For actor Kajal Agarwal, her cosy Mumbai nest, located in the iconic Marine Drive, will always be home for her. Even though she is now based in Hyderabad, her childhood Mumbai home holds a special place in her heart.
Although Kajal has been working in the Tamil and Telugu film industry for many years now and is one of the most prolific actors of her generation, she is a Bombay girl at heart. She grew up in Mumbai and her Mumbai home, has been in her family even before she was born. Over the past few years, however, Kajal has moulded the aesthetic of the house to suit her adult taste and sensibilities.
Kajal has designed the home to give off a very contemporary and minimalist vibe. The living room for instance has mostly bare walls and the furniture is a unique mix-and-match — some pieces have been bought while others have been made on request. Yet, there’s one thing that is common between every piece of home decor in the living room; it’s all extremely high-quality. The most unique piece of furniture in the living room is the modernistic centre table. It opens up from different angles, allowing guests to keep their drinks and snacks on it. What’s more, it even has a small storage compartment where Kajal stores entertaining essentials like coasters.
In fact, the house is full of such unique collectables, many of them having been especially crafted for the Agarwal household. So there’s a hand-painted piece of linen which has several gold-foil Nandis painted across it. This linen is surrounded on either side by two pieces of glass, and the whole fixture has been installed in the house in the form of an unopenable window. What’s more, this window is actually backlit, so that the beautiful Nandis actually shine during the night.
Even as Kajal lives the life of a superstar, she has designed her childhood home as a getaway, a place for the perfect “staycation”, where she can unwind and catch up with old friends and family.
Another beautiful feature in the home is the semicircular brick wall that forms part of the living area. Given that all the other walls in the house are white and bare, this brick wall breaks the linearity of the home and creates a contemporary, funky look. There’s another show-stopping fixture in the middle of the living room — a beautiful grey canvas with a breathtaking silhouette, which once again provides the perfect contrast to the otherwise minimalistic design.
“Mumbai home is much more than my parent’s house. It’s almost like a haven, a safe and warm place to come back to when life gets too overwhelming.” Kajal Agarwal
Since Kajal has been adapting the design of the home to meet her needs, there are some very unique aspects that really stand out. For example, Kajal actually spoke to her architects and managed to create a special cupboard in her balcony where she keeps her formidable collection of footwear. Another unique piece of furniture is her floating bed; it looks like an island that stands apart from everything else in the bedroom. Best of all, it’s incredibly easy to clean! Finally, there’s the chess table in her balcony where Kajal usually catches up with a friend or two. If her guest isn’t as much of a chess fan as she is, the table doubles up as a coffee table as well!
