The living area is an eclectic mix of minimalism (top) and warm colours

C hange is a constant in fashion designer Manoviraj Khosla’s six-bedroom flat on Richmond Road in the heart of Bangalore. Making alterations to his second floor apartment comes as naturally to Khosla as designing new fashion collections each season.

An enthusiastic Khosla never tires of moving the furniture around or adding new artifacts to the roomy 4,000sqft space. “You can do so much by changing just the furniture’s setting, the upholstery and the colour tones of the house,” says Khosla.

What was originally a three-bedroom apartment that Khosla bought in 1993, has now morphed into a six- bedroom one after he bought the flat next door and combined the two. He acquired the second flat some eight months ago. “You always need extra space to accommodate guests,” says Khosla with a smile.

An eye-catchingterracotta sculpture that Manoviraj Khosla picked up in Calcutta

Khosla and his family — he lives here with his wife Vedika and daughter Ahaana — occupy the first apartment (the older of the two flats) while the new space is reserved for guests. Two of the three bedrooms in the new flat have been converted into guest rooms while the third is used as a utility room by the staff.

The designer’s love for bright colours is apparent from the hues on the walls and the upholstery. After adding the extra space to his house, Khosla re-painted the walls in tones of orange, yellow and white. But he retained white accents everywhere to neutralise the bright colour palette.

Two comic-book-inspired pop art canvases brighten up the walls opposite the pantry

Combining the two flats has given the designer’s home an amply elongated living room in two distinct sections. While the new section — to the right of the main entrance of the first flat — has been given bright upholstery, the other section that’s opposite the entrance is dominated by a white, L-shaped leather sofa.

Pointing to the bright furniture in the new flat, Khosla says that he used crushed velvet in red and mustard to add a warm feel to the room. On the right of the pristine white sofa is a small pedestal with two gleaming silver vases and a pink Murano glass sculpture which marks the division between the two flats.

The dining space in the first flat is bigger than that of the second because Khosla has covered and merged a balcony into it. In this dining space sits an old, white, cast-iron dining table on the left of which is the old kitchen that now functions as a pantry. On the wall opposite the pantry hang two pop art canvases with the face of a woman in one and that of a man in the other, who look like characters straight out of a comic book. “I bought them in Hong Kong,” says Khosla.

A brightly painted chest of drawers at the entrance of the walk-in closet contrasts with the vibrant wall

Just below these is a small, low- sitting sofa with crimson velvet upholstery that’s doing its bit to add colour to the corner.

The second dining table that’s placed in the new flat was bought in Delhi. The chairs are upholstered in light purple to contrast with the deep purple curtains of the door and windows of the balcony just outside the dining space.

The house is enlivened with art and artefacts and of course bookshelves that line the wall in both sections. Book-filled shelves face both the seating areas — the vibrant sofas in the new flat and the white sofa on the old side. An eye-catching terracotta sculpture from Calcutta sits on the shelves in the older flat.

Khosla has made many modifications to the two flats. What was previously the master bedroom in the old flat now operates as a walk-in closet that’s fitted with multiple wardrobes. This is primarily Vedika’s domain. Adjacent to the entrance of the walk-in wardrobe is a chest of drawers that’s painted with images of monks. This piece stands out in contrast with the brick red wall.

Khosla’s favourite spot in the house is the bar that he revamped to give it a washed-out look

Khosla’s favourite spot in the house is the rustic-looking bar in the older section of the house. Khosla gave it a washed-out look by painting it in blue and yellow and then scraping it to give it a faded effect.

Another piece of furniture which Khosla renovated was the crockery display unit that he picked up from an antique shop in Bangalore. Flank- ing this unit are two bedrooms — one occupied by the couple and the other by their daughter.

Though he’s refurbished and renovated his house to just what he wanted it to be, Khosla is restless once again. The designer now intends to convert the dining space of the first flat into a well-equipped bar where he can relax with a drink after a hard day’s work. And he’s already looking forward to yet another change.        

Photographs by Jagadeesh NV