Two years ago Shilpa Sethi, the woman behind Nine-Men’s Clothing Store in Calcutta, moved into what she calls her dream home. The palatial house on Sarat Bose Road spreads over four levels and a mind-blogging 18,000sqft, with a total of 16 rooms including 10 bedrooms, a gym, and even a mini movie theatre.

A sprawling garden surrounds the bungalow which receives plenty of shade and sunlight. “Creating a sense of space was one of the driving elements in the design of the house. Since we didn’t want a cramped feel, we didn’t overdo the interiors or furnishings and kept it minimal,” says Shilpa.

While the construction of the house had already begun before Shilpa got married in 2011, after marriage she became an active supervisor along with other members of the family in decorating their home. She says: “All of us were involved in selecting the colours of the walls and we decided not to stick to just two or three colours.”

They went with different colours in each room and so the family now refers to the rooms accordingly: There’s the purple room, yellow room, red room and a black-and-white room. While a spiral glass and marble staircase connects all the floors, the family also uses the elevator inside the house.

Each member of the family has their own space — Shilpa and her husband, Harshvardhan, their five-and-a-half-year old son Yuvan and daughter Sanaya, who is about to turn one, her in-laws along with her brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

At the ground floor entrance, a huge, statement Italian chandelier that hangs from the double-height ceiling grabs attention. “This is one of the first pieces my father-in-law bought for the house,” Shilpa says. This floor has the spacious living room, a formal and an informal dining rooms and the kitchen.

The main, double-height living room is done in off-white and gold and is accentuated by golden drapes which give it a grand look. Coffee-tables in marble and wood are loaded with family albums, curios and treats for guests. A handmade Swarovski tea-set that Shilpa had picked up in Turkey shines the brightest.

The Sethis make it a point to have meals together and love to host their friends quite often too. So the house has two dining spaces. The first floor is a private space and has six bedrooms occupied by the family while the four
guestrooms are on the second floor. All the bedrooms have distinct looks and are done in bold colours like
gold, beige, yellow and black-and white.

Shilpa and her husband’s room that is done in striking red, for instance, is divided into two sections. While one part has the bed, the other part has a bookshelf lined with Shilpa’s favourite books. A massive daybed sofa is perfect for lounging in. So, when she is not busy managing clients at the clothing store that she runs with her husband, she loves to steal some ‘me’ time and relax with her books on this sofa.

Other than the bedrooms, the first floor has a room done in purple, where the women of the house host their friends. “I love the cosy purple couches that add warmth to this space,” says Shilpa.

Since the family loves to travel, the house is filled with artefacts picked up from various parts of the country and the world. A 3ft stone statue of Buddha from Delhi sits in the lobby of the second floor which is also the activity area of the house.

Besides the guestrooms, the floor also has the gymnasium while the den with its big black sofa is used when friends drop in. The well-equipped mini home-theatre is furnished with nine plush theatre-type chairs and a huge projector screen and it’s where the family gets its fill of entertainment. “We watch television shows, movies and cricket matches here almost three times a week,” says Shilpa.

Next to the home-theatre is one of the busiest rooms in the house — the kids’ room. Done in bright red, white, blue and black, this space is crammed with stuffed toys and pillows for a fun feel.

Overlooking the city’s glittering skyline, the terrace garden, too, is a party zone with a gazebo with pristine white loungers. The family loves to host parties here in winter. “Last winter when we threw a party we organised a bonfire too,” recalls Shilpa.

She says that their home is the glue that keeps them all together: “It’s the place where we all love to return.”

Photographs by Rashbehari Das