Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

A Sharp, Clean Aesthetic in 2 Mumbai Renovations

Gray Indian limestone separates a living room from a passage.Credit...Sebastian Zachariah/Rajiv Saini and Associates

MUMBAI — Call it the classic old money versus new money divide. Developers here aggressively advertise new luxury housing developments in former industrial neighborhoods, offering everything from private jet services to upscale spas, yet still vie with older residential areas for affluent buyers. Malabar Hill, among the oldest and most exclusive localities in this island city, is a case in point. Although most buildings in the area offer minimal amenities, like gyms and gardens, buyers are attracted by the enclave’s sea views, relative quiet, proximity to parks, and absence of slums.

Once a jungle populated by tigers, hyenas, jackals and wild boars, Malabar Hill is an elevated stretch of land at the northern end of a bay that frames the southern end of the city. Although the wild animals are long gone, remnants of green continue to fringe the area. On one end is an expanse of 54 acres, a religious site known as the Tower of Silence, where followers of the Zoroastrian faith lay their dead. On another end is a 50-acre site flanking the beach, home to diverse flora and fauna, including peacocks, as well as the residence of the governor of Maharashtra, the state in which Mumbai is located. A 20-acre park and a sports complex by the sea are another draw.

These vital arterial lungs distinguish this historic residential neighborhood from other pockets of Mumbai. Many residents whose families have lived here for generations are used to residing in apartments that average 1,500 to 2,500 square feet. Pricing ranges from 75,000 Indian rupees, or about $1,200, to 100,000 rupees per square foot, according to Pranay Vakil, chairman of Praron Consultancy, a real estate company, and the retired chairman of Knight Frank India, an arm of the global property consulting firm.

“The area is able to still attract people who are looking for good places to live, with sea views, who prefer like-minded gentry,” said Mr. Vakil, “and older apartments have room sizes that are bigger than the newer buildings.”

Numerous buildings in the neighborhood were built 40 to 50 years ago, yet some residents are altering their homes in keeping with the times and changing styles. Among these are two apartments recently renovated by the respected self-taught architect Rajiv Saini.

In a nation that celebrates embellishment, Mr. Saini, 42, stands apart for his aesthetic of sharp, clean lines and pursuit of purity within spaces, and he attracts clients who sometimes give him carte blanche to realize his vision. This was the case with the two Malabar Hill apartments (he has known one of the clients since she was a child).

The first apartment, in a building called Sangam, constructed in 1960, is a three-bedroom unit measuring 2,000 square feet, belonging to a couple who are prolific art collectors and their grown son. The family, who have lived in the space since 1992, found their art taking over the space; they were hanging it everywhere except the ceiling. They sought out Mr. Saini, whose work they admired and whom they knew to have an abiding interest in the arts. (Mr. Saini is married to the artist Shilpa Gupta, and a sister and brother-in-law are also acclaimed artists.)

“Not being formally trained in design or architecture, I have a different approach while making choices, whether they pertain to spatial configurations or material selection,” Mr. Saini said. “I strive for the same sensibility as one would while working on a two- or three- dimensional composition. It’s a challenge to balance that with the more prosaic aspects of a functional living space, but I try to achieve it.”

Mr. Saini says the Sangam apartment was a dream project. “I had a free run as far as choosing a palette of materials was concerned. Every detail or specification I gave was really followed and respected. When I got to see the art, I didn’t want to create a white cubelike space. Immediately in my mind I thought white, gray, which is very neutral, and materials like terrazzo and wood to bring in the warmth. Because there’s a lot of greenery around the apartment, a neutral palette would complement the space and take on the art.”

Image
Neutral tones complement materials like terrazzo and wood.Credit...Sebastian Zachariah/Rajiv Saini and Associates

The original space had an entrance corridor that separated the dining and living area, creating a hemmed-in feeling in an already small space. Mr. Saini removed the wall but added a copper-clad suspended cabinet with wood fins attached below it, forming a screen for the entrance lobby that cordoned off the dining area while lending a sense of space in the small entrance lobby.

The architect added recessed lights at the bottom of the cabinet for an interesting play of light and shadow on the floor. The flooring is made of terrazzo tiles, and the furniture is a mix of Italian and locally made bespoke pieces. The living room has a custom-designed banquette sofa accompanied by Hans Wegner chairs and a Charlotte Perriand coffee table. The master bedroom has a Carlo Mollino lounge chair, and in the study are Domus chairs by Ilmari Tapiovaara.

Mr. Saini made ample use of sliding screens throughout the apartment, with one in the living room that displays art, another in a bedroom to hide a television, one in the guest powder room to hide a shower unit and another to ensure privacy in the guest bedroom with den.

Gesturing to the art on the walls, Mr. Saini said he picked most of the pieces. “This is just a fraction of the art they have,” he said. “They originally lived with so much art so I really had to say ‘No! No more art.’ They kept trying to put more art up and I kept having to say ‘restraint, restraint.”’

For the second apartment, a light-filled apartment facing the sea in a posh 1968-era building called Manek, the owners, a young married couple with a 1›-year-old child, wanted an open, airy, vibrant feel. The clients wanted a Scandinavian aesthetic with a lot of white and bursts of color. Mr. Saini employed a gray Indian limestone with copper inserts to separate the living area from a passageway. “With every space you are trying to zone off space yet not have walls,” he said.

The living-dining area, measuring 800 square feet, is the largest expanse in the apartment, and here he installed light-blond wood floors to create a feeling of airiness. On one long wall, Mr. Saini employed a clever flourish: He created storage in the form of suspended white lacquered cabinets with cove lighting below, visually anchoring them with a six-inch solid raised plinth in gray limestone below. The result is a storage unit that looks like a wall, replete with a painting hanging in front.

A Carlo Mollino work table sits in one corner of the living room with large windows looking out to sea.

“I love the idea of a mixed-use space,” Mr. Saini said. “So often living spaces get assigned as rooms that never get used even though they are the largest percentage in terms of area.”

Mr. Saini completely reorganized the private quarters. A hidden sliding door can cordon off the living area from the family’s bedrooms, which despite facing the ocean had never had a sea view because of a wall enclosure. By removing the enclosure, Mr. Saini reclaimed enough space for a walk-in closet.

In keeping with Mr. Saini’s aesthetic of clean lines, both apartments are devoid of extraneous decorative objects. “I don’t like clutter,” he said. “One object wrongly placed in a room can change the way you perceive the room.”

A version of this article appears in print on   in The New York Times International Edition. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT