A stroll around Marine Drive or South Bombay leaves one in awe of the architectural style that is rightfully having its moment: Art Deco. Bold geometry, nautical shapes, and strong colours stay with you. Now you can bring home a Liberty Cinema, or Soona Mahal or even a Shiv Shakti Bhavan. Not a diorama, but a piece of furniture that can be a whole personality. Combining the distinct 20th-century architectural design with wooden artistry, Atelier Bobby Aggarwal has crafted a range of art deco-inspired bar cabinets: Marine Drive Graffiti.
The Art Deco movement turned 100 in 2025, and Mumbai is a living, breathing capital with a bevy of documented and archived Art Deco structures. 1528, to be precise. Drawing inspiration from its aesthetic legacy, Aggarwal has devoted an entire collection of handcrafted bar cabinets to the centenary celebration under his design house, PortsideCafé Furniture Studio.
“I’ve always been enamoured by the distinctive and varied architecture of South Bombay, and Art Deco resonated with me the most,” he says. This collection, which is his contemporary take on the movement, reinterprets geometry, ornamentation, and sense of glamour. Crafted in teak wood and sheathed in printed leather, each bespoke cabinet is rich in tactical designs. “Leather has always been my go-to material, so I’ve incorporated it as a key part of the materiality, alongside wood and brass accents,” adds the Delhi-based designer known for his avant-garde designs. This approach lends the pieces richness and a level of exclusivity that makes them truly special.
The Marine Drive Graffiti collection features six distinct designs—four smaller formats and two larger pieces—inspired by and featuring the bas-relief facades, ziggurats, chevrons, and more motifs which are the defining factors of the architectural silhouettes dotting the Queen’s Necklace. Each mini-bar is a modern-day cabinet of curiosities. And, a collector’s item. Aggarwal deems it as a “dialogue between form, colour, and memory with subtle and not-so-subtle references to the music, fashion, design, freedom, liberty, and other cultural influences of the era.” You would also notice a subtle nod to ‘60s Wes Anderson and Bollywood movies in terms of hues and grandeur.
There’s a Sea View Mahal cabinet in colours like Marine Blue and Malabar Green that features the curves and detailed balconies. Shakti Bhavan Oval Bronze replicates the edifice of the Oval Maidan’s Shiv Shakti Bhavan in all its glory. You can see the arched balconies, cinematic windows and solid brass railings. The Metro Tower Victoria Yellow’s design detail and blue linear quilted ultra suede lining stay true to grandeur. The pop of colour in Liberty Tower Colaba Blue is striking. But it is the Soonawala Mansion Deco Amber that has the most intricate and granular elements. The plants, the benches, the arches, the cat, and the floors are all remarkable. The riot of colours in it will catch each astute eye.
The leather used is hand-strained, distressed, padded and stitched; reflective of the mastery. The liquor cabinets come with leather-lined shelves, solid brass handles, hinges and railings, a pullout tray, and LED lights. Each form and its function is thoroughly thought through. Any piece from this collection, when it adorns your home, will become the focal point. Conversations are bound to flow not only around the artistry of the piece itself, but also lean into a much larger Art Deco aesthetic dialogue. The collection is retailed exclusively through Nilaya Anthology, which presents it to a discerning audience and commissions each piece individually. “This bespoke model ensures that these handcrafted cabinets receive exceptional attention and remain rare within the market,” says Aggarwal.