The story behind Mithila Palkar's new Mumbai home is charming enough to make anyone smile. Watching her speak animatedly about her space and move through the rooms with ease brings a certain inexplicable feeling of satisfaction—of watching someone truly belong. It doesn’t hurt that the cute and cosy 700-square-foot apartment’s design, courtesy of Rutuja Tulsulkar, principal designer at Studio Bloom, feels like a warm hug. With narratives of loving bonds, nostalgic allure and mesmerising vistas, awash in minimalist grace, Mithila Palkar’s abode has it all.
Spotlighting Friendship
Best friends for more than a decade, Mithila assigned Rutuja the task of designing her home long before she was even looking for a place. “Since Rutuja started studying design, I knew that my first house will be designed by her,” says Mithila. They built castles in the air about what their homes would look like one day, and it all panned out years later when Mithila set her sights on this cosy space. “It was such a huge gamble – we were working together as professionals and it can go south. But if anything, it has only brought us closer together,” Mithila smiles.
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For Rutuja, knowing her ‘client’ inside out only helped curate the space perfectly. “It was a very fluid process. We are not just best friends but we share an aesthetic sense. Anyone who knows her, knows that she is a warm, kind person. And I wanted to capture her personality, no filter,” notes Rutuja. Mithila has always dreamt of having a space to call her own. She’s particular about details and organised about her surroundings. It only made sense to have an uncluttered home. Bright and warm colours thus accent with a soft pop, ultimately cohesive with the elegant space.
“Mithila, she knows what she wants,” adds Rutuja. From the exact hue of the rust couch to the grain of the light-wood veneer found in abundance around the space, Mithila was willing to wait rather than compromise. “The three things we actually debated on for the longest time were the name plate, the coffee table, and the colour of the couch. But as my best friend, she manages to convince me,” Mithila reveals.
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Seamless Functionality
It comes as no surprise that houses in Bombay are small. “My grandparents live in a Portuguese-era home, and this is where I spent a lot of my childhood. Built in the late 1930s, it is full of open spaces,” Mithila shares. Thus for her, opening up the space to light and ventilation was important, and this largely dictated the white-washed palette of the space. Light wood, white terrazzo flooring and grey tones allow light to dance through the space.
Made with love, we see Rutuja’s attention to detail at every turn – from small interventions such as a charging disc tucked away neatly in the bespoke end table of the living room to the inclusion of storage in the loft and duct spaces to use the entirety of the space as efficiently as possible. In line with Vastu principles—where one should not wake up facing a full-length mirror—the bed now boasts a stunning view of the seascape while a sliding mirror tucks away into the wardrobe. Craftsmanship speaks volumes through the curated details – be it the outline of the sofa continuing to the kitchen counter or door details that reflect on the ceiling.
Nostalgia-Driven Details
“The cleaner the design, the more calming the space is for me,” Mithila notes. For her, the home had to be her safe space, her peaceful haven away from the hustle of her everyday life. The earthy tones, seamless lines and soft, organic forms lend a certain wabi-sabi minimalism to the spaces that instantly soothes.
Mithila’s tastes have not changed drastically, but matured over the years. She recalls what one of her friends, fellow actor Amey Wagh, had described her home as, “It feels like a grown up’s house.” And indeed, it is true. There is grace in restraint here. Beautiful cane comes from Mithila’s memory of an old cane rocking chair in her grandparents’ home. White terrazzo echoes the flooring of her parents’ home. Not a formal dining sort of person, the breakfast nook by the open kitchen captures her bent for cosy comfort. When colour was to be incorporated, such as the tropical mural in the master bedroom, it is still pared-back. Christened the ‘House of Harmony’ by Rutuja, every element of the space melds together like visual poetry.
Tales Of Familial Warmth
Mithila Palkar is a family person. “Being friends from school, I not only know her family well, but I also know how important they are for her,” Rutuja tells us. We get a peek of this as we walk down the picture wall flanking the kitchen. When Mithila’s grandmom, who rarely steps out, first came to visit the space, the apartment was already almost completely designed. “She cares most about the kitchen, which is what she gravitated to after she took in the view,” Mithila narrates.
Her grandmom had, in fact, been instrumental in setting up Mithila’s kitchen, bestowing her with antique brass utensils, curated packets of spices and even flour—all from a meticulously made list of functional items needed in a new kitchen—to start off her journey in the new home. Mithila’s parents also frequent the space, having made the guest bedroom their own. “It is extremely cute to see them take on that sort of ownership and have them come by so often,” Mithila says with a smile.
It is clear to see that a lot of love was poured into the design of this home, by both Mithila and Rutuja. The duo admits to tearing up as the design process drew to an end. And through all the laughs and tears, the space that manifests captures Mithila Palkar's essence in a nutshell. It might be a small space, but it is definitely a homely one.
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