This Apartment in Northern India Channels Faraway Beachside Living

Quaint curios, rustic finishes, and surprises around every corner transform a Gurugram apartment into a vision of beachside living in breezy Goa, the faraway Indian state that stretches along the Arabian sea. Architects Navya Aggarwal and Simran Gawri designed the living room, dining nook, and main bedroom of this two-bedroom apartment on a tight 60-day deadline by minimizing structural interventions. They instead paid attention to the smallest of details: curtain ties and cushion covers have been given as much weight as the hard furnishings, and the result is a home that is sprinkled with surprises at every turn.

“The clients were in Goa for quite some time during the lockdown,” explains Navya. “They said it was always very breezy and their accommodations were laid out in open floor plan. They wanted that reflected in their permanent home as well—something casual and welcoming.” Since the apartment would also be home to the clients’ young daughter and their small dog, they needed the design to be mess-friendly and disaster-proof.

All the furniture is custom-designed and made of ashwood, a material whose yellow tones blend well into the bright, beachy palette of sea greens and minty blues. “You will also see a lot of whites, and a lot of sandy shades,” says Navya. “There’s a lot of textures at play, but not a lot of contrast within any single piece.”

The centerpiece of the living room is an oversized coffee table that anchors the seating arrangement. A sofa sits across from the TV, adjacent to a custom-designed bench with an open-fluted doweled back. “None of the furniture pieces have been designed to match exactly,” the architect says, adding that “it’s about picking up elements that work well together and complement each other.” On the wall, a series of clay faces from Clayzz add a touch of whimsy to the space. A niche in the corner was carved out to accommodate a small bar, finished in distressed white with a cornice accent. “All the soft furnishings, especially all the curtains, were kept as light and breezy as possible,” she adds. A macrame installation by O’strings Attached was custom-designed to reflect the colours that feature through the space.