The living room is a medley of plush furniture, heavily draped large windows and curios collected from different parts of the world

Don’t be surprised if you hear the strains of a piano playing when you enter this huge house in Delhi’s smart Vasant Vihar. But top-notch lawyer and former solicitor general of India, Harish Salve’s home is not just filled with the musical notes of his piano — you might also get a cacophonic welcome from six barking dogs. And yes, the menacing sign at the gate does warn you to step carefully: “Rottweiler inside. Please ring the bell before entering.”

Harish and his artistic wife, Meenakshi, who is a stained glass designer, have lived here since 1982, two years after they got married. The house had been built the year before by Harish’s father, N.K.P. Salve, a leading political figure.

The five-bedroom house stands on an 800-sq yd plot with a built-up area of 6,000sq ft across three levels. The basement has been converted into a sprawling study and Harish’s residential office. The ground floor has two bedrooms, the kitchen, a dining room and the living room where Harish’s elegant piano stands.

A roomy staircase leads to the first floor that has another three bedrooms and a spacious family parlour where a second piano is parked. The Salves share the house with their two daughters aged 26 and 22.

The entrance to the house is a spacious hall that serves as a lobby area and has the staircase leading upstairs. Another flight of steps leads to the basement. A Buddha statue in dark wood and a sculpture of St. Peter give you a hint of what lies inside. A crystal chandelier adds to the opulence of the entrance.

The hall opens into a large living room that’s filled with plush furniture and has thickly draped windows — a heavy look offset by white walls. The marble flooring of the entrance makes way for an all-wood one in the living room. Two columns that stand flushed into two corners of the living room, intricate Kashmiri carpets and an elaborate crystal chandelier add to the luxurious look.

A built-in wall-cabinet holds a collection of crystal, glassware and silverware that the couple has gathered during their trips abroad. And of course there’s Harish’s piano that sits grandly in a corner. “Whenever I get time, I unwind by playing the piano,” says Harish.

The house — especially this part of it — is decorated with an eclectic blend of artefacts that have been collected by the globetrotting Salves over the years from different parts of the world. A porcelain sculpture of a boy by Lladro and glass figurines and curios from different corners of Europe are displayed prominently. You can’t miss the pedestal clock that Meenakshi picked up from a fair in Delhi. Since each piece was selected painstakingly, the Salve’s attach much sentimental value to each.

The glass-topped central table, for instance, was picked up more than 20 years ago from the Central Cottage Industries Emporium for Rs 4,000. Meenakshi says that the other pieces of furniture including the sofa set, the built-in wooden cabinet and side-tables were all ordered around the same time.

And of course, Meenakshi’s own stained glass signature pieces — from Tiffany lamps to door panels — are very much a part of the décor.

The ultra-large windows allow a lot of natural light in while a door opens into a rather green front yard. This is where the Salve’s occasionally sit in winters.

Among the many things jostling for attention on the ground floor is the sterling silver antique tea set that sits unobtrusively on a side table in the dining room.

The centre piece in the dining room is the Villari chandelier that’s made of handcrafted porcelain and gold-plated metal. Meenakshi, who owns an upmarket home accessory store, Ame De Verre, also represents Baldi, the Italian luxury brand in India.

In fact, some Baldi products like vases and platters are displayed in her dining room and she occasionally lets friends preview them right there. “I have more space at home than at the store,” she says, smiling. This room also stocks some Italian furniture like a smart wooden cabinet and tea trolley that they bought from Dubai years ago.

As collectors, Meenakshi and Harish go by instinct and what catches their attention. “I am not into brands when it comes to art or artefacts. I buy what appeals to me,” she says.

In their free time, you’ll find the Salves unwinding in their family parlour upstairs watching television while Harish plays the piano.