The relics, uncanny, and not-so-mundane have always been sentenced; to a shelf or in a glass box to broadcast to the ordinary. Except, sometimes a fantasist comes along brave enough to reside within the uncanny, in the process resurrecting them. In the same way, a sybaritic abode curates an experience for the esotericists, while hiding in plain sight on the meddling bylanes of Kolhapur in Maharashtra. It is packed between the prying eyes of the neighbors from the adjacent residential apartment buildings.  With barbed hues, warm occurrences, and cordial collaborations, the duet Huzefa Rangwala and Jasem Pirani of MuseLAB crafted interiors that are not for the faint-hearted.

“For me, it is a museum!” chuckles Jasem Pirani of MuseLAB while describing the home in one word.

FACT FILE

BEAUTY AND BEYOND

A bare framework was passed on to the architects of MuseLAB to nurture and saturate it with their creativity while checking in with the client's requirements. “If we were the architects from the start, maybe that is not what the structure would have been… not what even the interiors would have been… We stepped back for a bit…to see how one would look at it purely from the interior lens,” narrates Jasem introducing the extravagance.

An intricately self-embellished wooden door prepares one for the miniature grenades that burst into the spaces rendering them ethereal. On being pushed over the edge by the wooden door, one lands on the cool marble of the foyer that seems straight out of the vibrant cottage core aesthetic encyclopedia. “The first thing that is expected of a designer is to put a big chandelier in the center, and that’s the first thing we stayed away from,” justifies Huzefa Rangwala of MuseLAB about the living spaces. A brief stroll later, a sprawling living area gives up the conformist décor after a quid pro quo, to ally with the family’s eccentric tastes. In a paradoxical shot to dodge the museum's ‘touch me not’ rule, the encounter of the uncanny in this space activates at the feet level.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

The living room sanctions the guidelines from the Louvre to transform itself into a muse that could be used in flicks and paperbacks. With the architects crafting a trade fair of the fragments that are a consequence of the collaborations, this room becomes the most visited space. “For the rug, of course, we collaborated with the Fazo Project with Fatima and Zoheb,” explains Jasem concerning a psychedelic rug that intoxicates the entire living room. “The rug is almost like a waterfall, because once it comes down and it hits the floor, then it's like two tributaries diverting,” explains Huzefa about the rug that is made in the gullies of Mirzapur after a ply dummy was sent there.

Lurking in a corner is a tall totem, sarcastically looking down at its admirers with the pristine white shapes. Coalesced out of a collaboration with Harshita Jhamtani Designs, this clay structure features shapes stacked above each other to paint a picture of balance. “She decided to come to Kolhapur with her team for the installation… and then suddenly we got a message after three days, now it's up! Miraculously,” gushes Huzefa. Establishing boundaries is a semi-circular partition that quite literally illustrates the collaboration with House of Berserk. “It was literally her (Priyanka Thaker’s) brainchild in terms of the subject of it and even the aesthetic of it,” Jasem clues us in. The twists and turns of the MS partition called ‘Cosmic Disco’ paradoxically shield the living area as well as make it a part of the larger narrative of the abode, emulating its name.

A stock-still screen hides the MET steps that transport one to the meadows in London. An inkling dawned on the architects to place flowers in the staircase, consequently choosing Rooshad Shroff as the candidate to represent that constituency. “The railing had to be assembled, put in place, the panels, cut the size all of that and then it went to Rooshad’s workshop,” explains Jasem about the voluptuous railing that even the illustrating know-how tools gave up on. A kitsch sculpture by Sameer Tawde plays a symphony to accompany one on their journey through the meadows. “His (client’s) father is very fond of music. In fact, he plays musical instruments. He just called us one day and he’s like guys I have it… He’s like… the bird is sitting on a gramophone and this we will call Bird song,” narrates Huzefa about the sculpture. This 2D sketch was drafted with a wand and magically came to life while trying and testing potions.

But before one is whisked away by the meadows, a waft of cool air attracts the hot and humid, for a session of feet dipping. Here, a courtyard with a water feature sits sunbathing, courtesy of the skylight that streams in golden freckles. With hints of granite slabs placed wherever to craft a labyrinth, one is transported to the sets of ‘The Shining’. “We wanted it to be interactive. We wanted you to be able to sit and dip your feet. You should be able to even walk through it… that’s when we thought why not… create a labyrinth… so it is always curious in some way,” explains Jasem about the installation. The vibe of the set is further evident, in the rose hues that govern the dining area adjacent.

THRIVING IN RUBY RED

After finding a way through the meadows, one comes to the first floor where a bridge quite literally bridges the gap between private and public spaces. “The client was very keen on having glass railings for the bridge,” narrates Huzefa about replacing the monotonous railing with an ostentatious screen. “It’s CNC modules with stainless steel and each module actually has two concave surfaces and the glass itself is bent,” he adds about the assembly of the screen. Curing the mind of a minimalist’s attitude, a chiaroscuro of scarlet, cherry, and ruby interrupts the inhabitants serving them a red notice, while they chill in the lounge area. Cutting out the fiery reds, a tranquil blue room calms one of the sons, while he slumbers in the powder blue haven. While the other son’s bedroom blazes in the crimson dreams while toning down the shade a notch. A private terrace attached to each bedroom becomes an accomplice to sneak-outs of the roaring boys.

NETFLIX AND CHILL

“In that … three-storey space, there is one wall which is a blank wall and there was always a conversation about what needs to come of this… so we thought like a window,” describes Jasem about the Jharokhas that carve their place on an austere wall. Spotting them while swaying in the balmy ambiance of the terra-hued jacuzzi area, a feeling of standing on the threshold of dualistic worlds creeps in. To portray a united front this jacuzzi is quite literally bathed in the shades of terra; from the flooring to a wall adorned with niches. After a brief soaking session, a spa cum salon centers one’s focus on the notion of hedonism. Dipped in pastel hues borrowed from the kawaii aesthetic, this room features; a salon setup and a spa area. Building on the debauchery of pleasure-seeking a home theater with its wooden accents, entices the visitors with a cozy vibe and a good movie. With wooden everything and hues of blue in the wallpaper and couch, this room with its ingenious soundproofing takes the popcorn.

House of Curiosities, strives to neatly pack revelations at every corner and level to bewitch the inhabitants transporting them to a netherworld of their choice. It convenes exhibitions of uncanny collaborative chunks that sit in picture-perfect congruence in the opulent museum- the abode.

While there, don’t miss out on the other impressive contemporary homes in Maharashtra and across India. Visit Buildofy for the video of the complete project walkthrough.