There is no cold minimalism at play here. -tabla!

 Ayesha Kohli

Mon, Sep 12, 2011
tabla!

WALK into the Raikar residence and one can't help but do a 360-degree swirl to take it all in.

More is definitely more here and is clearly the signature style in this 6,500 sq ft Arcadia penthouse.

Renovation, Indian style Click on thumbnail to view

For one, the stunning splash of wine red on the double-height feature wall clearly sets the tone: This is home to people who live large and with panache.

Welcome to the home of Amrita and Ajit Raikar.

Mrs Raikar, 46, an Indian art promoter who recently moved to Singapore from Jakarta with husband Ajit, 51, managing director (regional SME strategy) at DBS, says rather self-effacedly: "I have no one style. I actually pick anything we like and put it together." And as the eye travels around the room, taking in the skilfully-positioned displays of some seriously pedigreed Indian contemporary art, luxurious carpets, terracotta sculptures, ornate polished furniture and a medley of curios, that curatorial skill of putting things together and making them work is all too evident.

But while the mix is eclectic, in pure interior decor parlance, given the use of rosewood and teak, curvy colonial furniture, objects with detailed ornamentation, the style is definitely classical.

And while some of the stories behind the most beloved pieces often revolve around the thrill of the hunt and waiting for the perfect piece, there were also tales of sheer creativity: Such as the self-made Tiffany-style lamps or the lovingly-restored dowry chest and planters chair from Mumbai's chor bazaar (thieves market).

Creativity and the classical Indian themed decor are at play strongly, even in Mrs Chanda Mungla's 2,800 sq ft Meyer Park home.

The 40-year-old home stylist and owner of interior decor firm Magical Home Makeovers moved to Singapore a couple of years ago when her husband Deepak Mungla, 40, was posted to Singapore on account of his work with a hedge fund.

There are some striking examples of self-designed pieces which catch the eye immediately. Take the centre tables for example: Tops of wooden temple pillars (sourced from Mumbai's chor bazaar again!) are turned upside down and paired with complementary wooden legs.

The actual cost of refurbishing and creating the pieces are a fraction of the market prices of similar items.

Another item looks like a beautiful period piece settee at first sight, but reveals Mrs Mungla's innovative design skills as she describes how she put it together by combining disparate pieces of furniture from Delhi's Amar Colony (another absolutely delicious source of all things vintage).

As Mrs Mungla says: "I am all for up-cycling. Well-loved or vintage pieces that may have outlived their purpose can be given a new lease of life. One just has to think creatively and you can come up with some stunning transformations. And then there is nothing quite like it anywhere else."

This penchant for custom-made exclusivity is a recurring theme among most Indian homes and was certainly on display at Mrs Soma Jaaj Bhargava's Chinese-themed apartment in Ardmore Park. This 41-year-old self-confessed homebody is in love with all things Chinese after her stint in Shanghai with husband Piyush Bhargava, 41, a senior director at Dell.

As Mrs Bhargava says: "I love the art and detailing that I discovered in China and the fact that I could get pieces designed just the way I wanted it."

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As she talked about her favourite pieces, all customised to her liking - the Ming style coffee table with straight lines and subtle carvings, the luxurious day bed, the altar tables, some of which took over six months to get just right - what was impressive was her obvious eye for detail.

It was evident in every piece of furniture and objet d'art carefully collected and displayed around the house. Even in the obvious whimsical act of using a large Chinese bowl as a beer chiller for parties, it's the attention to detail that creates the wow factor.

After visiting these gorgeous homes, I have to say that the old adage of a home being a reflection of one's personality couldn't have been truer. As Mrs Bhargava says: "My home uses bright oranges and rusts in its colour palette. I have to have happy colours around me, because that is just the way I am. My home has to have a certain radiance. Also we love to entertain and hang out with friends, so my house must look welcoming and beautiful at all times."

Mrs Mungla also offers an insight into how her personality influences her decor choices: "When I do up my home, I focus on balance and symmetry. It must appear cosy but without feeling cluttered. All the stuff must be in the right place. I can't live in a mess and let things lie around. Tidying up and putting things away is part of our everyday routine. I am quite a proper person that way. And my house must look proper at all times as well."

But my quest for finding tastefully furnished Indian homes in Singapore was not over. So far I had visited homes which had a heavy emphasis on ornamentation and were more classical in nature.

