[Ar.Niteen Parulekar]

It was almost 15 years ago that architect Niteen Parulekar bought a sixth floor apartment in one of the towering blocks in Bandra along with his wife Lipeeka. As a newly-wed couple, both were busy with their respective careers and there was not enough time to do up their home. Three years ago, the couple finally purchased the fifth floor in the same complex and turned the two units into a cosy 3,000 sq ft duplex.

Obviously it was time to spruce up the space. "As I come from the Konkan side of Maharashtra, while buying the house, I was clear that I wanted the home to have a similar view as the one in my native place," says 47-year-old Parulekar. A tall order in Mumbai one would say, but the couple were lucky enough to get a green view from almost all windows in the house even while living in the heart of a concrete jungle.

As you enter the house, an installation of a fish from the lifestyle store, The Great Eastern Home greets you. "My wife is a Bengali and this symbolises our love for seafood and is also considered to be a good omen," explains Parulekar. There is sufficient natural light that gives the apartment a warm glow and helps bring the range of interesting artefacts collected by the couple over the years in perspective. The furniture and a few artifacts were culled from decor stopovers such as Goodearth and Mozaic while the handmade wooden pieces like the bed and some other accessories were designed by Parulekar himself.

The decor has a European edge and in keeping with this theme, windows and doors in the sitting area are painted white. To complete the frame, Georgian bars and antique carvings have been introduced. In all, it is a designer home with just the right amount of drama