Madhuri Dixit-Nene and Dr Shriram Nene go over the designs for their Mumbai home. (Photo by Danish Hurzook)
They wanted the décor to be elegant and preferred neutral colours, but despite being a Hindi movie A-lister, Madhuri Dixit-Nene and her surgeon husband Dr Shriram Nene, did not have too many demands when it came to upgrading to a new 29th-floor apartment in a Mumbai highrise. They were keen to get on with the spatial planning first and ensure hassle-free flow of movement indoors.
When given the project brief in October 2021, Apoorva Shroff, founder and principal designer of Mumbai-based lyth Design, then working for reDArchitects with team member Shivam Patel, knew she had to package practicality and functionality with flawless design.
Living room (Photo by Danish Huzrook)
The Dixit-Nene couple needed to move on from a duplex apartment that was proving to be “inconvenient” for them. The new flat had to be a compact unit and given the abundant talent within the family, not to mention the movie star’s dancing and musical skills, they required space to work in, hone their creativity and spend time together.
Seamless movement
It took time to figure out how staff and visitors would be “factored in” in the new site measuring 5000 sq feet. An office space or waiting area was created at the entrance to “manage” people dropping in for a chat or official work. The other entrance through the kitchen was meant for staff and connected to the dining space for quick and unobtrusive service. Dixit’s make-up room located close by also doubled up as working space.
Shroff, who pats herself on the back for completing the project in just 45 days, said it took all of her energies to make the colours and the textures of the décor come together subtly, “not screaming for attention”. So though Dixit and Dr Nene wanted to go with muted tones in the living room, Shroff managed to convince them that vibrant colours and bold ideas brought out the best in the space, “a dynamic shift from the neutral tones that they were accustomed to,” she says.
Shroff, who set up lyth in 2022 after being partner at reD Architects following a stint at urban design firm Cooper Robertson and Partners in New York, gave free rein to her “creative sensibility that aligns with my aesthetics” to fine tune the design.
Dining room (Photo by Danish Huzrook)
Greens and blues
The formal living room at the heart of the house was brightened up with a green veneer wallpaper offsetting the blue suede sofa and a very colourful Manchaha rug from Jaipur rugs. A round teak centre table completed the picture while a tall Sakti Burman sculpture and art by M.F. Husain livened up things. Antique wood panels balanced the gold-studded console sitting stylishly in the dining space.
The den
The “den”, designed for leisure and pleasure, also got studio treatment, with drums and other musical instruments in a corner. Soft blue textured wallpaper made the room cozy, with the comfy sofas and lounge chair doing their own bit to look very inviting for movie nights and television time.
Shroff says the couple, both movie buffs, loved their den, declaring they were thrilled with the acoustics and “comfort of this room.”
As for the décor elements, the wallpapers were sourced from Elementto Lifestyle, the furnishings from Embellish and the furniture from Defurn, And More Stories, Scarlet Splendour, Viya Home and Sources Unlimited.
It takes two to make it work
On the feedback she received from the couple, Shroff says the quick turnaround time of 40 days was a big win for them and for the architectural firm. Someone who strongly believes that each design project starts with a story and that every design decision has to be a conscious choice, Shroff, who specialises in interior design, architecture, product design as well as graphic design, says her work mantra to give her clients undivided attention and make sure their ideas are translated beautifully in her projects.
This has definitely paid off. “Madhuri and Ram were thrilled about how the house has turned out. They loved the use of colour and appreciated how efficiently the space was utilised,” she says.
So, who had a greater say in terms of inputs for design? Dixit or Dr Nene? “That’s a fun question,” laughs Shroff. “I’d say while Ram was running the show and was a 100% involved, he never made any big decisions without consulting with Madhuri. So, in all fairness, it was a joint effort.”