The sprawling green backyard with its well-trimmed trees and a swimming pool; (Below) The lobby, Khushali’s favourite morning hangout, runs from the front of the house to the back and even has a glass floor with a fountain underneath

There’s no place like home,” says fashion designer Khushali Kumar in a heartfelt tone. And her favourite time of day at home is early morning when she sips tea sitting in the sun-kissed lobby of her sprawling bungalow on the outskirts of Delhi. “The morning sunlight just brightens up the lobby,” says Khushali.

A lobby might seem like an unusual place for early morning tea. But this sparkling and spacious lobby — which runs all the way from the front door to the back — looks out onto a shimmering blue swimming pool and a beautifully manicured, landscaped garden with a profusion of trees and plants.

“Everyone in the family is fond of greenery and the view outside is pleasing to the eye,” she says happily. But the lobby is much more than a verandah for early morning newspaper reading. One part has a glass floor under which fountains play — and that’s lit up at nights.

Khushali, the daughter of the late Gulshan Kumar, founder of T-Series, moved into the house after she married businessman Nishant Arora, the son of Gurnam Arora, managing director of food company Satnam Overseas which is famous for its Kohinoor brand of rice. Nishant and Khushali share the home with his parents and brother. Nishant Arora is a director in Satnam Overseas.

“When I was engaged to Nishant I was really excited after I discovered that there was a swimming pool in the house,” confesses Khushali. Every evening, she gets back from a hard day at her design studio and heads straight for the pool. And on Sunday mornings, the Aroras can usually be found by the poolside.

Facing the lobby across the garden is an older bungalow in which the Aroras lived when they moved to the area in 1995. But a decade later they decided to build a new-look home — and the result was the striking new building where they currently live. They also called in interior designer Raseel Gujral to give the house a smarter edge. The older house is now used as a guesthouse for family and friends who come visiting.

The sprawling green backyard with its well-trimmed trees and a swimming pool; (Below) The lobby, Khushali’s favourite morning hangout, runs from the front of the house to the back and even has a glass floor with a fountain underneath

Drive in through the large gates and a circular driveway (‘porte cochere’ is the technical term) takes you to the main door, which faces an abundance of plants. Once through the front door you are in the lobby which looks out onto the garden and the old mansion.

This is a no expense spared home and the floors are a mix of the best Italian marble in some rooms and wood in others. But the Aroras — perhaps under guidance from their interior designer – have kept everything sleekly smart and understated. The walls are in carefully neutral creams and whites. And glass doors allow light in freely in all the rooms.

Two doors leading off the lobby take you to the master sitting room and Khushali’s in-laws’ bedroom. Anyone who’s familiar with Raseel Gujral’s carefully planned lines will recognise her hand in the vast sitting room which has three separate seating arrangements.

Gujral was asked to segregate the room into different sections because the Aroras frequently throw big parties. “We decided to have three sitting sections because at times there are different groups of people in the same gathering,” says Khushali.

Gujral’s touches can very clearly be seen in the drawing room’s cream Italian marble flooring and a marble wall on one side — the black flatscreen TV stands out in stark contrast against it.

Facing the TV is a fawn sofa set contrasted with metallic brown cushions — also designed by Gujral. Another huge sofa set that’s placed a little distance away can easily seat 16-17 people. Once again the cushions are recognisably Gujral’s handiwork — some have her signature mother-of-pearl embellishments and others have feather detailing .

The showstopper of the living room is perhaps the lavish bar that would make many pubs and restaurants envious. The bar area is high on browns and greys which gel with the bar wall painted in grey and a long and slim rectangular bar table.

The luxurious bathroom looks straight out of a bath products advertisement

The Aroras are proud of their garden and they have almost, you might say, brought it into the house. Opposite the bar is another seating arrangement around a square table and this is a vantage point to gaze at the garden with all its swaying palms and Asoka trees.

The plants have, in fact, been carefully manicured and some are almost like green pompoms. Khushali is also partial to big planters and she has some inside the house as well. In the living room you’ll find a pair of tall vases — one white and its matching pair black.

The formal dining room, that’s pressed into service only when guests come calling, is also off the lobby. The 12-seater dining table is studded with mother-of-pearl oval asymmetrical patterns.

Khushali says the family usually relaxes in the lounge on the first floor. A white marble staircase leads to the lounge, which has been done in beige marble for dramatic effect. Two bright red abstract paintings (which were picked by Khushali’s father-in-law on a trip abroad) on this wall stand out sharply.

The first-floor lounge is filled with artefacts from around the world. A big blue hookah catches the eye. “Nishant is a big fan of hookahs and picked this one up in Dubai,” says Khushali. Porcelain figurines have been interspersed with family photographs. On one wall is a huge wedding photograph of Khushali and Nishant with Bollywood A-listers Shah Rukh Khan, Shabana Azmi and writer lyricist Javed Akhtar.

An unusually shaped leather and wood bed stands out in the bedroom while the window allows a clear view of the garden and the pool; (Below) An array of cosmetics add colour to Khushali’s dresser

On the same floor is Khushali’s bedroom where an oversized portrait of her and Nishant hangs above the king-size bed. Khushali picked up the bed at an exhibition in Milan and it is crafted in wood and leather. “I wanted something different and was attracted by the shape of the bed which is a little curved at the foot,” she explains.

What Khushali loves the most about her room is the huge glass window which looks out to the pool and the garden. “The room is very simple and minimalistic,” says Khushali. She feels the room is perfect though her quest for the perfect curtains in on.

Attached to the bedroom is a dressing room which contains a treasure trove of clothes and cosmetics. The dressing room is dominated by her huge frosted glass wardrobe and there’s also a cupboard just for her shoes that are spread out over 12 shelves.

How does Khushali pick out the right shade of lipstick from the ocean of cosmetics on her dresser? She insists it’s not difficult. “I always fancied a big walk-in closet and am coaxing my husband to merge the wardrobe area with the balcony and convert it into a big closet,” says Khushali.

The door next to the wardrobe opens into a big bathroom — it looks like something that has come out of a bath products advertisement with a huge sunken bathtub surrounded by numerous bath and beauty products. There is another room on the left of the staircase which belongs to Nishant’s brother. It’s as spacious as Khushali’s bedroom and the furniture here has been upholstered in bright reds.

As far as home improvements go, Khushali is quite content with the interiors of her house and is now only looking forward to go curtain shopping for her room. She chuckles: “Once I find the right curtains the interiors of my bedroom will be complete.”