Homes 30 Jun 2026 read
In Mumbai’s Five Gardens, Studio Mahek Lalan shapes a multilevel home where light passes gently through the foliage around, onto the rituals of an unhurried life
Quaint lanes, patinated buildings, tall trees, and streets spared the constant honks and train whistles — Mumbai’s Five Gardens locality in Matunga has shaped the lives of architect Mahek Lalan’s clients for nearly four decades. Within one such building, the studio was entrusted with crafting a multilevel home for a South Indian family of three: an older couple and their son, also welcoming the second son and his family during visits. Having admired the firm’s work, the clients sought a bigger home within the same locality to be designed by the eponymous Studio Mahek Lalan (SML) to support their habitual quiet and arcadian rhythm.
The true heart of the home, beating just outside its walls is the canopy of mature trees framing nearly every window. To fully bring in the abundance outside, the windows were widened and heightened, transforming them from apertures into immersive experiences. To preserve these uninterrupted views and realise the family’s desire for an open-plan home, many of the apartment’s original walls were removed, low ceiling heights carefully negotiated, and the existing split levels embraced with wit. The result: a home flowing across three levels, where privacy and division are reinterpreted through this layered arrangement, making it dynamic and interactive for the family. The lowest level is the primary social space, with the living room and a guest bedroom. Then the middle level with the kitchen and dining area, forms the functional core of the house and middle ground (literally) to the public and private zoning. The uppermost level houses the couple’s bedroom and their son’s room.
An intimate space demarcated by a change in flooring, showcasing how differently windows are utilised throughout the house
The rounded edges with meticulous detailing evoke a sense of fluidity and graceful movement
A richly veined red stone washbasin set against penny-round mosaic wall tiles with matte black wall-mounted fittings and rich timber detailing
The master bathroom has white marble cladding with black veining, black metal rims, fixtures, and window frames that punctuate the white surfaces
The moodboard too, was shaped around a sense of calm ephemerality — understated enough to let the surrounding greenery, furniture, and the family’s art collection take centre stage. Colour palette-wise whites anchor the home, while blacks and browns appear as quiet accents throughout. The material palette remains deliberately simple yet richly tactile, balancing comfort and practicality. In the common areas, two varieties of white marble are layered with soft floor dressings, while the bedrooms, in contrast, adopt a softer and warmer expression through teak flooring paired with complementing upholstery and bed linen.
There is something “unmistakably Mumbai” about the house too — narrow balconies attached to nearly every room, now reimagined as a continuous flower bed running along the edge of the home. More than a decorative gesture, it has become an architectural and landscape feature in itself. “In most of these margins, we have introduced layers of planting and seasonal change into the everyday experience of the home,” says Mahek with a smile.
Even with one’s eyes closed, the house reveals itself through sensory detail; softened curves at the wall edges, the elevated marble skirting in the living room, the bookshelf that quietly accompanies movement along the stairs, and the transition from marble to timber flooring in the balcony nook allowing the body to experience the space. Framed by an expansive opening and a dense tree view outside, this corner feels intimate within the larger common area. Furnished simply with two armchairs and a coffee table, it is the kind of space that invites you to bask in the early morning blue hours — to leave the bedroom, pick a book from the shelf, and settle in as the birdsong continues.
