7 Indian homes in London with heritage woven through them
When Sonam Kapoor Ahuja first started dating Anand Ahuja, she also fell in love with the setting of his London perch. Notting Hill is one of the last truly bohemian 'villages' left in the city and the couple set their hearts on a home among one of its leafy stucco squares.
This home is a jewel-box apartment perched high up in a grand period townhouse. It is flooded with natural light from windows gazing onto a private garden, used by the square's residents and brimming with lofty sycamore trees and Victorian palms. Sonam's vision for this atmospheric pied-à-terre has been brought to life with Mumbai-based architect Rooshad Shroff. "He is a maestro at curating a space towards an individual's tastes," muses Sonam of her collaborative choice, "We began with laying a foundation of rich textures and jewel tones together." This luscious palette was taken even further into transporting realms with walls covered in de Gournay's 'Early Views of India'. The trumpeting palm trees, chhatris, and pavilions sing a romantic song of Sonam's homeland even on the greyest of Anglo-Saxon days.
"The Indian touches include a number of personal pieces gifted to us by our mothers," reflects Sonam, "bringing memories of Mumbai and Delhi to London. There's a lasting beauty in these heirlooms, however humble, that have seen so many lives and brought joy across the generations."
Original text by Cosmo Brockway
In the heart of London's Mayfair – where the discerning criss-cross for business meetings, Pad London or an idle meander through The Row and Moynat – renegade restaurateur Samyukta Nair has made a tranquil new home and wholesome life in the city.
In the 1,800-square-foot home, it is the living room with its cul-de-sac-facing sash windows, apart from the building's supremely good bones, that had her put down a rent deposit on her first viewing. There is also art. Everywhere. A string of Dayanita Singh photographs in the short corridor that opens into the wide hall, a shelf of Lubna Chowdhary sculptural shapes in the study, and a trio of Rana Begum foil-art pieces above her bed. Her love for fashion sneaks in too. Before her complete pivot to hospitality in 2021, Nair ran a fashion and design concept store called Clove in Colaba, Mumbai, in addition to her clothing label, Dandelion.
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