Designing an apartment in Mumbai for her parents had Samira Rathod performing a balancing act between her own convictions and their personal tastes. The end result is a timeless, functional space which does not compromise on aesthetics.
Celebrated designer Samira Rathod is known for exquisite spaces which have been put together with the intellectual discipline and rigour of a curator. One of her toughest assignments turned out to be the 3,000 sq. ft. apartment at Haji Ali that belonged to her parents. “Both are in their seventies and like sheen and gloss in interior designs. But my work is not like that,” Rathod says. “What was more important was that the space be convenient for them to use and be clutter-free. I was particularly careful that the height of the various pieces of furniture should be comfortable for them.”
Rathod proceeded to convert the 4-bedroom apartment into a 3-bedroom one with a media room. Open on 3 sides, it had views of the city and the Haji Ali mosque. A muted grey tonality pervades the space. “We pulled down the walls and rebuilt them with siporex cladding; their exposed surface offers a soft undulating effect due to the way they are carved.”
The floor is a glossy grey and one bathroom sports Italian marble. “That is a nod to my father’s preferences – he would love to have Italian marble all over, whereas I would prefer not to use it at all,” reveals Rathod.
In the living room, several colours and patterns come together through the fabrics used for the upholstery. The floor lamp was designed in-house using ceramic tubes, and the terrazzo flooring recalls an old world feel. The 3-layered curtains are in khadi silk and cotton.
The dining table has several steel and copper legs, forming a complex geometry inspired by a millipede. The large round lights in the ceiling have been customised, while a low credenza against the wall is made out of bison board. The black apple atop it is stone.
In the master bedroom, there is a long wooden study table with an interesting detail on its edge. The shutters of the wardrobe are of painted Shera board. The lamp on the bedside is fixed to the wall with brackets and has a long arm descending from the ceiling. “Actually we overlooked providing an electrical point next to the bed. Having to work with the one on the ceiling, this was our solution,” says Rathod. “The bath walls have in situ terrazzo, however, the guest bathroom is in a ground rough terrazzo.” A glamorous space, the walls of the latter are clad with sheets of brass. The window is at an unusually low level, enabling a view while also retaining privacy.
“The TV room has a large flat-panel TV set, meeting my father’s approval. The iconic Eames chair offers comfort for watching movies or listening to music. My father confessed that he is in no hurry to leave for work and looks forward to coming home,” reveals Rathod.
The designer delights in adding beauty to some detail that may be seen only for a few seconds a day, such as the front panel of the drawer inside a wardrobe.
