The Arcadian Apartment | Spaxis Design | Juhu, Mumbai
When we think of Mumbai, we often think of tight spaces with space saving furniture. But this house in Juhu is the antithesis of the norm. Sanjana Kantawala and Helly Shah of Spaxis Design successfully converted two three BHK apartments into one airy breezy home.
“We wanted to counterbalance the hustle-and-bustle of Mumbai by creating an environment of calmness in this home. When we started designing this home, that’s what we kept in mind – we wanted to create an oasis of a simple, quiet life, in the midst of this busy suburb,” they explained.
This project, aptly named The Arcadian Apartment is truly that – a symbol of a simple, quiet and peaceful life. Just as you enter this apartment, the first thing you notice is that it is sprawled horizontally with living room off to one side of the entrance and the dining area to the other. But what you register next is that it is a completely open space with no walls hindering the natural air and light that comes from the spectacular height of the 13th floor. The white walls and ceilings have a stark polarity with the grey flooring, giving a sense of serenity to the entire house.
Living Room
The living room also has an office space with fluted sliding glass shutters. This not only gives the benefit of providing complete privacy and solitude for all the work-from-home sessions but can also be opened up when entertaining more guests. A true form of work-life balance!
The sofas add to the neutral pallet of the house, while the texture in the chairs gives the space a spruce. The TV unit is also kept to a minimal to ensure that the living room feels open and spacious. Plants are a part of the décor at the Arcadian Apartment ensuring that it breathes life to the placidity of the design.
The ceiling that connects the living room and the dining area has also been given character by adding a wooden detail. The planked wood ceiling feature draws a bridge between two separate spaces of the house, creating a symbiosis of design and space. “We wanted every nook and corner of the house to have a personality – to have something that draws people towards it while still maintaining the calm environment that the house has been tied into,” Helly and Sanjana reflected.
Dining Area
The highlight of the dining area is the crockery unit behind it. Since the apartment does not have any partition walls in the main areas of living room and dining room, creating a highlight wall adds the necessary colour and character to the space. This unit also gives space to display important memorabilia or showpieces and stow away extra crockery behind the tiny closed doors. The intricate details of the louvered shutters and the tiny spotlights add to the beauty of this unit.
Parents’ Bedroom
The parents’ bedroom is again kept in the warm neutral tones of whites, blues and browns. The bed frame is kept simple and minimalistic. The panelled wood work on the wall draws one’s attention to the bed and the coziness that it offers. The room door is disguised as a part of this wood panelling and gives the space a continuity that makes it look spacious and seamless.
A comfy lounge chair, with its warm patterns, breaks the monotony of the room and gives the parents an opportunity to enjoy the breeze and the fantastic sea-views. The cane detailing on the wardrobes, the dresser and the side tables ties in the whole room with a look of comfort and serenity while also adding a touch of tradition to the otherwise modern room.
Master Bedroom
The focal point of the master bedroom is the teal headboard of the bed. As soon as you enter the room, it is the first thing that you take in. It then draws your attention to the elegant line-folded walls behind it. The neutral palette of the house continues in this bedroom as well.
The almost-circular mirror with the dresser overlapping it is another chic element in this room. The dresser, with its checked wooden detail, takes inspiration from ethnic trunk and sets off the design of the wall and the bed.
The sliding windows open up completely to let the homeowners enjoy the view of the majestic sea. The design of the room has been inspired by this view, offering tranquility in all its elements.
Guest cum Kids Bedroom
The guest bedroom has been decorated in a way that it can be later converted to a kid’s bedroom. The sofa-cum-bed offers to keep a lot of open space in the room for any recreational activities. The battleship grey of the bed and the sage green of the curtains create a lively and bright room.
The parquetry on the TV unit wall creates a beautiful contrast with the sage green wall. The modest TV unit has drawers that match the sage green wall and offers a break in the uniformity of the wood.
“This was a special project because we worked on the planning as well as the execution of clubbing two homes. It took a lot of planning and going back-and-forth to decide how to create one harmonious space out of the two apartments that we were tasked to combine. The interior was, as always, a reflection of the life that the clients aspired with the touch of their unique personality. If all homes tell a story, this one tells the story of calm in chaos,” explained Sanjana and Helly of Spaxis Design.
FACT FILE
Project Name : The Arcadian Apartment
Design Firm : Spaxis Design
Principal Designer : Sanjana Kantawala and Helly Shah
Project Location : Juhu, Mumbai
Project Type : Residential – Interior Design
Photography Credits : Pixellus Photography
