Fact File
Location: New Delhi
Size: 650 sq m
Principal Designer: Meenu Agarwal
Photographs Courtesy: MADS Creations
This luxurious residence, decorated by Meenu Agarwal, principal designer at MADS Creations, is located at the DLF Capital Greens in Delhi. Modern luxury has many shades, and this residence is steeped in gold accents and rich details. This sprawling home at DLF Capital Greens, Delhi, is a testimony to that. The owners of this home had found Agarwal’s work via the internet, and after being mesmerised by her repertoire of work, they decided that it was best suited for their dream home. Their plan included combining two apartments of 325 square metres each, facing each other on the same floor, to create a palatial residence. Statement furniture—custom designed and manufactured by the designers at their in-house facility—complements the high-end interiors with bold shapes and forms, exquisite materials and finishes, and sophisticated textures.
The lift lobby was converted into the connecting foyer between the two apartments featuring a statement console, vibrant artwork, and a vibrant chandelier. Each home had four bedrooms and a servant’s room. Agarwal combined and converted a few rooms to create a spacious master bedroom with a lounge, a formal dining room, and a larger kitchen for the family of four (a couple with two teenage children). In one of the apartments, a bedroom was converted into a formal dining area on a raised platform with marble inlay flooring. The adjoining bathroom was transformed into a powder room, and the kitchen was extended to include the servant’s room. In the other apartment, the bedroom adjacent to the master bedroom was repurposed into a lounge by breaking down the dividing wall and replacing it with a metal screen coated in gold. These compositional adjustments helped achieve a spatial experience that flows seamlessly. The home comprises six bedrooms, and connecting living and lounge areas, partially separated by gold-polished metal screens.
The grand veins of Grigio Orobico’s smoky grey stone covering most of the floor interact delightfully with the diverse textures used in detailing the interiors and add an opulent aesthetic to the spaces. An interspersion of playful marble inlays adds to this textural play. The use of exotic stones is the mainstay of the home–Flamingo is used in the dining area on the pantry side, while Honey onyx is used in the main dining area. Casablanca, NSL, Zebrano, Brescia Crema, Vegas Gold, and Golden Sienna are used in the various bathrooms and powder room, and the main kitchen counter is made of Solar white. The predominantly soft pastel palette of the walls diffuses the golden accents to create a luxe environment. The informal dining and entertaining area features a bar counter in green, crafted to appear suspended from the ceiling. The bedrooms adorn soothing hues, with intricate detailing on the surfaces, using wallpapers, panelling and engaging artwork. Sculptural lights, specially customised for the space, elevate the affluence of the interiors, while an exclusive curation of accessories and art enhance the overall beauty of the interiors.
Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences
The link between the two main areas, the one closest to the entryway with the bar counter and lounge and the one at the rear reserved for aesthetic treatments, is a decorative feature with a great scenic impact: a series of deep blue glass portals guides the gaze towards the beauty area, giving the space perspective depth and a theatrical feel. This liminal space also houses the boutique and the facial bar, functions that will cater for a passing public and have faster times than the more complex treatments, as well as delineating the perimeter of the two lounges. “The management of flows and technical spaces,” the architects tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.” cts tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.”The link between the two main areas, the one closest to the entryway with the bar counter and lounge and the one at the rear reserved for aesthetic treatments, is a decorative feature with a great scenic impact: a series of deep blue glass portals guides the gaze towards the beauty area, giving the space perspective depth and a theatrical feel. This liminal space also houses the boutique and the facial bar, functions that will cater for a passing public and have faster times than the more complex treatments, as well as delineating the perimeter of the two lounges. “The management of flows and technical spaces,” the architects tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.” cts tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.”
The link between the two main areas, the one closest to the entryway with the bar counter and lounge and the one at the rear reserved for aesthetic treatments, is a decorative feature with a great scenic impact: a series of deep blue glass portals guides the gaze towards the beauty area, giving the space perspective depth and a theatrical feel. This liminal space also houses the boutique and the facial bar, functions that will cater for a passing public and have faster times than the more complex treatments, as well as delineating the perimeter of the two lounges. “The management of flows and technical spaces,” the architects tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.” cts tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.”
Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences
The choice of materials and finishes was in keeping with this chromatic landscape. “Through the moodboard we visualized the allure of the space,” explains Pennesi. “An interplay of alternations between more or less tactile surface textures, contrasting colors and opaque and translucent finishes that create intriguing peep-through effects.”
This led to the choice of stoneware tiles by Ceramica Sant’Agostino, which deck the floors and bar counter with their dense and uniform speckled pattern and bind together the different areas into which the space is divided, wth laminates from Arpa Industriale and Kaindl, used respectively for the support surfaces and the structures of the bespoke furnishings.
“We chose these materials for both aesthetic and functional reasons. Aesthetic because this type of semi-finished product has color ranges that enabled us to make choices consistent with the palette we created; and practical because they are wearproof materials and ensure easy sanitization. In particular, Fenix, a special laminate we used to coat the counter top, with a surface that has a non-porous outer layer, makes the material easy to clean and suitable for contact with food as well as fingerprint-proof and pleasant to the touch.”
Even the lighting was curated in detail, helping create a pleasant and richly detailed environment. Bellhop cordless table lamps designed by Barber & Osgerby for Flos, illuminate the tables with their discreet light. Suspended above the bar counter is a spectacular suspension composition created with a series of “leaves” in Diphy polycarbonate. Designed by Mirco Crosatto for Stilnovo, it was inspired by a fascinating Japanese plant, whose flowers turn as transparent as crystal in contact with water.
