{"id":773131,"date":"2026-07-20T03:04:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T03:04:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/773131\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T03:04:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T03:04:47","slug":"a-bangalore-apartment-designed-to-feel-like-a-golden-summer-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/773131\/","title":{"rendered":"A Bangalore Apartment Designed to Feel Like a \u201cGolden Summer Day\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"diningDining Table, Craftsmill<\/a>; Brass Chandelier, Orabel Brass<\/a>; Dreamy Night Wall Paint, Asian Paints<\/a>. phosart<\/p>\n

After more than a decade of moving from one rental to another, writer Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar<\/a> knew exactly what she didn\u2019t want when she bought her first home in Bangalore. \u201cNothing cookie-cutter, nothing contemporary, nothing too shiny or new,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ve always said I\u2019m a 1960s soul trapped in a millennial body.\u201d<\/p>\n

That philosophy found the perfect canvas in a brand-new apartment in the city\u2019s Whitefield neighborhood. Despite its builder-grade finishes, the layout had one thing many modern spaces she saw lacked: character waiting to happen. After climbing ten flights of stairs during their first viewing (the elevators hadn\u2019t yet been installed), Vaishnavi and her husband, Siddharth, were won over by an airy floorplan complete with French doors that opened onto a generous deck and Juliet balconies off of every bedroom. The couple felt it had the charm and openness of a villa, and they knew almost instantly that it was right for them and their two children.<\/p>\n

Sofa, IKEA<\/a>; Sofa Upholstery, Oh! So Fancy<\/a>. phosart<\/p>\n

Rather than fill the blank slate with freshly-bought furniture, the couple enlisted interior designer Shweta Malaviya of Bangalore-based Studio Primrose<\/a> with a specific request: make the home feel as though it had been lovingly assembled over generations. \u201cVaishnavi and I were instantly on the same wavelength,\u201d recalls Malaviya. \u201cShe knew exactly how she wanted the home to look and, more importantly, feel. We got almost embarrassingly excited about the same colors, furnishings, and tiny details.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"livingFloor Lamp, Arkaa<\/a>; Painting, Deepti Ahluwalia Sinha<\/a>; Curtains, Home Stories<\/a>; Blinds, Shivani Dogra<\/a>; Throw Pillows, Obeetee<\/a>; Rugs, Jaipur Rugs<\/a>; Green Vase, Beruru<\/a>; Wall Plates, Nicobar<\/a>. phosart<\/p>\n

The inspiration came from a canny fusing of two design cultures. Vaishnavi grew up in London, where childhood summers were spent in cozy bed-and-breakfasts throughout Scotland and England\u2019s Lake District. Creaky floors, floral curtains, and effortless warmth became the emotional blueprint for the project. But rather than recreate an English cottage wholesale, the pair translated that nostalgia through Indian craftsmanship\u2014from ikat upholstery and Jaipur block prints to work by local artists and handmade baskets. \u201cWe never wanted to pretend we were living in a corner of rural England,\u201d explains Vaishnavi. \u201cWe wanted to reinterpret that warmth through an Indian lens.\u201d Malaviya approached things with the same goal, adding that sourcing textiles of varying origins and lampshades with hand-painted motifs was especially thrilling. \u201cThey grounded the home with Indian soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

Around the same time construction began, Vaishnavi\u2019s grandparents\u2019 longtime Mumbai home was slated for redevelopment. The apartment, where her mother had grown up, held decades worth of family furniture, including a teak armoire with a crystal handle and a spiral-legged table that had served as a television stand and a place for meals. For Malaviya, those heirlooms were cornerstones of the decorating scheme. Vaishnavi, too, was seeking a low-waste approach. \u201cI wanted to make the most of what already existed rather than buy things that neither we nor the planet needed,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"yellowDelft Tiles, Trayah Pottery<\/a>. phosart<\/p>\n

