(click on the images for more details)

 

Pooja - A Friendly, Enthusiastic, Sincere & Creative person.

---

 

Property

One Hiranandani Park

City

Thane West

Home

2250 sq. ft. apartment

Design Style

Contemporary, Indian

Residents

Pooja, Saurabh and their two kids. 

 

---

 

Pooja, I have seen you change home a couple of times in the last 15 years and each time you have designed your house with the same passion and intensity.  Has this home fulfilled all your requirements? 

"Yes, we have changed our home several times, as we always felt a need to upgrade it after every 5 years, in terms of family requirement and functionality. Whether the house was a rental or owned, I have always believed that a house is an extension of my very own existence, and to decorate and maintain it, I set aside a certain time for it every day.”

 

“This house is a consolidation of all our expectations and needs for many years.  We have put a lot of effort to build this house and truly speaking, it is our dream come true.”

 

---

 

You are an inspiration to everyone for maintaining a clean and organized home.  You have not only taken care of your furniture well but also every piece of decorative artefacts shine and always look brand new.  What is your motivation behind this?

“As a young child, I have always admired my parents for the way they had decorated our home so tastefully.  My father would always select the best quality material, e.g. all our furniture were made out of teakwood and they last for a lifetime.  I have reclaimed one of my father’s old bed, which is a part of my guest room now.  Every piece of furniture or an artefact carries a lot of sentimental values for me.  I do not treat them just as a piece of article, but as a bundle of loving memories.”

 

---

 

Did you hire the services of an architect or an interior designer?

"No, we didn’t hire anyone.  I love doing interiors and as always, I dived into doing this house too myself.  This was my 7th house in the making and my experience became handy in planning, execution and completion of this project, as per our needs."

 

---

 

What was the most challenging part?

"Doing the kitchen was the most challenging part.  The builder was providing us with customized furniture and soft goods.  We had to evaluate every item as per our requirement and make careful decisions.  Factors such as quality, durability, functionality, and final look were also to be considered.  We had to eliminate a few things and add new things, considering all these factors.  It took us a while to finalize the design, however looking at the result, it was worth the investment of time and effort."

 

---

 

How did you get information about the material that you could use?

"I went through a lot of online search and market visits for the new products that I wanted to incorporate in my design.  Few of my friends who had got their homes renovated recently also shared the information that I was looking out for."

 

---

 

Did you recycle or reuse your old furniture?

"Yes, we designed the house, keeping this in mind.  All the furniture from my previous house were in good condition; therefore, as soon as we got our furniture possession, we ear-marked each piece of furniture to a certain place in the new house.  Based on this plan, we worked out the final design.  This is how it became easy for us to relocate all our old furniture, paintings and artefacts.  We have used the same nameplate since our first house."

 

---

 

Which part of your house do you love the most?

"We love the balcony because of its greenery and calmness.  In the day time, we enjoy the beautiful Yeor Hill view and in the night it transforms into an Urban Skyline view."

 

---

 

Has any part of your space turned out to be better than expected?

“We did a lot of pre-planning for every space and most of the furniture were reclaimed from our old house.  However, since the new house was much larger, a lot of furniture was required.  Hence the design language had to confirm to both new and old ones.  We had imagined it in a certain way, but it evolved as the work progressed."

 

---

 

Do you believe in blending style with sustainability?

"Yes, we always buy local and indigenous products and like to support the local artisans.  Also, we use recyclable materials to reduce carbon footprints. We like to minimize wastage by reclaiming old furniture and wood."

 

---

 

How would you describe your overall experience of house renovation?

"House renovation is very laborious, stressful, time-consuming process, yet an overall satisfying experience in the end."

 

---

 

Would you like to share a design tip with our readers that have helped you?

"Use a lot of colours to decorate your house.  Don't try to match anything.  Go with what you love."

 

---

 

What are your unmet needs in this sector?

"Some of the uncertainties in this sector is to find a reliable contractor who is transparent with costing.  Workers who report to work regularly and on time.  Vendors who deliver what they promise."

 

---

 

Are you looking forward to any new concept in the future market?

"I am looking forward to a concept where the home furniture/products are easy to maintain.  Also, there should a concept to include more earthy material."

 

---

 

Pooja & Saurabh, Thank you so much.  It was a pleasure to feature the home you have created.

 

---

 

Dear Readers, We hope to bring you more home tours in the coming weeks. Do you want your home or a friend's home featured here?  Please click here to fill this form.