Let there be lights

I was born in this house and recently relocated to the second floor from the ground floor,” smiles light designer Prateek Jain of Klove Studio. Jain and his partner Gautam Seth are the men behind Klove Studio that offers custom lighting solutions as well as designer lights, chandeliers and table lamps for edgy homes. The designers shared the ground floor earlier with Jain’s parents and grandmother but moved up a year ago after giving it a head-turning makeover. They share their new home with two dogs — a Dalmatian, Tokyo, and a Yorkshire terrier, Kismat.

Located in south Delhi’s Green Park, the first floor of the house belongs to Klove Studio that the designers had set up in 2005. Jain’s family continues to live on the ground floor while their own apartment sprawls over 3,500sqft. “This floor was rented out earlier, but we decided to convert it into a space for ourselves,” says Jain.

Before they moved, they took two months to dress up the space with things that they had collected over the years. “Fortunately, both of us were on the same page when decorating our home,” says Jain.

Earthy hues, brown, grey and black dominate the upholstery, the walls and the flooring. Pops of colour — red, orange and blue — can be spotted on some cushions and carpets while the living room has yellow Jodhpur stone flooring. The rest of the house has differently coloured wooden floors (including black). Lights and accessories by Klove Studio have been liberally used.

The living room has three different sitting arrangements in an L-shape. Sitting areas flank the main entrance and also extend into another larger space. The larger seating area is adjacent to the master bedroom, which is partitioned off by a screen. Beyond the living room is a conservatory which serves as the dining area. A guest room and the puja room too can be accessed from the living room.

The section of the living room to the right of the entrance is filled with blue, grey and maroon. Jain’s favourite seat is a deep blue Winchester sofa by Andrew Martin International, the British designer brand.

The sitting area on the left of the entrance has a beige Winchester sofa brightened by cushions in blue, red and beige. A silver coconut, a housewarming gift from a friend, is placed on a side-table while a 64-inch television makes this is space perfect for chilling out. “We catch up on our favourite TV shows here,” says Jain.

The third and roomiest part of the living room has multiple seating arrangements. But the showstopper here is a huge, red heart-shaped light that’s been designed with smaller, heart-shaped lights. When switched on, the space gets a clubby look. “It’s the talking point of our home and my friends often click selfies against this wall,” laughs Jain.

A ‘folded book’ artwork by artist Banoo Batliboi draws attention here. The artist is known to make quirky works by folding the pages of books to create different shapes. “We picked up this unusual work at an exhibition in Delhi,” says Jain.

The wall behind this table has been left unplastered to give it character. “This space was once a bathroom and we removed the tiles to expose a raw wall,” says Jain.

Beyond the living room lie the kitchen and the adjacent conservatory which were built just before the designers moved in. The glass roof and walls of the conservatory ensure that the area is bright with natural light. “It looks amazing on clear nights and when it rains,” says Jain.

An overhead light, designed with glass that’s blown into different shapes and sizes, hangs over the eight-seater dining table. The dining area overlooks the terrace, where potted plants add a green splash.

The guestroom is all about wall art. A wall comes alive with posters of movies like Moulin Rouge!, Viva Italia! and Romeo & Juliet as well as a painting of Madonna by Faiza Butt. “I commissioned this one as I grew up obsessing over Madonna,” says Jain.

And when the designers meditate and practice Yoga they move to the spacious puja room.

Their own bedroom too is heavy on grey-brown colours and the wall behind the bed’s headboard has been given an unfinished look. A textured wooden double bed with side-tables, a comfortable leather armchair and a side-stool make up the furniture in the bedroom.

“We’ve gathered things from places as far apart as Kenya, Vietnam and Turkey. The house merges aesthetics of many different places,” says Jain.

Photographs by Rupinder Sharma