A home that wears its colours and materials with elegance

Finding just the right professional to design the home is almost always a gamble. Chemistry, collaboration and communication have to hit that sweet spot to ensure that client vision matches the final outcome. Mumbai-based Shahen Mistry, though, seems to have cracked that code with these particular homeowners. After all, this 2,300-square-foot house in the city’s Oberoi Sky City residential complex is his fourth project with them. “Over time, we’ve built a strong relationship founded on mutual trust and respect. Having worked together on multiple spaces, there’s a natural understanding of their preferences and lifestyle,” he says. This repeatability, he states, also ensured the design process was collaborative, and intuitive. And the well-built trust further allowed Mistry the freedom to create an aesthetic that fit the vision and get creative within the “modern-yet-traditional” brief. The architect and interior designer speaks about leveraging material, colour and personal taste to design a home that breathes elegance yet retains individuality, and celebrates tradition in subtle, interesting ways.

Beautiful Homes (BH): How did you balance this requirement for a contemporary home with subtle traditional accents?

Shahen Mistry (SM): We kept the core design contemporary with clean lines, muted palettes and minimal forms, while introducing traditional warmth through material choices such as stone, marble finishes, luxury tiles, veneer cladding, textured wallpapers, plush fabrics and curated décor. The living room especially reflects this blend; modern furniture and finishes are complemented by details that subtly reference Indian aesthetics. We also used a soft, harmonious palette and rich textures—pastel greens, peaches, beige, browns and soft neutrals across different rooms to give each space its own identity.

BH: Are there custom-designed elements in the home?

SM: Yes, several elements were custom-designed, such as the living room TV console, wardrobes, the study table with concealed storage and other built-in furniture pieces. For the TV unit in one of the areas, we used leather panels arranged in bands behind the television. This created a neutral yet luxurious backdrop without becoming visually heavy.

BH: How did the Asian Paints products work towards helping you achieve the aesthetic you wanted?

SM: Asian Paints products are a consistent part of our projects. From paints, textures and PU finishes to wallpapers and decorative surface solutions, their range allows us to explore different layers and finishes within a space.

BH: What did you use in this project?

SM: For this house, we used Asian Paints paints and PU finishes throughout the house. They allowed us to achieve the desired look while maintaining consistency in quality and finish. These elements helped enhance the overall aesthetic of the spaces while ensuring durability and a refined visual appeal.