What appears to be a very simple and clean colour scheme, is a complicated and extremely in-depth approach to layering and the art of monochrome-inspired colour blending. Interior Designer Priya Lakhotia Parikh, Founder, Chicago Studio is known for her edgy and modern approach to space designing. Her arsenal is a mix of practical design with flourishing aesthetics. We love how she creates little alcoves in rooms and how she introduces pops of colour with interesting forms. So, knowing all this, we were curious…how does the designer live?

For the living room of her family home in Mumbai, Priya has created a decadent narrative that is giving us serious goals on living a life of grand proportions. She does this by celebrating the colour white in the overall expanse of the 600sqft space. Add to which her house enjoys stunning views from three sides, and the overall effect is intoxicating. For her own home, Priya focused on the palest shade on the colour spectrum and paired it with luxe companions. The combination of white and opulent design is a match made in heaven, and here too, the effect is nothing but!

Interior Designer Priya Lakhotia Parikh, Founder, Chicago Studio finds joy in her favourite corner in the living room. nterior Designer Priya Lakhotia Parikh, Founder, Chicago Studio

Swathed in colours of white, grey and beige, and jazzed up with silver and crystal accents, this living room is the very personification of restrained luxury! Priya had quite an interesting task at hand. Her family has a thriving and envious collection of antiques, collectables and the members wanted a home build around that. Priya could’ve gone the eclectic route, but she decided to create a home with a timeless appeal, which could evolve with her family’s growing collection of curios and things of beauty. The result is the creation of a home that radiates sophistication. We catch up with the designer at home, to know more about how this narrative came to be. “The design evolved from the mu family’s requirements for a luxurious living space. They wanted a look that embodies elegance with a timeless look and feel. Hence the concept for my home revolved around bringing together space and all my family’s heirlooms and antiques and cohesively displaying them. Since the idea was to achieve a classic, evergreen, luxe look, we decided on a muted/neutral colour palette that includes grey, beige, and whites.”

To infuse that timeless feel, Priya slipped in traditional design elements that blend beautifully with the overall narrative, and yet, manage to sing out and shine! Her arsenal included celebrating materials and textures to add a layer of drama and detail to the glamour of this home. She elucidates, “We used natural stone from Jaipur to highlight the column in the living room. For soft furnishings, we used velvet and suedes. We incorporated glass, and mirror for glamour. The lacquer dining table goes well with the buffet console made with un-cut veneer with a sandwiched acid-wash bronze-coloured glass. A beautiful antique brass Uruli is placed in the corner which is one of the traditional elements. The hand-carved wooden side tables complement the sofas. The materials and the colour palette further enhance the ample sunlight coming in and makes space feel even grander.” The attention to detail is impressive, but more so, is how effortlessly she marries the tactile nature of design with the colour palette to further elaborate on the creation of a timeless and elegant living room. Glass and mirror work has been incorporated here to exacting effect. The large-scale panelled, mirror-wall near the dining room, makes us feel like we are in a 1,000sqft living room, and not a 600sqft one. Talk about creating the illusion of more depth!

The combination of the natural stone wall and the Belgain-cut chandelier, here lend this living room its distinct air. natural stone wall and chandelier in living rom

Drama in the details...that's the philosophy of this home. And we love it! chair and chandelier inset

The blue of the sky and the white of this home, are in perfect sync with each other. You could say, Priya has created a decadent cloud for her and her family. living room corner

It might sound silly, but we ask Priya for a tour of her living room. It’s so richly layered and detailed, we need her to be our guide. She is more than willing to oblige. “So, the design is fluid, with one section flowing into the other seamlessly. I have strategically placed furniture to divide the space into functional areas. When guests enter here, the highlighted column swathed with natural stone from Jaipur is the first thing they see. I always love noting their reaction to it. I have divided out living room into a formal and an informal area. The formal area has this circular sofa with two single-seater sofas and one double-seater sofa along with some planters to add a refreshing touch. I love how the circular sofa gives off a luxurious feel and immediately softens the room as well. Furthermore, this large rug softens and unite the room.” We stop and admire the view, and this happens to be a favourite corner of the designer too. We love how Priya has complemented this scenic view with planters, to further elaborate on nature being part of the living.

From the dining table, this is the vantage view the family is blessed with! dining table overlooking the formal sitting area

The large-scale mirror wall, facing the dining area, is a clever design element. It gives the family views of the skies outside, and also plays on the illusion of depth! This living room appears larger than it is. large scale mirror wall near dining table

Priya has created two sitting areas, the formal living area and the informal family den. Here we have an expansive view of the formal one. formal living area

And here's the informal living area...you could call it a TV room. It's demarcated well with the frame work, so while it is an entity in itself, it still blends in with the overall vibe. informal living room

A bird's eye view from the informal living area. The large scale glass windows blur the lines between the spectacular view and the living areas. room with a view

Everything, from the Belgian-cut chandelier to the mirror wall, to the decadent soft furnishings, traditional design elements and the family’s stunning collection of antiques and collections…everything about this home is special, and we stand honoured that the designer chose to share her home with us. “The living room has a lot of memories. It has many of my family heirlooms and antique pieces collected over the years. The house was refurbished and has a lot of things from our ancestral home. It also has furniture pieces and stone cladding from Jaipur, the city of my ancestral home.”