The living room is defined by pinstriped wallpaper, mid-century modern armchairs and a natural-grain coffee table
Tanya Gupta and Ishan Bansal remained remarkably unruffled in their apartment in Bangalore when the pandemic made office-goers call dibs on the spare bedroom and set aside the entirety of their trousers collection. After all, they had made up their minds: if they had to work from home, they were going to do it with pizzazz. They promptly put down a deposit on the house next door and christened it their lockdown loft. Then, they roped in Smita Thomas, founder and principal designer of Bangalore-based interior design firm Multitude of Sins, whose work they were familiar with, to facelift the interior. âThey wanted to turn the property into a half-work, half-play jewel box, with separate his-and-hers offices, relaxing pockets for lounging and a smorgasbord of pastels,â recalls Thomas, who worked on creating Art Deco-informed renders, along with a team that included Rahul Naidu, Sachin Bhat and Anil Jain.
With biscuit-toned walls, candyfloss accents and armchairs that could pass off for larger-than-life marshmallows, the interior looks like it could have been brought to life by Willy Wonka himselfâif Willy Wonka had a debonair flair. But really, thatâs the last thing that sets the home apart from its neighbours. The palette nods equally to both ownersâpastel undertones for her, prim accoutrements for him. âTheir offices are perfect reflections of them. Hers is a champagne-toned, Paris-inspired bolthole with whimsical artworks; his is pared-back and practical, with lots of monochromes,â reflects Smita.
The ladyâs office features champagne walls, a charcoal vintage writing desk and a ladder-style bookshelf. The rug and wall sconce are from Hatsu.
The gentlemanâs office is a lesson in monochrome. Dual-toned wallpaper masquerades as wainscoting. The mustard-framed whiteboard serves as a welcome Zoom backdrop.
The dining room is characterised by a two-toned cornice and curved moulding with Victorian-style wooden blooms. A pair of gilded gooseneck wall sconces halo the marble table top below. The rug is from Hatsu
The home is a modish time capsule of mid-century modern chairs, Victorian moulding and foliated surfaces that whisper of faraway lands. There are textures everywhere you look: pinstriped fluting defines the living room, fluted wainscoting skirts the dining area, and cement tiles and geometric mosaics enliven the walls all around. And yet, on closer look, itâs evident that the drama is in the detailsâsheeny metallic upholstery, two-toned cornices, marble countertops, and a pair of gooseneck wall sconces that look like they could have been gilded mid-flight. âWe designed each room to operate as an independent realm, far removed from the others. Aside from the twin workspaces, thereâs also a guest boudoir and a generous lounge area that dons various avatars to suit the occasion,â says Thomas, who injected pops of colour by way of accents and tchotchkes. The royal blue rug in the dining room, for instance, provides a bold counterpoint to the mellow shell, while on the walls, abstract artworks in white-washed frames fall in the shadowlands between the old and the new.
The bar is enlivened by botanical wallpaper and a trifecta of arches. It plays host to a tiny coffee station, a hidden mini fridge and rows of spirits
For Thomas, the bar is undoubtedly the tour de force. âAs an integral part of the clientsâ brief, we knew we had to go all out and make the bar equal parts functional and fabulous. And so, as a hat-tip to Parisâs famous triumphal arches, we designed the bar as a trifecta of arches,â she says. In a bid to add storage, she carved out a concealed pantry behind the bar to hide the back-end from plain sight. âWe accented the wall with botanical wallpaper and turned the counter into a glamorous knock-back nook, complete with a wee coffee station, a secret mini fridge and a shiny line-up of spirits.â With details that straddle the line between work and play, itâs abundantly clear that in this home, itâs always happy hour.
