Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: An Indian High-Rise Trips the Light Fantastic
Surreal colored lighting and an ubercontemporary design make an apartment near Mumbai dance with drama
Looking up at the 17th floor of a certain residential tower in Malad, a suburb of Mumbai in India, some residents often wonder what the heck is going on up there. At night the brightly lit interiors glow vibrantly in every color of the rainbow. Some nights all the rooms are bathed in blue; other nights one room is orange while another is green.
“Many people think it’s a nightclub,” says architect Sonali Shah, who designed the ubercontemporary LED-packed apartment for two local textile merchants and their two teenagers. By creating a strictly all-white interior, Shah was able to play with lighting and shadow in creative ways. During the day, sunshine casts cool shadow patterns on the white backdrop. At night LEDs flood each room with colored light that can change on a whim.
“It’s how I add drama, texture and shadow,” Shah says. “You’re living in a blank canvas that you can make look how you want it to look anytime.”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Textile merchants Chotu and Jyoti Ladha and their kids, Unnati and Umang
Location: Malad, India
Size: 2,500 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
Related: Color your lighting with LEDs
“Many people think it’s a nightclub,” says architect Sonali Shah, who designed the ubercontemporary LED-packed apartment for two local textile merchants and their two teenagers. By creating a strictly all-white interior, Shah was able to play with lighting and shadow in creative ways. During the day, sunshine casts cool shadow patterns on the white backdrop. At night LEDs flood each room with colored light that can change on a whim.
“It’s how I add drama, texture and shadow,” Shah says. “You’re living in a blank canvas that you can make look how you want it to look anytime.”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Textile merchants Chotu and Jyoti Ladha and their kids, Unnati and Umang
Location: Malad, India
Size: 2,500 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
Related: Color your lighting with LEDs
Shah began doing apartments in white as a way to make small units look bigger, a concept she developed while working on her own apartment. She found that reflecting more light gives the appearance of more space.
Playing with shadow, these wall lights reflect a graphic patterned shadow of a chandelier onto the wall, emulating the chrome-dipped blown glass one that hangs over the table.
A strip of Corian with a graphic pattern runs through the space.
A strip of Corian with a graphic pattern runs through the space.
Using a remote control, the homeowners can instantly change the look and feel by choosing one of seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo or violet.
The dining table seats eight, but Shah didn’t want the piece to be too heavy. She chose a glass top with clear chairs for transparency.
The rear room is used as a lounge and for playing cards, but it can be closed off to become a guest bedroom.
A textured backdrop plays with shadow as the sun moves throughout the day. Even the furniture plays a role in tossing shapes onto the white floor.
Shah didn't want too much color to compete with the lighting and shadow play. Dollops of red, black and chrome — here a diamond-shape laster-cut steel coffee table — form a modern color palette.
When guests enter the house, they’re met with this chandelier of silver balls that Shah repurposed as an art installation. A curved wall hides the interiors for a more dramatic reveal.
The white backdrop hosts shape-shifting patterns during the day.
The curved wall is laser-cut acrylic that bursts with dramatic texture.
By playing with the lighting and leaving just a few side rooms lit, the owners can create a surreal atmosphere.
"In India we have an elaborate way of cooking with the spices, and tea, sugar, coffee. It all needs to be handy," Shah says. She created these cylindrical storage containers to conceal cooking ingredients in a fun, graphic way.
A roll-down shade tosses pattern into the white master bedroom. Another shade on a glass wall between the bed and shower rolls up so the Ladhas can watch the bedroom TV from the shower.
The master bathroom is a tight space, so Shah added a subway-map-recalling graphic for a main visual element that takes up no room.
A floral design made with crystals adorns the daughter's bedroom storage wall, while dripping cotton strings surrounding the bed cast a cool shadow on the floor.
During the day the space is crisp and clean, with subtle shadow lines.
Smart lighting options transform the space at night.
A roll-down screen displays a portrait of the daughter. A glass-covered niche holds her collectibles.
Meanwhile, a graphic vinyl print hides the daughter's wardrobe in her bathroom.
Again, with the flip of a switch, dramatic lighting drastically changes the mood.
The son's bedroom features dabs of green and a contemporary sofa.
A roll-down screen also displays his portraits.
Her signature style involves bathing all-white reflective materials, like white synthetic marble floors, in cool light.