BENGALURU: If cultures from around the world have pervaded our homes, why not bring some of their elements into the living space to inject comfort, balance and serenity?
Rayshma Mohan’s apartment on Sarjapur Road can easily transport you to the rustic lanes of Santorini with blinding white walls contrasted with blue. Even though Mohan did not saunter on the streets of the Greek Island, it was her husband who had gone there for work. Sitting miles away, the pictures of this Mediterranean place were more than enough to make Mohan fall in love with the space, and get an idea of how to replicate it in their apartment.
She says it was the white, blue and pink Bougainville combination that enticed her to choose the theme. “The pink Bougainville made it look dreamy, and so, we went for the theme. We began with a blue-and-white colour scheme. That’s all I had in mind. Then slowly, we thought of turning it around into a Mediterranean theme. There we had white seating and blue floor tiles in place,” says the dental surgeon.
In the beautiful abode of Radeesh Shetty, founder-director of Purple Turtle, one can get a feeling of tropical Sri Lanka. The kernel of Lankan architecture is simplicity which appealed to Shetty. “The idea was a more tropical-modern theme. The house is white, and my flooring is white terrazzo, which was the original flooring of the home, which I have tried to maintain. My wardrobes and doors have been polished black,” says Shetty.
It was an advantage to be a part of an interiors brand, Shetty says as it opened the doors to a plethora of intriguing items which he had collected over a period of time. “I have used a lot of teak in the furniture. I have chosen mood lighting which is fairly subtle and includes a lot of table lamps. These are some of the things that define the decor,” he explains. Adding to the aspects of designing his apartment in Indiranagar is the use of plants which is most important. “My house is filled with plants — both outdoors as well as indoors. We have used a lot of natural materials like teak with cane and rosewood,” says Shetty.
Mohan and Shetty are probably one of the many who have tried to incorporate the themes of their favourite countries in their homes. Rajesh K, the founder of Tesor designs, who has worked on designing other themes like Balinese, Chettinad and Rajasthani, says extensive globe-trotting has exposed people to different ideas. “They would have travelled to multiple countries, and each of them is influenced in a particular way which they bring back to an extent. When they connect to a specific place, and want the decor to revolve around that, it should reflect their personality,” Rajesh points out.
However, every good thing comes with a price, says Shetty. “Going for a theme-based decor incurs a huge cost. There is no limit to how much one can shell out but a minimum budget would be between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 50 lakh. But there are niche customers who do not mind going for it,” he admits.