After struggling through maddening traffic and puzzling roads, it was refreshing to be welcomed by a lush green garden at the entrance of entrepreneur Vandy and Manoj Mehra’s (of Study by Janak) house in Gurgaon. The feel was even better inside the living area painted in a medley of shades of white with contemporary art on the walls, beautiful vases on the tables and pendant lamps hanging from the ceilings.
The family moved to this house six years ago. The couple was completely involved in the designing with little help from their architect. “Our priority was to create a functional, warm area that reflects our taste,” says Vandy.
To create a space that would reflect the family values and choice, a lot needed to be done. So, before starting the décor, Vandy and Manoj opted for a tour of Milan, Paris and other places known for their aesthetic sensibilities. “Most of the furniture, lights and other decorative pieces were flown in from abroad. The art pieces were bought from two of my friends’ galleries. We put up the ones which suited our house and returned the rest,” says Vandy.
Like the furniture, the art pieces have been wisely chosen according to the theme of the area. On the wall just outside the mandir, there’s a painting of a praying woman. “We have chosen modern paintings with little stories in it,” says Vandy. For some areas art has been custom designed. To have a fitting piece to fill the hollow in the wall, installation artist John Boman was called, who then designed metal sprouts there.
The living area on the ground floor and the entertainment area (which has a gym, a pool table, a projector room and a bar) in the basement have been cleverly divided into different areas with glass barricades. Explains Vandy, “We didn’t want to block the communication channels, so we opted for glass walls.”