Rehethaan多代别墅丨印度丨MuseLAB

This multi-generational villa by MuseLAB gives the motifs of Kutch a mid-century makeover

firm MuseLAB brings their signature whimsy to a calm and contemporary Mediterranean-inspired home on the Gujarat coast.

Kingpin chairs from MuseMART are a playful complement to a robust lazy Susan dining table.

There’s a particular feeling that some homes are able to conjure, specifically in the tropics and specifically in the middle of the day, when the sun is bright but somehow still soft, the pressures of day-to-day living seem far away, and every closed door looks like it could lead straight to Narnia. As a child, I would call these houses “Afternoon Houses” maybe because this sense of

otherworldly-ness always seemed more pronounced in the afternoon, when the world was quiet and the grownups were sleeping. It’s been years since I’ve described a house that way, but when I saw

firm MuseLAB’s most recent design for a multi-generational villa on the sunswept Gujarat coast, I couldn’t think of a more appropriate time to bring back the epithet. Rehethaan is an Afternoon House.

The leitmotifs of Gujarat receive a contemporary overhaul in mediterranean forms and muted mid-century tones.

Marble orbs and a Kutch-inspired mural by House of Beserk ornaments the underside of the sculptural staircase.

A swing created by Design Ni Dukaan and Buttom Masala adds a colourful flourish to the terracotta-toned verandah that overlooks the pool.

The bones of the five-bedroom multi-generational villa had been designed by a Baroda-based architect, and MuseLAB was effectively taking over a bare-shell interior. There was one little detail that the previous architect had included on the facade, however, that piqued MuseLAB’s interest; the filleted arched windows, reminiscent of the

villas of the Mediterranean riviera. “We carried that forward within the space, since it went with the whole Mediterranean concept the clients wanted, and it became a sort of base canvas to build our design upon,” shares Jasem Pirani, who heads MuseLAB with Huzefa Rangwala. Most prominently, the arches adorn the vaulted ceiling of the double-height family room, mimicking the structure of a medieval grotto, but reimagined in the cooling wood and

of tropical modernism. This sort of cultural interplay continues through the rest of the home, into the formal living room, the muted yet playful dining room and through to the five bedrooms, where the leitmotifs of Gujarat, specifically texture-laden finishes on wood, glass and natural stone found in Kutch, are channeled through a mid-century Mediterranean lens. “Even the highlight colours within the space are blues and greens, peach and coral,” adds the architect, “We wanted them to be more pastel and muted, in that sense.” The result is a constant conversation between the familiar and the foreign, the known and the unexpected, that makes the home feel like a playground for the senses.

A sculpture by Vyom Mehta peeks into the entrance corridor through a glass portal in the family room.

The arch motif carries forward into the kitchen.

While the arches were a pivotal anchor point for the design, a large part of MuseLAB’s visual language emerged from the flooring. The corridors are adorned with intricate stone patterns, the marble flooring in the

is offset by an exquisite contemporary Persian rug, and in the family space the pattern on the wooden flooring mimics the texture of the floor rugs that adorn it. As a counterpoint, the walls are left intentionally pared back, with a textured lime-wash finish that serves as an ideal backdrop for a vibrant display of art and design–and this is where MuseLAB’s design really shines.

The home is anchored by a double-height family room where the vaulted ceiling is ornamented with a striking light installation by Shailesh Rajput.

Throughout Rehethaan, art and architecture are in constant conversation–a Shailesh Rajput light installation brings a touch of the industrial and avant garde to the double height family space; a drip detail on the marble of the Juliet balcony that overlooks the space; patterned relief detailing on the ceiling in the formal living room. Most eye-catching of all is the

, which unfurls in a dramatic display of warm grey marble. Orbs suspended over the ascending volume create a sort of lighting installation that you’d typically associate with a gallery or museum, but that doesn’t seem at all out of place within this context. The final flourish of course comes through a vivid botanical mural painted by House of Beserk.

A statement Olie light fixture anchors the formal living room and is offset by marquetry artwork by Sameer Tawde and Neha Bahuguna, and a set of brick art pieces by Grijesh Kumar Singh.

Variegated seating and a splash of art make the home office a cozy getaway.

“It was a very fun and enjoyable process also because I think the clients were very accepting of all these ideas, and they were open to this playfulness,” Pirani adds. Each of the bedrooms takes a piece of a main puzzle and spins its own narrative–the older child’s room harkens to the warm wooden lofts of New York, the younger

is a swirl of woods, greens, and a surprisingly warm arrangement of glass brick; the guest bedroom allows the fluid grains of natural stone to assume pride of place; and finally, the master bedroom is a wash of soft greys that feels like a world away from the rest of the home.

The vaulted ceiling in the older child’s bedroom references the lofts of New York.

A waterfall-like grid of glass bricks creates an eye-catching partition in the younger child’s bedroom.

Layered in soothing grey, the master bedroom is a trigger-free retreat for the senses.

The master bathroom is swathed in a colourful mosaic landscape.

There’s a finesse that holds all these disparate details together; that makes the space seem cohesive even when it contradicts itself–when it seems playful even in moments of pause, or when a delicate design detail, like pixelated

on the skirting of the guest bedroom, suddenly begs for your attention. Maybe that’s why it ruffled my childhood memories of large, sunswept homes that were ripe with potential for adventure: you may not know what to expect, or how to make sense of how it came together, but no matter where you are in Rehethaan, it feels like home.