This serene house is a completed renovation project, by Studio Mumbai Architects, who stripped back an existing dwelling located in Bandra, Maharashtra, India. The house was taken down to the concrete bones of the structure, cloaked only by the surrounding trees. The team redesigned the home from the ground up to include an additional floor and terrace area, allowing more inclusion of nature elements to provide an environmental calm that would flow throughout the entire space.
A central courtyard harbors a still lily pad pool that reflects the sky, and the rise of a wooden staircase that appears to float on the surface of the water.
The airy home transitions over three levels via a series of floating staircases that are staggered in flight orientation, providing opportunities for pause over each level.
Shielded behind layers of glass and wooden screens, the home is entered via a gallery that leads to a dual height living area with polished limestone floor and coordinating lime plaster walls. Huge bi-fold doors open the living space up to a sprawling timber deck overlooking the garden and public domain.
The internal décor pulls the outdoors inside by continuous use of bamboo wall treatments that play with light and shadow, and planted trellises that provide soft curtains of privacy and sectioning, evoking a feeling of natural protection from the busy urban environment beyond.