HOUSE OF STORIES
In a towering skyscraper that dots the glittering skyline of Mumbai, brutalist lime-coated walls sheathe a maximalist yet warm home for a large family of seven.
For architects Rajiv and Ekta Parekh, Founding Partners at reD alongside Maithili Raut, Partner - it was the essence of familial bonds that they chose to weave within this vibrant 8,000 sq ft apartment in Mumbai, where each space quietly flows into another with a ruddy terracotta floor. Its vivid hue comes to life across every room's floor, reminiscent of the family's village home - symbolically laying down the roots to their ancestry. "The clients were very clear that the home was for them and their extended family of brothers and sisters. On any given Sunday, they have close to 20-odd people who pop in for lunch unannounced!" Rajiv shares.
To house so many people and a battery of staff under one roof required space and the architects faced their biggest challenge from the get-go. Since they would be combining four apartments across an entire floor of a skyscraper, spatially planning it as one cohesive unit seemed trickier than they expected. "I don't think the building architects would have envisioned a layout like this with a 15 ft wide square donut holding a massive central service core within," says Ekta when explaining how they had to ensure the home didn't feel narrow or lose a lot of area to the corridors. "Had we not been creative in our planning of the layout, we would have ended up having a 300 ft long corridor - it would have been the death of this project!" To avoid running the rooms sequentially like a railway compartment, thoughtful placement of each space allotted one lift lobby to open up as the main entrance, with the second one being dissipated into an internal vestibule between bedrooms.
A grand Barrisol ceiling illuminates the entrance where Siporex walls - hand carved by artisans from the family's village - cleverly conceal the family's name until we look closer. Walking through each earth toned room, we begin to discover the family's warmth and joy for opening their doors to their loved ones, and carving out individual spaces for themselves under one roof. While the dining room holds a large table for a formal setting, it spills into a more casual living room for intimate gatherings that begin to form in any celebration. The home's bar, designed for the younger parents, is placed within the formal living room for cocktail parties or even a strong cuppa when screening films on movie nights with friends. While the teenage daughter's plush carpeted bedroom is a dream for sleepovers, the seven-year-old son's room holds monkey bars to swing about on or experiment with sculpture making during frequent visits by a village artist who mentors him. For quieter moments, a meditation room provides a peaceful retreat when anyone in the family seeks solitude.
For Rajiv and Ekta, a home is a symbol of its family's infinite bonds if it stands as a testament of time. "It needs to be built to be long-lasting. Not only would it not require rebuilding, but it also helps save the environment," they relate. "We painted the walls using crushed Indian limestone to make them more durable, used sustainably sourced timber and boards made with bamboo fibres, sensors to ensure lights switch off when spaces are not occupied, programmed a home automation to draw blackout blinds during peak hours of sunlight, and fitted VRV air-conditioning to ensure the least possible wastage of power in this apartment."
Looking back at their first meeting with the family, where they sat with each member - from the grandfather to the youngest son - Rajiv and Ekta walk through the home pointing out individual quirks and dynamics that echo through each space. "We wanted this to be a place that felt as warm as the family's welcoming personalities and their grounded down-to-earth way of living, and brought to life their shared love for nature,” they muse as we step out into the bustling city.