 |
| The living room is filled with artefacts like (below) a brass conch from Kalighat and a porcelain vase from Shanghai; the room also has cosy seating arrangements in three different areas. |
 |
 |
For restaurateur Anjan Chatterjee, the idea of a perfect home is lots of open space and greenery. “I grew up in Delhi where I was surrounded by greenery. So, I always dreamt of owning a house that had a lot of natural light and was set amidst greenery. But in a city like Mumbai where space is at a premium, owning such a house was a challenge by itself,” he says.
His dream came true five years ago when he and his wife, Suchhanda, built their dream bungalow in Mumbai’s Lokhandwala area. Anjan, who plans to add 28 restaurants India-wide this year to his existing repertoire of Mainland China and Oh! Calcutta, says: “I’ve been an absentee husband as I travel frequently. So most of our treasured pieces have been selected by Suchhanda. She’s not only designed our home interiors but also my restaurants.”
The Chatterjees built the 8,000sq ft bungalow over two levels. It sits on a plot with a well-tended garden at the back and an enclosed green space with ornamental plants in front. The ground floor has a spacious living area, the kitchen, a guest room and the first floor is where their bedrooms are — that’s Anjan and Suchhanda’s master bedroom and their daughter Harshita and son Avik’s rooms — an entertainment area, a pantry and a puja room. The second floor has a huge terrace with a storage room.
A traditional Bengali alpana (design) has been painstakingly painted on the walls of the entrance. A small, enclosed space near the main entrance is creatively done with hanging potted plants and a welcoming urli that’s artfully placed before a wooden sculpture of Lord Jagannath.
You enter the house through a giant door made from sleeper-wood and take a few steps up that lead to a passage where a teak bench has been placed. The corridor is flanked by a modular kitchen on the one side and a small guestroom on the other.
At the end of the passage is the expansive living room that’s perfect for elaborate get-togethers. It’s split into four zones, one of which is the dining space.
 |
| Restaurateur Anjan Chatterjee loves to hold his business meetings in the living room because of its relaxed ambience |
Doors are conspicuous by their absence which gives the living room a spacious look. There are three seating areas — one close to the dining table with upholstered sofas and a large coffee-table and a chest of drawers which Suchhanda picked up in China. Another close to the window of the living room has a low-seating arrangement with a low glass-top centre table. The third seating area is on a raised wood-tiled platform near the bar. “I conduct my office meetings in the living room as it exudes an informal ambience. At other times when we have parties guests can spread out everywhere,” says Anjan.
The couple loves collecting art and artefacts. Displayed on the living room walls are paintings and sketches by M.F. Husain, Nandalal Bose, Raja Ravi Varma and Jamini Roy. Many of the artefacts in the room have been handpicked by Suchhanda like the Chinese warrior dolls, a ceramic vase from Shanghai and the Ganesha idols that sit in the niches of the living room. Other eye-catching curios include a swan-shaped pandaan (betel leaf box), a conch shell from Kalighat in Calcutta and ceramic dolls from Italy and kansa vases.
The hall opens into the back garden while large windows let in fresh air and light. At the extreme end of the garden, is a glass-roofed room — where the couple likes to eat lunch on Sundays. The cosy room with sliding glass windows has leather upholstered seats and a glass-topped, low coffee-table. There’s also a chest of drawers which Suchhanda picked up from China to hold knick-knacks. “It’s a tranquil spot,” he says. Since the couple has an active social life, the garden also doubles up as a venue for barbecue parties.
 |
| The glass-enclosed room in the garden is where Chatterjee likes to have lazy Sunday lunches |
The first floor has Anjan and Suchhanda’s bedroom which has a four-poster bed, a workstation and a TV. The bedroom balcony is done up with rattan chairs. Next to the couple’s bedroom is Harshita’s bedroom. This level also has a den that’s complete with huge leather sofas, a TV and a piano, along with a puja room and Avik’s room.
The couple is always thinking of home improvements. “We have plans to turn our pantry on the first level into another kitchen complete with the latest kitchen gadgetry,” says Chatterjee.
The terrace on the second level has a large room which is now used to store utility items. But Anjan says: “I’m planning to give this room a makeover and turn it into my study.”
As you exit the house, you can’t miss the Ganesha statue placed near the entrance. There’s also a clay sculpture of the Goddess Kali which was a gift from a family friend in Calcutta. “I love the way my house has evolved over the years and we are always looking for ways to re-define it,” he says.