A combination of major renovations and gradual, superficial changes has resulted in a home that reflects its owners' heritage and lifestyle.
When Naresh Bhagchandani bought his 1,350 sq ft Mid-Levels apartment in 2004, he was single and his plans for the flat stretched no further than the addition of a couple of new sofas. Ten months later, his interior-design ideas took a turn for the better. With the help of his new wife, a former art director with an eye for design, the bachelor pad morphed into a home. 'I wanted to have a concept whereby every room you walked into had a different feeling yet it was united, so you didn't feel like you were walking into an entirely different house,' says Diva Bhagchandani. 'Each room is designed on a different theme.'
With contractor Peter Leung, of Home Decor Interior Design (tel: 9721 0801), the couple set about creating a living space that capitalised on modifications made by the previous occupants - suspended ceilings and built-in cupboards - but reflected their Indian heritage; Diva also drew from her upbringing in Dubai. While that meant mostly aesthetic changes to the guest bedroom, study, main bathroom and kitchen, the master bedroom with ensuite was completely reworked and the lounge and entrance hall were stripped to bare concrete. During the major renovations, which began in August 2005, the couple spent three weeks in a hotel. The rest of the transformation continued bit by bit until July.
'I didn't want to strip out everything because we were already living in the house and I didn't want to put [Naresh] through the inconvenience of having to move out for long,' says Diva. 'He had also paid a premium because of these rooms being built the way they were;
it would have been a shame to come in and change everything. So I tried to work with what was there already and play around with the colours and the lighting, and make it look how I wanted.'
While the original wooden parquet flooring was mostly retained, the Mediterranean theme in the lounge was enhanced with the addition of grey-veined white marble. False brick-effect wooden walls were also added, along with two distinct recesses to create focal points for the couple's wedding photographs and an original painting by Diva's artist mother. Much of the fabric for the curtains and covers is hand-embroidered Indian silk from Dubai, also the origin of many of the ornaments. The ultra-violet lighting above a false ceiling surround was also an import from the Middle East.
