Mumbai apartment designed to feel like "arriving at the edge of a still body of water"
The lily pads that float on the Kerala backwaters were the inspiration for this multi-generational apartment renovation in Mumbai by local studio The Act of Quad.
Poetically named A Borrowed Memory, the apartment is characterised by continuous green flooring designed to echo the interconnected lakes, rivers and lagoons known as the Kerala backwaters in southern India.
Priyanka Itadkar and Falguni Bhatia of The Act of Quad were drawn to the backwaters' lily pads when crafting the interior, which they said was designed to feel like "arriving at the edge of a still body of water".
This involved replacing rigid corners with curved, lime-washed walls across the home, which was renovated for a multi-generational family made up of a couple and two elderly grandparents.
Various bespoke furniture pieces in the living space were finished in subtle organic shapes, including undulating dining chairs and a door-mounted green sculpture that looks like a large curled leaf.
The studio also designed a delicate lily pad-like coffee table from clay, which was then moulded and cast in fibre. The table's jade sheen was embellished with delicate resin droplets to recall the stillness of the backwaters.
A sofa was draped in light green fabric, offering a soft antidote to an intricate hand-carved timber pillar sourced from Kerala as another homage to the state.
"Various pieces borrow the form of lily pads, but stop short of becoming literal representations," explained Itadkar and Bhatia. "The intention was never to recreate a landscape, but to allow fragments of it to quietly inhabit the home."
Elsewhere in the apartment, the grandparents' bedroom was designed to be the most peaceful space in the house, with muted tones and handcrafted timber furniture to complement the curved walls.
Rounded windowpanes, mirrors and headboards characterise multiple rooms in another subtle nod to the shape of lily pads.
The studio took care to adapt the home to fit the needs of its residents, who range in age, which included introducing a curved wall in the dining room to enlarge its adjoining bathroom to make it accessible for wheelchairs.
The younger couple's green-hued bedroom features a custom wardrobe that conceals an entire walk-in dressing space between two sliding timber panels.
In the living space, a concealed home theatre system was fitted in lieu of a permanent television on display, to encourage the sociable atmosphere of traditional multi-generational Indian homes.
Itadkar and Bhatia said that despite the modest plan of the single-floor apartment, they were determined not to compromise on standout touches including space-saving devices and bespoke furniture.
"The reality of Indian cities is one of increasingly compact homes, and we find that challenge far more compelling than designing without limits," reflected the studio founders.
"Luxury today lies in creating spaces that are deeply personal, emotionally resonant and built around the lives of the people who inhabit them."
Founded in 2019, The Act of Quad has completed various other projects in Mumbai, including their self-designed studio in a former library and another multi-generational home arranged across a high-rise.
The photography is by Nayan Soni.
The post Mumbai apartment designed to feel like "arriving at the edge of a still body of water" appeared first on Dezeen.