I still had not found homes with a really modern and contemporary look and feel.

To do so, I took my search to Indians who worked in the architectural profession. Bingo! It was almost as if they lived on a different planet.

As architect and Technical Services of Oakwood Asia Pacific director Percy Muncherji, 44, welcomed me into his 2,700 sq ft Horizon Towers home, I knew I wasn't entering just another beautiful residence; I was entering a carefully-designed experience.

The mood - both dramatic and luxurious - is set as soon as one steps into the foyer. The entrance feature wall, with its metallic butterflies that appear to be in flight across a backdrop of subtle bronze fabric, is the delicate counter to the spectacular Italian black marble flooring that anchors the entrance area.

It's a small corridor in reality, but design features such as the dramatic full-length mirror,a full-height frameless door and a floating light fixture work extremely effectively to give a sense of space, while exuding an incredibly evolved taste for aesthetics.

"As an architect, I think in terms of scale and proportion and when I am designing, I am actually setting the framework for an attractive visual space and then it's all about getting the right composition," says Mr Muncherji. As I walk around the rest of his home, his nod towards "clean lines, unfussy and uncomplicated interiors" is all too evident.

A self-professed believer of "design as opposed to decoration", it's not surprising that Mr Muncherji has created a space where every element serves a purpose and plays a well-thought-out role.

And while the choice of materials is extremely contemporary, the use of textures and colours makes for a warm and inviting home and ambience.

There is no cold minimalism at play here.

The neutral colour palette peppered with splashes of colour comes to life with a whole array of materials that complement each other.

The shine of the white crystal glass tile in the living room finds a fellow partner in the high gloss peel finish of the drinks bar at one end.

However within the same space, there is also the honed imperfection of travertine that makes for a glorious feature wall.

Black, white, wood, metal - the look is extremely modern and extremely sophisticated.

And no surprises, creativity flourishes in every part of this home. Most of the furniture, cabinetry and a fair amount of the artwork have been designed by Mr Mun- cherji and then custom-made.

The attention to detail is also impeccable. From the warm lighting which can be orchestrated to define and manipulate the ambient environment, to the framed Issey Miyake scarves that are hung tastefully above an Arne Jacobsen Egg chair in the master bedroom, my trip to the Muncherji household was a delightful treat for the senses.

My next stop was at the Hawaii Towers apartment of Mrs Ujjwala Naik-Goenka, 36-year-old architect and founding director of lifestyle accessories firm Souk, and her husband Tanuj, 37-year-old senior associate architect with Kerry Hill Architects.

The couple have an extremely contemporary-cum-retro aesthetic sense and here was another example of curatorial finesse.

The Eames lounger takes pride of place along with a coffee table made of Bhutanese slate and Burmese teak.

Nearby, the dining table made of large slabs of teak, flanked by leather and steel chairs and warmed by bright overhead lighting, has set the stage for many a long and wine-laden evening.

Souk accessories sourced from around South-east Asia lend a chic touch of modern Asiana. The overall neutral palette with a few accent colours and a few choice pieces give the apartment a sense of space and lightness.

"As we moved houses over the years, we have kept adding pieces that suit the homes that we occupy and also our style," says Mrs Naik-Goenka.

The obvious question on my mind was why architects always seem to have a clean, no-fuss style and stay far away from a home full of decorative items? For Indian architects in particular, having been brought up in a land rich in craft and tradition, surely there must have been plenty of exposure to Indian motifs and style. Doesn't that influence one's design sensibility?

"Education has been my biggest influence. My exposure to architectural design and interior architecture began to dictate my design outlook. No ornamentation, no fluff. And then having worked on so many projects with a contemporary brief, one can't but help get that particular modern design DNA over time," says Mrs Naik-Goenka, who studied architecture at SEPT in Ahmedabad and has worked at Kerry Hill Architects and SCDA in Singapore.

So even though I was working off a small sample, I could definitely see the different schools of thought in the world of interior design: There are interior architects and there are interior decorators.

The former follow a more restrained approach and their exposure to cutting-edge materials, technologies and designers keeps pushing the envelope in the world of interiors.

And then there are interior decorators, who to me are lovers of craft and detailing and revel in the workmanship of artisans.

But what is common to both is the need to be surrounded by high standards of aesthetics and beauty. And that is a benchmark that all of us could aspire to live by.