The eye-catcher in the main hall is a huge, 9-ft antique mirror

There’s a serene quality about the home of singer Suuchanndra Bhutoria. The old-style, Raj-era mansion on Pretoria Street was built over 60 years ago and has been with the Bhutoria family for over 20. The Bhutorias — Suuchanndra’s in-laws — are one of the city’s old business families.

As you walk in, past the porch, a flight of white marble stairs on the right lead you to the first floor where Suuchanndra, her husband Arun and her two teenaged sons stay. Her in-laws live on the ground floor. “We are quite a stay-at-home family and have a very select social life. So my house is certainly not a party zone,” says Suuchanndra.

Even as you climb the stairs, the porcelain figurines and antique timepieces displayed on the landing prepare you for the cornucopia that awaits you upstairs.

The rare Lazarus piece in the hall showcases awards won by Suuchanndra; (above) the red-and-gold Chinese urns have been in the family for decades

On the first floor you step into the huge main hall and have to stop — not just to take a breath but also to take in all the antiques, the timepieces, silver curios, ornate furniture, chandeliers and a gigantic wooden-framed mirror. “My husband is an avid collector of timepieces and that is how we have so many of them,” says Suuchanndra, a trained Hindustani classical singer. There is the John Walker, London, a grandfather clock and a J. Boseck and Co. chiming clock that are hard to miss in the massive living area. The furniture is mostly Burma teak and rosewood.

The Bhutoria residence, a Raj-era mansion, is over 60-years old

Against one wall of the hall there’s a huge 9-ft mirror set in an ornately carved wooden frame. And just next to it are a pair of nagaras that are almost a century old. “We brought these from our ancestral home in Ladnun, Rajasthan. It used to be played to welcome royalty during festive occasions,” says Suuchanndra.

The longish hall ends in a small balcony overlooking the back garden, which has a lush green lawn and banyan, mango and jackfruit trees. The family’s four bedrooms are on either sides of the hall and Suuchanndra’s music room is tucked away behind it. A synthesiser, an old organ, a harmonium, tanpura and tabla leave no doubt that this is Suuchanndra’s “sanctuary”. Says the singer: “I inherited the tanpura and harmonium from my mother who was my first guru. Now I practice with Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan Saheb from the ITC Sangeet Research Academy.”

A pair of nagaras, almost a century old, was brought from the Bhutoria’s ancestral home in Rajasthan; (above) The coffee table in the balcony is where Suuchanndra unwinds in the evening listening to music

The huge wood and glass windows in the house allow plenty of natural light in, and this accentuates the stunning Italian white marble flooring running through the length and breadth of the mansion. A part of the main hall also serves as the dining space. Again, the table is an antique round teak piece with sturdy teak chairs embellished with exquisite carvings.

The Bhutorias’ collection of rare Lazarus furniture is breathtaking. These include a piece used as a sideboard in the hall that showcases Suuchanndra’s awards and mementoes that she received for her singing and also a Lazarus bookcase in the room where she practices singing. (Calcutta’s C. Lazarus and Company, which closed down 40 years ago, was known for its exquisite period furniture made from seasoned wood and embellished with bataali, or handmade wood carving.)

Amidst all the rich dark wood furniture in the hall, what catches your eye are two grand old Chinese urns on two opposite walls facing each other. The bright red-and-gold urns are another precious family heirloom, says Suuchanndra.

The four-poster canopy bed in the master bedroom is in tune with the old-world charm of the mansion

The family’s master bedroom that opens on the left of the hall is again painted white. The eye-catchers in this room are the four-poster canopy bed. But it’s the sunk-in bathtub in the bathroom here that’s most interesting. The tub is in a semi-circular niche and the wall around the tub — from the ceiling to the floor — is done in stone with an artificial waterfall starting from the ceiling and flowing into the tub. Suuchanndra’s sons’ rooms are also on the left of the hall.

Interestingly, the kitchen and washing area are outside the house — a series of rooms lined one after another on the right side of the bungalow. A service entrance on the side of the bungalow connects this to the living area. “This is how the original property was and we have maintained the design. There was good reason behind this — it kept the house clean and helps maintain peace and quiet,” says Suuchanndra.

Peace, in fact, is the very word you’d associate with this spotless white bungalow sitting pretty in the heart of a concrete jungle. It’s like stepping into another world altogether. Says Suuchanndra: “For us, it’s an oasis of serenity in this bustling city.”