When Kaizad and Maria Dinshaw (Founder & Principle Architect of Nitido Designs) were given the task to design their own home, they were forced to put on the hats of client and designer simultaneously. Kaizad says, “we wanted a home that felt like a cocoon of luxury and comfort. A warm, quiet and welcoming space to come home to after a long day. It needed to be small, private and safe yet completely connected.” Keeping this in mind, the duo designed their boutique one-bedroom, living and kitchen space using traditional materials and Indian craftsmanship, in a modern context. The resulting space is contemporary yet features ethnic touches like rich tapestries, natural limestone flooring, hardwood furniture and granite window frames.





The living room

“Our main requirements were that the living and dining room had to accommodate comfortable seating for five, a dining table, an integrated home theatre, a sofa-cum-bed and a door to close it off from the rest of the home,” Maria tells us. Space was compact and small at only 650 sq . ft. and soon, this list of requirements started to look like a tall order to fulfill!



The dining room





Space efficient kitchen



“We love cooking, so as compact as the kitchen was, we needed it to accommodate the refrigerator, washer and dryer besides everything else you need in a kitchen.” The bedroom needed to encompass all the expected features, such as the bed, side tables, and also a spacious wardrobe.





The bedroom

Natural wood used in the bathroom



When conceptualising the space, Nitido centred their designs around natural materials like reclaimed solid wood and polished limestone, yet used these in modern, unique ways. “Natural wood was sourced for all the furniture, no veneers were used, no spray paint, melamine polish or synthetic finishes were used anywhere,” says Kaizad. The duo picked up products such as the sofa-cum-bed and dining chairs from high-end Danish furniture brand Bo Concept, while most of the loose furniture was designed in-house.



Handcrafted hardwood furniture



Natural limestone floor

