To flirt with charcoal color is to embrace courage and at this apartment in Delhi, Interior designer Disha Bhutani Subramanium turns that courage into poetry. Her debut project transcends conventions, proving that darkness can be both beautiful and whimsical. This residence doesn’t merely accommodate life; it stages it. Every surface, every glimmer of gold, every curated artifact contributes to a story where grandeur meets restraint, and nostalgia finds expression in the contemporary.
Perched on the twelfth floor of a Gurgaon high rise, the apartment reimagines splendour for modern living. The homeowners, once residents of a sprawling bungalow, longed for a space that echoed their former home’s opulence while embracing the efficiencies of apartment life. The result is an aesthetic dialogue between eras. A neoclassical contemporary symphony wrapped in charcoal. Extensive mouldings frame the walls like artworks on them, while muted light and rich textures lend the interiors an air of cinematic intimacy.
“I wanted to create an atmosphere and an ambience, not just a space,” says Disha. And atmosphere she does. The lift lobby itself hints at the spectacle within chandeliers from Sicily, mirrored frames recalling European ballrooms and the delicate ‘Meadow Table’ by Rooshad Shroff that anchors the entrance with real pressed and lacquered flowers gathered from London and Mumbai. Inside, every detail feels deliberate: bespoke mouldings, custom made light fixtures, hand carved fireplaces, painstaking mosaic inlay in wooded floors reflects months of meticulous craftsmanship
The living room stages a dialogue between cultures and crafts. A vintage Devi head from Udaipur anchors the space, while a custom chandelier designed by Disha along with Serip spills warm light across furniture by DeMuro Das and Baxter’s white fur chairs. The hand carved marble fireplace adorned with roses is flanked by sculptures by Vikram Goyal for Viya home while the rugs from Carpet Cellar soften the drama. On the walls, works by M. F. Husain and Seema Kohli punctuate the darkness with their vibrant intensity.
In the dining room, a custom console by Rooshad Shroff complements six Seema Kohli artworks in gilt frames, crowned by a branch like Serip chandelier, its glass globules gleaming like dew. In other rooms, architectural lighting pieces from Flos and furniture by Herman Miller coexist effortlessly, all bound together by Disha’s discerning eye for harmony. The mandir area, handcrafted in thikri and pichwai by artisans from Udaipur and Jaipur, brings a sacred stillness; a reminder that craftsmanship is as spiritual as it is aesthetic.
The master bedroom features bespoke furniture from Beyond Designs complimented by an Obeetee rug paired with handcrafted wooden accents. The ensuite bath, finished in Belgium charcoal marble with mother of pearl detailing and wardrobes by Alsorg, reflect refined craftsmanship and elegant asymmetry.
Black here, isn’t absence it’s presence. It’s the quiet confidence of form, the intimacy of light and the audacity of restraint. In Disha’s hands, it becomes not just a colour, but a conversation between beauty, memory and the sublime theatre of home.
