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DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?

: Located in the bustling neighbourhood of Agripada in Mumbai Central, our challenge was to design a contemporary luxury home mindful of its ecosystem. Prominent mosques in the vicinity and the modern Islamic architecture of the building itself became the inspiration for our design. The Fazlani residence recreates the visual language of its neighbourhood rendered in a new light. Contemporary hand crafted interpretations of traditional Islamic design elements engaged with the new and old, evolving into an experiential design idiom for Modern Islamic Interiors.

DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?

: A residential space echoes the unique lifestyle or personality of its inhabitants and so that is always the focus in a residential project.

DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?

: The interior design took only about a couple of months however the execution spanned over a duration of 2 years.

DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?

: The most unique design feature of this residence for me is the drawing room ceiling design created by the juxtaposition of octagonal shapes of varying sizes and at varying heights. Its very modern and at the same time ties in well with the Islamic interior theme.

DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?

: A lot of technology has been integrated into this interior design project as per the client’s requirement. The entire house was equipped with Elan automation for lights, curtains, temperature and Audio-Video Control for energy efficiency and ease of control. Centralised HVAC system from Toshiba was put in place to ensure optimum control over temperature and humidity. Special care was taken of indoor air quality through efficient return of air and supply of treated fresh air creating a healthy living environment. Energy efficient LED lamps and fixtures from Flos with high Colour Rendering Index and UL certification were installed throughout the house.

DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?

: I did a lot of research on Islamic interiors for this project and it was a very enriching experience.I think a lot of of the learnings from that research will find their way into future interior design projects by me.

DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?

: There were many challenges in the design and execution of the project as always. In this particular case, the extremely humid climate of Mumbai posed a significant challenge in the use of materials for interiors. Protective lacquer on leather and brass was applied and gold glass was altogether replaced with acrylic.

DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?

: There were many learnings from this interior project. I think the research that I did on Islamic interiors will find its way into future interior design projects by me. Also all the challenges we faced during the design and execution of this interior design project, have added to our interior design experience.