The black and white facade of the Punj residence gives a hint of its minimalist interiors. (Below) Industrialist Peter Punj has innovatively used glass, steel and stone in the newly built home.

The Zen way of life is hard to break away from. And industrialist (and major party animal) Peter Punj makes no apologies for the strictly minimalistic interiors of his home. It sits pretty on a 700 sq-yard plot in a leafy lane of Delhi’s posh Malcha Marg. The facade of the three-floor house, with its white and black granite starkness, somewhat prepares the visitor for clutter-free, open-plan interiors.

And in a word it’s tranquil. From the ground level — dominated by cool white walls and a huge painting of the Buddha — stairs lead down to what Punj calls his party area. Another staircase leads up to the first floor and the private rooms. The second floor belongs to his brother, Sanjay Punj, but is unoccupied at the moment.

An archetypal minimalist, there’s none of the opulent drapes and in-your-face accoutrements. “I’m not the warmest person going. So my home is the perfect reflection of my personality with its clean lines and generous use of steel and glass,” he says.

It has been a year since Punj and his wife Sonali moved here after spending almost three years building this dream home. The present building came up after Punj decided to rebuild the house that he had bought, from scratch. When construction began, Punj and his wife moved in with his parents who live almost down the road.

With much help from a team of architects, interior designers and furniture designers, the couple conceived the blueprint for the house. If cutting-edge modern looks are its leitmotif, it’s also steeped in the tenets of Vaastu Shashtra and Feng Shui.

(Top)Interior designers Navin Ansal and Raseel Gujral translated Punj’s dream into reality (Below)The couple’s two-and-a-half-year-old son Rehaan at the miniature piano

“The original entrance just happened to be in the right place according to these principles. So we focused on the positioning of the kitchen and the water harvesting plant,” says Punj, who’s delighted with the way the house has turned out.

Since it’s a house that needs a lot of caring, there’s a manager in place who takes care of all the maintenance issues. That’s paying the bills, the municipal work, electricals, plumbing, and of course keeping a stern eye on the staff.

The wide staircase leading to the basement opens to two spacious living rooms where they host their parties. The living rooms, a guest bedroom, the formal dining area and a kitchen open seamlessly into one another.

The living rooms are dominated by unassuming neutral coloured sofas that are brightened with silver cushions and cube-shaped seats — again in silver. The minimalism is accented by the occasional family photos, eye-catching paintings from Thailand and silver figurines of Lord Krishna. Punj says: “All the furniture is from Casa Paradox, the store that belongs to my interior designer friends, Navin Ansal and Raseel Gujral.”

The look continues in the dining room. The straight-lined 10-seater dining table and chairs are its sole occupants.

Everything is well-thought of in the Punj home, and it’s high-tech to boot. The Punjs are wired to world-class Bang & Olufsen systems — be it the audio system or the slick plasma TV with its iconic B& conical speakers — in the family’s television room on the first floor.

The hi-tech television room has a Bang & Olufsen home theatre and is the couple’s favourite chill-out zone

The family’s favourite hangout area, this huge, glass-walled television room is also devoid of distracting knick knacks. Wood flooring, comfy couches, a small bar and miniature piano make for a cosy space. And for convenience sake, the Punjs have installed a small dining table here.

The glass walls allow them to keep an eye on their elder son, two-and-a-half-year old Rehaan, who loves to frolic with their dog in the corridors. But often he steps in and runs his fingers over the keys of the miniature piano.

A room, diagonally across this one is occupied by the kids. Rehaan shares this with his six-month old brother, Aryan. The room connects to their parents’ master bedroom through a bathroom.

Punj confesses that he loves the texture of the walls in his house. He’s especially fond of the basement walls that are sheathed in Travertine marble (Italian marble, what else) that comes with holes and troughs in place. Though these are naturally formed troughs, the effect is of years’ old wear and tear.

Punj loves this ‘rustic touch’ and has contrasted the light beige tones of the Travertine with a wall made of chipped black granite on the first floor. “This is art to me. Art does not lie in individual pieces. It could well be in the furniture and the layout of the house. Basically, art lies in the entirety of things.”