A Vile Parle home built to weather absence

There is a particular anxiety that comes with owning a home in Mumbai and living somewhere else. For the senior couple who own this 1,400 sq. ft. apartment in Vile Parle East, that anxiety was specific and well-founded. They spend six to eight months of the year abroad, leaving their home shut through Mumbai’s punishing monsoon for extended periods. Leakage, dampness, the slow creep of mould, the quiet damage of termites — these were not abstract worries. They were the reason the couple came to us with an unusually clear brief. They wanted a home made, as far as possible, of tiles and stone, and as little wood as could be managed.

A Vile Parle Home Designed to Stay Resilient Through Mumbai’s Monsoon | Priti Doshi Studio

It is not the brief most designers hope for. Tiles carry associations — bathrooms, kitchens, clinical surfaces — that sit awkwardly with the idea of a warm family home. The challenge of House of Tiles was never whether tiles could keep moisture and termites at bay; it was whether a home built predominantly from them could still feel soft, luxurious and lived-in. That question shaped every decision that followed.

The building itself gave us a good start. Constructed in 2003, the six-storey block sits in a bustling but green pocket of Vile Parle East, a two-minute walk from the station and yet somehow tranquil. Because of the airport’s proximity, buildings here stay low, around seven storeys, which keeps the neighbourhood open and light. The apartment enjoys east-west cross ventilation, so a breeze moves through it for much of the year, and natural light reaches deep into every room. Those two gifts — air and light — became central to the design rather than incidental to it.

The couple had lived in this home for over seventeen years, raising children and caring for parents within its walls. So this was not a fresh canvas but a home full of memory that needed to be reimagined for a new phase of life. We took the apartment down to its bones — a complete demolition — and rebuilt the plan from scratch, optimising every inch, widening circulation, and rethinking how the couple actually live now: two people, taller than average, who host grandchildren, practise yoga, cook together and want their faith and their family close at hand.

Tiles became the hero of the home, but never the whole story. Across the apartment we used more than 35 different tiles and stones — terrazzo, marble and metallic finishes, hand-painted and embossed pieces — chosen for variety of texture and character rather than uniformity. And we put them where you least expect them: not only on floors and walls, but on the headboards, on the beds themselves, on wardrobes, bookshelves, storage units and even as a wall mural. The beds were a small feat of their own — their vertical faces built in marble, then clad externally in a wood-finish tile so they melt into the rest of the room rather than announcing themselves.

To keep all of this from reading as cold, we surrounded the tile and stone with a carefully chosen supporting cast: veneers with soft grey-brown veining, laminates in stone and veneer finishes, textured wallpapers, charcoal panels in linen and metallic finishes, acrylic shutters in the kitchen, fluted glass, and mirror in grey and pink-gold. The palette stays muted throughout — white, beige, taupe and grey — lifted by a dash of brass and the occasional note of blue, green or yellow, set against eclectic wooden furniture. Toxin-free paints and finishes were used throughout, both for the couple’s health and because it felt like the right thing to do for the environment. The result is a home that is unmistakably built of hard, durable materials, yet feels warm, eclectic and calm.

Several of the couple’s specific wishes became the emotional centre of the plan of this Vila Parle. The lady of the house is an excellent cook, and wanted to stay connected to the dining area while she worked, so we kept a service window between kitchen and dining and enlarged the kitchen considerably, adding storage and an island that doubles as a breakfast nook. Today her husband works and eats at that island while she cooks and serves him fresh chapatis — the daily ritual the plan was quietly designed around. Elsewhere, a long-held wish for a swing in the living room was granted, and their Radha Krishna statue was placed so it can be seen from several points across the home.

Practical care runs through every room. Countertops and beds were raised to suit the couple’s height. Flooring in the kitchen and bathrooms is anti-skid. Storage is generous and easy to reach. A dedicated area was set aside for yoga, and open space was preserved for grandchildren to play safely. Cooling is handled by split ACs in every room, their outdoor units tucked discreetly behind ducts so as not to spoil the building’s elevation or block the windows; two of the three bathrooms have windows, the powder room has a duct exhaust, and the kitchen vents through both a window and an exhaust fan.

The lighting was designed to work with the home’s natural generosity rather than against it. Sofas and the dining bench were kept low-backed so nothing blocks the windows, and nothing was placed in front of them; sheers let light pour in, with roller blinds for privacy when needed. After dark, a layered scheme of strip cove lighting and warm daylight tones does the quiet work, while pendant lights in the living room, guest bedroom and bathroom add a note of contemporary elegance.

Two constraints ran underneath all of this: a tight budget and a strict six-month timeline. Both pushed us toward decisions we’re glad we made — repurposing and recycling some of the couple’s existing furniture, which saved cost and honoured the history of the home, and planning with discipline so execution stayed on schedule.

What makes House of Tiles satisfying is not that it solved a technical problem, though it did — this is a home that can be left shut for months without fear. It’s that it did so while staying tender. Each room has its own distinct character, yet the whole flows gently from one space to the next, held together by that muted palette and the couple’s own art and objects. It is proof, we think, that a material chosen for the coldest of practical reasons can, in the right hands, make one of the warmest homes.

Fact File

Designed by: Priti Doshi Studio

Project Type: Residential Interior Design

Project Name: House of Tiles

Project Size: 1400 Sqft

Location: Vile Parle East, Mumbai

Principal Designer: Priti Doshi

Photograph Courtesy: Evolve Studio

Firm’s Instagram Link: Priti Doshi Studio

For Similar Project>> A Spacious, Colour-Rich House Of Curves Designed With Open And Airy Spaces