An Indian High-Rise Trips the Light Fantastic

Looking up at the 17th floor of a certain residential tower in Malad, a suburb of Mumbai in India, a few citizens frequently wonder what the heck is going on up there. At night the brightly colored interiors glow vibrantly in each colour of the rainbow. Some nights all the rooms are bathed in blue; additional nights one space is orange while another is green.

“Lots of people believe that it’s a nightclub,” says architect Sonali Shah, who made the ubercontemporary LED-packed apartment for two local textile merchants and their two teenagers. By creating a strictly all-white inside, Shah was able to play with shadow and lighting in creative ways. Throughout the day, sunshine casts cool shadow patterns on the snowy backdrop. At night LEDs flood each room with colored light that can change on a whim.

“It’s how I add drama, texture and shadow,” Shah says. “You’re living in a blank canvas that you can make look how you would like it to look everywhere.”

at a Glance
Who lives here: Textile retailers Chotu and Jyoti Ladha and their kids, Unnati and Umang
Location: Malad, India
Size: 2,500 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms

Connected: Colour your lighting LEDs

Sonali shah

Shah completely replanned the device, combining a pair of three-bedroom apartments to make a single spacious four-bedroom house. Due to the open space, she wanted something that would connect the dining room and living room. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) concealed in grooves on the ceiling create a graphic pattern that ties together the rooms.

Her signature design involves bathing all-white reflective substances, like white synthetic marble flooring, in cool light.

Sonali shah

Shah started doing apartments in white as a way to produce small units seem bigger, a notion she developed while working on her own flat. She discovered that representing more light gives the appearance of more space.

Sonali shah

Playing shadow, these wall lighting signify a graphic patterned shadow of a chandelier on the wall, emulating the chrome-dipped blown glass that hangs over the table.

A strip of Corian using a graphic pattern runs through the space.

Sonali shah

With a remote control, the homeowners can instantly change the look and feel by choosing one of seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo or purple.

Sonali shah

The dining table seats eight, but Shah did not need the bit to be too thick. She chose a glass top with clear seats for transparency.

Sonali shah

The back room is used as a sofa and for playing cards, but it could be closed off to develop into a guest bedroom.

Sonali shah

A textured backdrop plays shadow as the sun moves throughout the day. Even the furniture plays a role in tossing contours on the white floor.

Sonali shah

Shah did not want too much colour to compete with all the light and shadow play. Dollops of red, black and chrome — here’s a diamond-shape laster-cut steel coffee table — form a modern color palette.

Sonali shah

When guests enter the home, they’re met with this chandelier of silver balls that Shah repurposed as an art installation. A curved wall hides the insides for a more striking show.

Sonali shah

The white backdrop hosts shape-shifting patterns over the course of the day.

Sonali shah

The curved wall is laser-cut acrylic that bursts with dramatic texture.

Sonali shah

By playing with the light and leaving just a couple of side rooms lit, the owners can make a surreal atmosphere.

Sonali shah

“In India we have an elaborate way of cooking with all the spices, and tea, sugar, coffee. Everything needs to be convenient,” Shah says. She created these cylindrical storage containers to hide cooking ingredients in a fun, graphic way.

Sonali shah

A roll-down shade tosses design into the snowy master bedroom. Another color on a glass wall between the bed and shower rolls up thus the Ladhas can watch the bedroom TV from the shower.

Sonali shah

The master bath is a tight space, therefore Shah added a subway-map-recalling graphic for a key visual element that takes up no space.

Sonali shah

A floral design made with crystals adorns the kid’s bedroom storage walls, while dripping cotton strings enclosing the bed cast a cool shadow onto the ground.

Sonali shah

Throughout the day the space is crisp and clean, with subtle shadow lines.

Sonali shah

Smart lighting options change the distance at night.

Sonali shah

A roll-down display shows a portrait of this daughter. A glass-covered niche holds her collectibles.

Sonali shah

Meanwhile, a graphic plastic print hides the daughter’s wardrobe in her toilet.

Sonali shah

Again, with the flip of a switch, dramatic lighting radically changes the disposition.

Sonali shah

The kid’s bedroom includes dabs of green and a modern couch.

Sonali shah

A roll-down display also shows his portraits.

Sonali shah

More green appears in his spaceship-recalling toilet.

More: Colour your lighting LEDs

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