“I like to surround myself with beautiful objects,” says Shan Bhatnagar, artist, hotelier and founder of his eponymous interior design studio. “Indian style is all about maximalism. The more, the merrier.” And there’s nothing that materialises this sentiment quite like Bhatnagar’s multi-generational home in Jaipur, located in a quiet neighbourhood. Built in the early 1950s, this space is almost as old as independent India—celebrating the country’s storied history, every step of the way. It houses a large drawing room, eight bedrooms, a traditional courtyard, lounge and bar area, a Krishna temple, Bhatnagar’s studio as well as his mother’s atelier.
Growing up in old Delhi, Bhatnagar loved gallivanting around local markets, hunting for antiques. Something that reached its crescendo when he moved to Jaipur. “The excitement to live in a city that was bursting with art and cultural heritage heightened my creativity,” he adds. This home in Jaipur mirrors this energy with a sea of carefully selected objects—some inherited, some collected over the years, and some waiting to be acquired in the future. Layered with 16th-19th century miniature paintings, Pichwais, bronze statues from different parts of India, carpets, chandeliers, and traditional lamps that are lit up almost everyday—it all comes together to celebrate the joyful spirit of Indian arts and craft.
Original text by Adarsh Soni, edited by Khushi Sheth.
A Bungalow in Thane
This was not to be a vanilla, minimalistic aesthetic. Priti Warke, owner of the two-level, 4,000-square-foot bungalow in a gated community in Thane, Mumbai, was very clear that Indian imagery is a much-favoured part of her sensibility. Even to a casual viewer, the unabashed celebration of Indian motifs in this home in Mumbai is unmistakable. Iesha Parekh Shellugar and Sneha Talati of TaP Design Inc were happy to source and execute exemplary interpretations of the warm, complex detailing which is characteristic of Indian art. What was not available off the shelf, was capably commissioned…creating a complex canvas that beckons and invites closer inspection. “The idea was to go luxe…in this project, ethnic does not mean unsophisticated,” says Iesha.
Art in this home in Mumbai is not restricted to the customary hung-on-the-wall variety. The large surfaces offered by walls and wardrobe shutters stand in for canvases, customised to depict a variety of art forms. While the home is contemporary, Iesha and Sneha don’t miss a chance to tastefully use surfaces to carry forward displays of murals and Indian motifs — both subtle and bold. The main door itself announces the aesthetic intent within, with its CNC motifs.
Original text by Devyani Jayakar, edited by Khushi Sheth.
An Apartment In Delhi
