‘Falak Azura’ quite literally means a blue sky. Considering we barely get to see any sky in Mumbai, you have to be wondering what inspired this name. So before I walk you through the entrance and bar of Falak Azura, let me first tell you how it got its name.
Entrance and Bar of Falak Azura
This home is a terrace apartment on the 40th floor. It has the most spectacular and uninterrupted view of the city and the blue skies than I have ever seen in this city.
Mostly because blue happens to be the home owner’s favourite colour… and partly because we were completely inspired by the magnificent view, we added a generous sprinkling of these beautiful blues across the home. Take a look at the pic above, and you’ll see what I mean.
‘Falak’ means sky in Urdu, and ‘Azura’ is blue in Spanish. Put these together and we have a pretty, eclectic name, much like the interiors of this lovely home.
Take a look with me.
The Plan
The first look at the entrance itself had me smiling from ear to ear. Instead of a regular large single door, this home had an extra wide entrance with a double door. It’s the first time ever that I got to design something like this and I was super excited about it before I even entered the home. (Hang on a little and you’ll see what we did with it.)
Next came the foyer. On the left of the door we placed the entry console and mirror.
The right was originally a closed space with a vertical wall running along the existing bar counter and a horizontal one along the dashed lines of the beam. The client wanted a feeling of expanse and openness as you enter the home, so we broke down this wall.
We built a ‘U’ shaped unit. The left vertical of the ‘U’ has a shoe cabinet that opens from the foyer side. The right vertical makes the breakfast / bar counter, with the base of the ‘U’ making the bar cabinet itself. All three parts of the ‘U’ are topped with marble to also make a continuous bar counter.
The Main Door
We added two openable glass panels with fixed grills on either side of the door. This reduced the width of the opening so we have only one main door instead of two. While answering the door you need only open one of these glass panels to see who is at the door and take deliveries of letters and small parcels through the grill. They serve as excellent safety doors, so you need to open the main door only if you want to let someone in.
Since the entrance passage outside has large windows, leaving these open also allows for cross ventilation without compromising the safety of the home.
Wall sconces on both sides of the door light up the space to make a warm welcom, and complete the look.
The Foyer
As you enter the home, we have a console and mirror on the left of the foyer.
In keeping with the beautiful greige of the door, we used neutral tones in the foyer too.
The black and gold makes a stunning statement as you enter… subtle yet glamourous. I love how all the elements are interlinked with each other.
The black mirror on the black and gold console, the gold pendant light with black joints along the glass pieces tying in to both of them. I love how the octogonal mirror with the triangles along the edges is so like the octogonal light fitting with the triangular glass pieces.
We never have a complete design and selection set ready when we start work. We finalise these as work progresses on site, so it always gives me goosebumps when things fall into place like they were just meant to be.
The Shoe Unit
As discussed in the plan, the first vertical of the ‘U’ of the bar unit is to the right of the main door and opposite the foyer console. On the inside it forms a part of the bar unit…
But on the outside, facing the door it is fitted with cabinets for shoe storage.
The open shelf at the bottom allows for shoes to be slid in and out easily when required.
The Bar Unit
Next comes the base of the ‘U’, which makes the main bar unit. The larger drawers below stock the bottles while the smaller drawers take care of glasses and other bar paraphernalia. A small storage unit above takes care of the wine glasses.
The innermost vertical of the ‘U’ makes the bar counter with two bar stools tucked in neatly under it.
Since the kitchen is just behind this bar counter, it also doubles up as a breakfast table for a quick meal.
The tops of all three parts of the ‘U’ are all at one level, to make a seamless and large bar unit.
Together, they make this stunning and super efficient bar counter.
We went with the tropical wallpaper in sepia tones on the wall in keeping with the beiges and golds of the entrance and foyer. Add to that the deep blue cabinetry, and the entrance and bar of Falak Azura give us a whiff of the terrace while still within the home.
Since we broke down all the walls around it, we separated the bar area from the living by using a wooden tile flooring under it. The wooden strips on the floor are replicated with the wooden rafters making the foyer ceiling above.
Before and Afters
These before and afters from the entrance and bar of Falak Azura will make it easier for you to see the changes we made while designing this home.
The main entrance to the home had a large double door.
We used the width to fit in openable glass panels with fixed grills on both sides. They help serve as a safety door and provide cross ventilation to the home when required.
The foyer console wall before…
We broke down the inner wall to open out the foyer so you have a full, open view of the living room as you enter.
The opposite side of the foyer…
Once again, we broke down the wall between the foyer, living and kitchen and opened out the entire area. The bar unit fits into the space perfectly, also providing a shoe unit on the entrance side and a breakfast counter near the kitchen.
Get The Look
Here are some of the wonderful things that went into making our stunning entryway. Click away for all sources!
| – 1 – Vintage Tropical Foliage Wallpaper | – 2 – Bar unit handle | – 3 – Bar unit knob | – 4 – Brass Knocker on Main Door | – 5 – Round Lines Mirror | – 6 – Paradise Blues Glass Pendant | – 7 – Wine Racks for Bar Unit | – 8 – Bespoke Bar Stools | – 9 – Bespoke Foyer Console |
This completes our walk through the entrance and bar of Falak Azura… but we have only just begun the walk through the home. This stunning entryway gives you an idea of what lies in store.. so don’t miss any of it.
The living room is coming up next, and I am really excited about sharing it with you!
Until next time,
.
Photography: Biju Gopal of @bizou.photos
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