Furniture designers Rolly and Rajeeta Gupta allow Anoothi Vishal a glimpse of their work in a luxurious, though discreet, Delhi farmhouse.
It’s an anonymous farmhouse at Satbari, in Delhi’s Chattarpur area, home to opulence and wealth if you know the right address. A Hummer 2, the latest, stands in the driveway. The owners are missing, there is some of their staff sitting inside though, fiddling with the steering wheel, satisfying curious impulses no doubt. We are being taken on a walkthrough of this mammoth property by Rolly and Rajeeta Gupta, better known as the furniture designers who own the House of Raro. But the sisters have now turned their eye on the interiors of this farmhouse — owned by a friend they will not name. When we arrive, the family is ostensibly asleep, upstairs, in their private area. We get a conducted tour of the “public” spaces — and leave with our jaws pretty much hanging.
A decade ago, the Gupta sisters were just two young girls with a love for French Art Deco — the kind many of us with a passing interest in art and architecture and grand old buildings often do. Today, they are the country’s leading designers, exclusive, high-end, and yes, original too, with clients ranging from Vijay Mallya to Dipti Salgaonkar. But while you may recognise the trademark Raro jewellery chests (that can be converted to cigar chests or those to keep your cards and counters in, and so forth) and “Arman” chairs in high-profile homes, this is the first time the sisters are involved in doing up a home so completely.
The house is all clean lines, broad façade, and as we enter, it is into a huge lobby, imposing but austere. A Sakti Burman painting on one of the walls draws all your attention. The Gupta sisters have chosen this, as also all other pieces of art strewn around the house, mainly by Indian artists, a Shuvaprasanna owl, Satish Gupta canvases, a rather sombre piece by Chandra Bhattacharya and so forth. There’s a sculpted wooden mirror for greater effect, an imposing antique chandelier and we are told that a walnut wood piano and huge black marble urns will fall into place soon, all getting custom-made for the owners of this lovely house. But if you think these hog all the attention, you may be mistaken. Those who know and recognise fabric and patterns will no doubt spot Hermes all around — on settes and sofas, armchairs, not to mention drapes. The fabric on one of the pieces in the lobby, for instance, is the latest from a length of “Japanese Art Deco”.
But wait till you see the dining area: Once again, this is a formal space. A beautiful 10-seater dining table in Art Deco style, with legs resembling fluted pillars, quite the showpiece. Hanging overhead is another antique Baccarat chandelier. There’s a mirrored cabinet on one side and a fireplace in the making. The roof, I am told, is “champagne” in this room, which means that real silver foil, tinted a discreet rose, has been used. In the drawing room, on the other hand, it is the walls that are champagne, the roof plain paint. But here what will startle you no doubt is the huge coffee table in bison horn, a real “indulgence”, according to its creators. At the House of Raro, coffee tables start upwards of Rs 1.5 lakh, so when this one is described as such, you’d better sit up and take note.
There are ebony-inlaid-with-sterling silver cabinets, bull-leather claddings, leather on false ceilings, Art Deco-style mirrored screen (made to look like the kind that folds but doesn’t) and so forth, so why are we headed to the powder room?
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The trend, apparently, is to have a mandatory “powder room” in place of what used to be, traditionally, the “guest bathroom”. And this one is eye-popping enough. The Gupta sisters have used small Bisazza tiles to create a mosaic effect and rose patterns on the walls, and one of their trademark chairs, “Circle”, in white, completes the look. The walls are softly curved for, well, tranquillity.
The Gupta sisters do limited edition and totally bespoke furniture for their discerning clients — in Mumbai, Mallya’s new house Niladri has their pieces, they say. And they maintain that their market for luxury will not be affected by global recession at all. In fact, after Mumbai, where they opened a store in a redone heritage Colaba home last year, their next stop will be Dubai. Even by those standards, you may find a 14-feet-long bejewelled bar impressive. That will come in the bar room, also part of this house, that has some fancy lighting by Barouvier Tosso, the Italian company. But the room that is the friendliest and the warmest is undoubtedly the study with a collection of well-thumbed tomes stacked in wooden book cases with glass in between to give them a lighter look.
The lady of the house is a doctor we are told, and this is also her private domain. The study looks out to the pool and the greens outside, a huge area of which also comprises the lawn in front. Some landscaping is in order here and the sisters say their effort will be to create mysterious spaces, not visible at once, to contrast with the stark lines of the house. “Next time you come, it should all be done.” Will there be a next time?
