Sunlit Serenity

The client and the architect Sanjana Mathur and Ujjwal Sagar's favourite home improvement show ensured that the remodelling of this Delhi home was a dream project for everyone involved.

When a married couple with no kids—the husband’s parents—and occasionally sister moved into a 2,500-square-foot Delhi home in the city’s Vasant Vihar locality, they had all unanimously decided that they wanted it to look right out of Netflix’s Dream Home Makeover. Sanjana Mathur, the lead architect at Studio Bipolar, whose firm is located just a stone’s throw away from this apartment, tuned into the home renovation show for design inspiration as well. The project was christened Sunlit Serenity as every room of the sanctuary was an airy space filled with generous amounts of light.

The arched window in the hallway of this beautiful Delhi home was originally a tiny window that was opened up as that was the only space in the house with limited light. A very neutral, cool-toned marble runs across the floors to offset the warmer wooden tones that come up throughout the home. Sharp black accents cut through the space, the contrast is what makes this look work visually.

From the hallway, you step through double doors into the living and dining area. A corner of the dining area is visible from the hallway and the view is completed by an olive tree and artwork. The living room is the pivotal aspect of this home: the design is a mix of traditional, mid-century and contemporary styles carefully balanced with contrasting colours, earthy materials, and slean, straight lines. A grey sofa separates the living area from the dining area. On one side is a deep green sofa and across from it, we have two armchairs. At the centre of the seating arrangement is a low wooden coffee table. A fireplace anchors the feature wall with a television above it and two built-in display units. The two display units on the ends of the focal wall pull the focus apart and make the space appear wider. The faux beams running across the ceiling lean towards a more traditional look contrasting against the contemporary seating.

The dining area was kept simple with a long wooden table anchoring the space using a bench seating on one side and three seats on the other. At the head of the table, accent armchairs break up the monotony of the wood. A console table in black continues the theme of contrasts from the living room.

To the left of the main entrance, a powder room hides behind a hidden door. “A lot was going on in the hallway, so hiding the door made the space come together a bit more cohesively visually,” the architect says. Inside, the visually rich bathroom is wallpapered as the main focus of the space and complemented with sage green wainscoting on the bottom. An all-brass light by Quattrefoil and an antique mirror complete this eclectic look.

Beyond the dining area is the music room. The entire space spanning the living, dining, and music room was one open space. “The client, an avid musician, wanted a space where he could play music without distractions, so we used folding glass doors to separate the area from the living space.” Studio Bipolar opted for dark navy blue paint to craft a moody, artsy vibe. Strong prints accent the other two walls with a daybed thrown in, a study unit niche, and a yellow armchair to lend a pop of colour.

A long, dramatic hallway is a transition from the public areas to the private quarters. One side of the hallway has photographs of the family and adds a burst of warmth with a long console that breaks up the monotony of the white tones. Subtle accents of gold tied together with neutral tones of whites, greys, and beiges, align with the medley of design styles the client had opted for this home. In the parent’s bedroom, the aesthetic is light and earthy with the anchor point being the wall at the far end of the room, with contemporary mouldings that extend it partially onto the fall ceiling as well. An arched entryway leads to the wardrobe and bathroom area, visually tied together by a mix of angular and curved furniture edges.

The master bedroom is the hero of this house. As soon as you enter, you are greeted with two arched niches, spared by French doors that lead out into the balcony on the opposite wall. The left niche has a built-in bench seating under a window and in the right niche is a study desk. A minimally designed bed frame is the heaviest piece of furniture in the room but turned up the visual interest by adding a carved wooden console table across from it. A black metal chandelier breaks the monotony of the beige-and-brown tones that continue from the furniture to the floor and the ceiling.