Better Interiors - September 2015

Colour & Style
1 2
interior designer
Shabnam Gupta from
The Orange Lane
1&2 The design philosophy followed in the
bathrooms of this Mumbai bungalow was
to seamlessly weave the washrooms in the
same design fabric as the house. Hence, the
use of ethnic wall niches, painted shutters,
Gaudi- inspired ceiling treatments, and
artwork in the washrooms can be seen
in them… all contribute to elevating the
space. Seen here is the powder bathroom
with niches that have dual purpose — of
storage as well as lighting. The impressions
on the storage shutters have been carved
onto white painted plywood and have
been embedded in a marble counter.
The impressions on the wall are done on
plaster of Paris. The framed art work and
towel holders all work as a team to keep
the concept intact. The powder room had
egg white finished clean walls and brightly
coloured stained glass windows that adds a
pop of colour.
3&4 Shabnam says, “There is a lot more to
washrooms than being a space that houses
a water closet and wash basin. What excites
is the challenge that is to transfer space
that is predominantly functional into a
space that exuberates leisure and ease. To
achieve this through design is what excites
me as a designer.” Therefore, in this master
bathroom we see some interestingly play
of materials, accessories and furniture.
The grey marble flooring is offset with
brightly coloured painted shutters and green
distressed furniture to go with it. The wall
niche used as shelves/storage is something
ancient Indians have used in forts and homes.
The jalli work painted on the storage shutters
complements the beauty of the niches. The
walls have been treated with marble and
ethnic accessories.
5&6 For Sagar Villa the client being a landscape
designer by profession, one of the
parameters kept in mind while designing
was the aspect of the colour green. It can
be witnessed in the guest bathroom which
follows shades of sea green rough finish
stones for walls. This contrasts well with the
green granite (counter top) and slate flooring
for the shower area. The granite counter is
divided into two parts — the area below the
sink is enclosed with hand-painted wooden
shutters, while the other has open niches.
84 BETTER INTERIORS September 2015