13 September,2026 08:17 AM IST | Mumbai | Akshita Maheshwari
Apoorva Shroff’s home opens with a living room featuring a grand piano
The home is perhaps the biggest dream for cityfolk, even more so for those who want to find one in Mumbai. It isn't easy, not at all. As someone who comes from outside, this writer loves taking a peek into what Mumbaikars call home. What is sacred enough to make it into the limited carpet area the city offers?
For architect Apoorva Shroff, the answer lay outside of Mumbai, in a not-so-quaint seven-acre property in Mount Alterra, Khandala. "I have always designed homes for others, and this home was the first time I got full creative freedom for what I wanted to do," Shroff tells us.
That dream is Airavat, a mansion that sprawls 30,000 sq ft across her land. Shroff welcomes us into the first living room (yes, there are more than one), where sits a grand piano. It faces the floor-to-ceiling window which shows off the gorgeous view from the top of the mountain. "Every window in the house is designed with a view in mind. We locked the best frame one can capture with each window," Shroff says.
Unlike traditional houses that are built from the ground up, Shroff takes a unique approach. The entry way is the top most floor of the structure, and one can keep climbing downstairs to make their way through the house.
"The entire house is made of two slabs, which cross like an âX'. One bar is made of concrete, and the other of steel," Shroff tells us, "The structure is a simple intersection between concrete and metal. The resulting interstitial spaces translate into courtyards of various scales."
We make our way to the second living room, one floor below. The pool sits right opposite, with a canopy bed on top. If you can't swim in the water, you could still swim in the air on top of it.
The lawn features a swing at the very end. We're told that the furry one in the house, Kiko, is quite possessive of it and attacks anyone who dares to sit on it. We take our chances still. As we sit on the swing, we take in the breathtaking views from the top of the hill. It feels like we're the only person in the world, secluded away in the greens. We imagine how nice it must feel to have a space like this every day, away from the city's hustle and bustle. That is until Kiko finds us. He's not too happy about our encroachment. We take it as our cue to move on to the next part of the house.
The second living room is right at the intersection of the two bars. We spot one of those courtyards Shroff was talking about earlier. It almost feels like a skylight within the house. The house seems to reveal itself in fragments; every flight of stairs and turns opens up another view, making the structure feel almost like it is moving with us, that too in circles.
From there, we take another flight of stairs to the bedrooms. It's a staircase made of textured iron, almost like the one you would spot at a train station. "It's elements like these that make maintenance easier for me. This staircase, for example, has rusted quite a lot. But even the rust adds to the charm. I don't mind it at all."
Our favourite part of the house were the bathrooms. The one in the master bedroom featured a skylight, adding the feel of being inside nature.
The bedroom's view, however, is what steals the show in the room. The windows are L-shaped, a floor-to-ceiling affair, that lead to a balcony. Shroff holds up her hands to make a frame, like movie directors do. "We wanted there to be a picturesque view. So you can sit on the bed, and look outside, and there you have the most beautiful frame."
"Airavat was never intended to be a house that simply sits within the landscape. It was imagined as a place where everyday life could feel more connected to nature, where the changing light, weather and seasons become part of how you experience the home. For me, the most rewarding aspect has been creating a space that feels different with every season and continues to evolve with the people who inhabit it."
. âI think the first thing to ask is: How do you actually live? A home should work around your everyday life, how you start your mornings, how you entertain, where you unwind. When you design with these things in mind, the home starts to feel much more personal.
. Create one unexpected element. It could be an unusual staircase, a beautiful window, a courtyard, or even an unexpected combination of materials. It doesn't have to be dramatic or expensive.
. Let the context influence the design. Look at what's happening outside the home - the light, the views, the climate. Instead of bringing in a fixed aesthetic, allow the surroundings to influence the design.
. Mix the old with the new. It could be an old piece of furniture, a vintage light, or even a locally sourced material. These details bring warmth and character to a home.
