot of the bed to display knick knacks. The washroom next to the bedroom has black fittings, powder blue tiled walls, cabinets in a gentle shade of lemon and floor in a play of monochromatic tiles. Despite the paucity of space, a loft was also created by the designer.

As this compact home was designed for a single person, the designer knew it had to boast high functionality, should be low on maintenance and be a tranquil beauty. A concoction of white, black, greys with a smattering of electric blue and pop yellow was chosen as the colour palette to bring in the urbane vibe. Most of the other design elements including furniture, decor accessories, furnishings and lighting were customised.

The highlights

The TV wall unit in the living room has stores gadgets and has shelves to display curios. It is connected to the kitchenette making it a one large unit — maintaining their independent roles. The island kitchen houses the cooking console with an overhead chimney and storage drawers beneath. This unit is designed using raw cut plywood edge pieces which runs throughout the exterior and is given a matte varnish to enhance its raw rustic sharp texture.

The challenge

“The challenge was to give ample height and storage to this compact home even though it was for a singleton. We had to make this space appear way larger than it looked to get in as much natural light and create a uniform warmth to this space,” says Anushka.

Fact file

Project: House of Solace
Location: Colaba, Mumbai
Area: 490 sq ft
Principal designer: Anushka Contractor
Contractor: Gravity Constructions
Stylist: Shraddha Nayak