Siddharth\u2019s father\u2019s dining chairs, purchased in 1985, were painstakingly restored instead of replaced. A metal projectile salvaged by Vaishnavi\u2019s late grandfather during his time in the Indian Air Force became a sculptural papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 lamp. But perhaps the boldest transformation came courtesy of her paternal grandmother\u2019s treasured bone china teacups from the 1960s, which now hang above the kitchen as whimsical light fixtures. \u201cMy grandmother was absolutely aghast when I told her I was planning to drill holes through her beloved teacups,\u201d Vaishnavi recalls. \u201cThankfully, once she saw the finished result, she agreed they had found a rather lovely second life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"view phosart<\/p>\n

\"kitchenFloor Tiles, Ceramique<\/a>. phosart<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a project made entirely of details, with a story behind each one,\u201d says Malaviya. \u201cIf you point at anything in the home, I can have a conversation about it.\u201d That spirit extends beyond the furnishings to the layered mix of raw materials, handcrafted finishes, and richly patterned fabrics, creating spaces that feel collected over time rather than bought all at once. One of her favorite interventions is the faux fireplace in the living room, which cleverly conceals both the television and a bar. Rather than pushing it flat against the wall, she designed it with projecting columns, giving the feature the architectural weight of something that had always been there. Nearby, a band of mosaic tile subtly marks the transition between the dining area and cookspace\u2014one of several thoughtful details that creates distinct zones without interrupting the home\u2019s easy flow.<\/p>\n

\"viewWallpaper, Design by Metamorph<\/a>; Delft Tiles, Trayah Pottery<\/a>. <\/p>\n

In the kitchen, hand-painted Delft-style tiles commemorate milestones both big and small: the university campus where the couple first met, their late golden retriever Leo, and even the family recreating the Abbey Road cover for their Beatles-obsessed son. A stained-glass window bathes the room in colorful light throughout the day, while the teacup chandelier keeps family history suspended overhead. Personal symbolism also pops up in the foyer, where custom floral wallpaper celebrates each family member\u2019s birth month. \u201cEvery time you notice something new, you\u2019re really discovering another chapter of our family\u2019s story,\u201d says Vaishnavi.<\/p>\n

Even the paint palette was designed to evoke a feeling rather than follow the latest trends. \u201cI drew inspiration from nature and the emotions associated with the seasons,\u201d says Malaviya. The laterite-red library recalls the coziness of winter, the primary bedroom captures warm afternoons, the pistachio guest room evokes spring picnics, and the kitchen glows like high noon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew what I wanted it to look like,\u201d says Vaishnavi. \u201cBut more importantly, I knew what I wanted it to feel like: a golden summer\u2019s day, with the sun shining gently down on your shoulders.\u201d Like a comforting hug in the form of family history.<\/p>\n

\"VaishnaviVaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar<\/a> in the library. <\/p>\n

\"redPendant, The Light Library<\/a>; Chair, Home Canvas<\/a>; Flush Mounts, IKEA<\/a>; Rugs, Jaipur Rugs<\/a>; Floor Lamp, Arkaa<\/a>; Wall Sconces, Akway<\/a>; Knobs, Spruce and Pop<\/a>; Laterite Brown Wall Paint and <\/a>Lhasa Temple Millwork Paint<\/a>, Asian Paints. phosart<\/p>\n

\"pinkBed Linen, Aadyam Handwoven<\/a> and Studio 16<\/a>; Morning Glory Wall Paint, Asian Paints<\/a>. phosart<\/p>\n

\"bathroomMirror<\/a> and Frames<\/a>, IKEA. phosart<\/p>\n

\"girlsSunbaked Clay Wall Paint, Asian Paints<\/a>. phosart<\/p>\n

Zo\u00eb Sessums is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in Architectural Digest, Sight Unseen, Bon App\u00e9tit, Epicurious, and New York Magazine. Over nearly a decade in media, she\u2019s covered everything from home tours and renovations to product guides and newsletters. She has a background in journalism and creative writing and is motivated in roughly equal measure by good design, good pizza, and a very solid pair of shoes. She lives in Midcoast Maine.<\/p>\n

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