A home is often a creative manifestation of one’s personality. The design, colour, material and styling are intrinsic to telling a personal story. And if that story is inspired by the world and fuelled by a passion to travel, the canvas for an interior designer becomes endless and exciting. When Pune-based Natasha Shah of Between Walls set out to design this apartment for her clients, the owners’ love for travel became the tentpole to her design language.

Reflection of Self

The 1400-square-feet residence was christened Apartment 1001, derived from the residence and floor number of the building. The clients had just moved from Mumbai and wanted their home to reflect their love for travel and the city they were settling in. “Our journey began keeping in mind their love for beaches. All the colours and emotions that nature had to offer were reflected in the concept,” says Shah. Keeping the ocean in mind, certain features were locked down. For example, the entrance of the house is designed in glass depicting transparency like the water. The colour palette is mostly white and is rooted in a sense of freshness. The TV wall is clad with natural stone and the living room is given a colourful arc with complementary colours of blue and yellow depicting the contrasting colours of the sun and the ocean.

Merging Style and Functionality

There is deliberate fluidity in Apartment 1001, thanks to an open floor plan where light and ventilation brighten up spaces. The large balcony of the dining area is a case in point, bringing the outdoors inside. The children’s room is equipped with three beds, keeping sleepovers and a need for ample space for the young mind. The steps of the bunk bed have been used for creating storage and a laser-cut world map harks back to the wanderlust theme of the house.

Celebration of Materials

Symmetry and balance of materials and colours have fused pragmatism with style. The dining room is dominated by natural wood. Bench seating on the dining table adds informality in the urban home. “After all, the dining area is a place to enjoy a meal and linger longer for conversations,” explains Shah. The kitchen has been kept crisply modern with bold monochromatic stripes of black and white, in tune with the aesthetics of the entrance. It looks large and spacious with a wide platform and white cabinets. The love for nature has been encapsulated in the traditional ‘khaat’ (bedstead) in the balcony of the guest room, with coconuts painted in pastel shades—it’s ideal to curl up with a good book.

The sublimely cool and clean approach to pastels, whites and blues is accentuated with the use of pinewood. “We have used natural pinewood for the balcony ceiling and coupled that with rustic blue printed tiles for the flooring,” says Shah.

Private Spaces

The children’s room reflects their love for animals with customised curtains and decor elements that look fun yet, mature. A bold blue and white palette along with natural wood has been used to hook it back to the rest of the house. But it’s the bay window that steals the show—it’s made to gaze at the stars and deep dive into (dreamy) travels far and wide.