The drawing room of the first floor of Budhia House is where Sanjay and Minu spend time reading, watching TV and listening to music

It was a trip to Italy that inspired industrialist Sanjay Budhia. He returned from the land of Michelangelo and Da Vinci and commissioned a Calcutta artist to paint a Renaissance-style fresco on the ceiling of his sprawling living room. “The frescos had an indelible impact on me. Italian villas often have lovely frescoes painted on their walls and ceilings and I wanted my house to have something similar.”

Sanjay and his family have plenty of room to experiment. They live in a sprawling, peaches and cream, Ballygunge Circular Road bungalow that sits on a 25-cottah plot with a huge driveway and a beautiful garden at the back. A fleet of sedans are parked in the driveway and a silver Mercedes is waiting in the porch.

The Budhias — Sanjay, Minu, father H.P. Budhia and mother Uma Devi — have been living in the 75-year-old mansion since 1984 and they’ve made huge changes to the building. But one feature that has remained unchanged is the wooden staircase that leads to the first floor.

The most striking room in the mansion is the sitting room with its painted ceiling, adorned with large canvases all around. Originally, the room had a double-height ceiling but it was tough to put in air-conditioning.

The Budhias have large works of art all over the house but none of the paintings are by famous artists. Minu admits that she likes art but isn’t a connoisseur and so is cautious about what she buys. “I don’t understand art to an extent where I can invest in expensive masterpieces. All my paintings are by upcoming artists from Mumbai and Calcutta,” she says, pointing to a large canvas in the room.

Sanjay and wife Minu (standing) and parents Uma Devi and H.P. Budhia in their garden

Walk over to the ante-room adjacent to the living room. A small dining table in the middle of the room comes into use when the family holds buffet dinners. On one sideboard there are African statuettes which H.P. bought during trips abroad.

But what makes the room special is the spectacular view — outside there’s a lush, green lawn, dotted with marble statues and fountains. Minu looks after the garden with the help of gardeners.

The family meets up for breakfast in the garden in winters and they also hold barbeque parties there. Says Sanjay: “The garden is the favourite hangout for all our family members and we love eating out in the sun.”

The other rooms on the ground floor — the parents’ bedroom, an informal sitting room, a puja room and a dining room — are uncluttered, with simple, seating arrangements and subdued lighting.

The eight-seater dining table with carved chairs from Mumbai and an exquisite chandelier

The parents’ bedroom has a lovely crystal statue bought in Murano. “Dad has an eye for artefacts”, says Sanjay.

Climb up to the first floor via the old wooden stairs and as you reach the top you come face-to-face with an oil painting of Lord Venkateswara by Minu. She’s an artist though she’s modest about her efforts. The family, it should be mentioned, is fairly religious and everyone goes into the puja room at least once a day.

There are four bedrooms on the first floor and the one used by Sanjay and Minu is a suite with a sitting room attached. Two other rooms belong to their two daughters, Preeyam and Prachi.

Preeyam’s room is done up in pink, with a dressing room and an attached bath, while Prachi’s bedroom has wooden floors and walls. Both the rooms have contemporary furniture, PCs, music systems and teddies all around.

The living room on the ground floor has a huge fresco painted on the ceiling

The Budhias’ bedroom is done up in pista green and cream, as green is Sanjay’s favourite colour. The bedroom has a medium-sized drawing room attached and this is clearly the zone where the couple unwinds after work.

Minu — who looks after HR in the family-run business — often reads late into the night and Sanjay watches his favourite television shows on the huge 32-in LCD screen fixed on one wall. This room also has lots of glass on the walls which helps to give the impression of space — something which the Budhias’ really cherish.