Decorating

This set designer’s New Delhi home evokes the magic of the movies

Space stylist, tablescape artist, and floral designer Lalima Chhabra transformed a bare-shell house into a vibrant jewel box for herself and her family.
Image may contain Architecture Building Furniture Indoors Living Room Room Couch Interior Design and Home Decor
The living room glows with jewel tones, featuring rouge seating from Couchlane, an ornate carpet by Jaipur Rugs, a SAAR Studio centre table, and a classic lounge chair from Gulmohar Lane. Side tables from Gulmohar Lane and Objectry, along with mosaic tables designed by Chhabra herself, add to the eclectic splendour. The cerise canvas, painted over two months, is the work of Goa-based artist Laila Vaziralli.Ankush Maria

Lalima Chhabra isn’t an actor, but she might as well be, given the amount of time she spends on ad film sets. The New Delhi-based set designer, who has collaborated with over 70 brands—including Ekaya Banaras, Nicobar, Good Earth, Google, and KFC—and designed more than 100 sets across India, admits that the job, for better or worse, comes with chromatic consequences. “I always think in colour,” concedes the founder of New Delhi-based design studio, Figment, whose accidental knack proved especially useful when designing the South Delhi home she shares with her ad film producer husband, Siddhant Malhotra, and their two beloved Indies, Gogo and Tikki.

The foyer is a vision in emerald.

Ankush Maria

The bar (far right) is an upcycled gem that holds sentimental value for Chhabra. “It was the first thing we bought when we got married seven years ago,” says the designer, who transformed the original grey cabinet into a hand-painted botanical novelty with brass knobs sourced on the couple’s travels. Textile art by Alpesh Dave; serigraphs by Haku Shah and Thota Vaikuntam from Archer Art Gallery, Ahmedabad; and Gond art by Mayank Shyam enliven the wall.

Ankush Maria

Come sundown, the chandelier, wall lights, and lamps—sourced from Mumbai—veil the living room in soft layers of light. The planters are by Conkreate, the brass accents come from the couple’s personal collection, and the flower styling is done by Chhabra herself.

Ankush Maria

“My design process is all about colour. So when we were figuring out the mood and tone for each room, I knew I wanted colour drenching to be the focus, allowing each space to have its own unique vibe.” It was one thing to draw inspiration from her job, but quite another to replicate that style entirely. “One of the biggest challenges I faced was breaking out of my usual set design mindset, where everything looks great but doesn’t always feel right. In set design, everything is temporary—you’re creating spaces that last for a day or two. But when it comes to designing your own living space, it’s not just about aesthetics; it’s about how the materials feel when you touch them, how they age, and how you live with them every day,” says the designer, who completed her master’s in psychology before pursuing multiple careers as a leadership consultant, designer, interior stylist, and tablescape and floral artist.

In the dining room, a table and chairs by Gulmohar Lane, outfitted with Cotton and Satins fabric, bask under the glow of a Good Earth chandelier, Gulmohar Lane wall lights, and Art Deco table lamps added to create fierce symmetry. Wallpaper by Sabyasachi for Nilaya dresses the walls. The Theyyam breast plate is a Keralan gem.

Ankush Maria
Ankush Maria

Delhi Daze

The thing about modern-day Delhi, as Chhabra knows all too well, is that the homes—or ‘builder floors,’ as locals call them—tend to mirror one another. “Everything looks the same. In fact, you can’t even tell some houses apart until you read the nameplate,” she muses. The fact that her own home is a builder floor isn’t lost on her. “The idea was that while the facade might be something the builder decides, the moment you step inside, it should feel uniquely ours—not like something designed for us, but something that reflects who we are. The challenge was how to infuse two floors, essentially built with a cookie-cutter approach, with a sense of earthiness, warmth, and personality,” Chhabra says.

She brought her own magic to the home by incorporating textures throughout the space—limewash walls, champagne ceilings, grainy surfaces, brass accents, six different wallpapers, textured artwork, textiles, water features, sculptural objects, and even colour-rich acrylics—while also highlighting the couple’s love of botanicals, art, and flowers. “The house almost begs you to touch everything. That was really important to me—creating something that feels timeless and intentional.”

Chhabra parlayed the lime wash from the common areas into the primary bedroom, albeit in a slightly different tone. She also incorporated pops of green with a basil-toned bed frame fabric by Sabyasachi for Nilaya, a jade-finish wardrobe, and a forest-hued rug from Obeetee. She describes the aesthetic as “subtle Indian with a heady mix of botanicals.” The bed and bedside tables were custom-designed by Figment, while the wall lights are Gulmohar Lane finds.

Ankush Maria

In the primary bedroom, a lounge chair by Couchlane, clad in Cotton and Satins fabric, sits resplendent under a chandelier from Good Earth. A wallpaper on screen rests on the floating console. The artwork to the left is by an artist in Vietnam.

Ankush Maria

With gleaming teal tiles, brass hardware, and a decidedly bygone spirit, the primary bathroom resembles an imperial boudoir. An artwork by Richa Kashelkar and another from Musee d’Orsay, Paris, add a dose of drama. The Art Deco aesthetic was brought alive by matching the design of the wall light with the bespoke mirror and cabinet by Figment.

Ankush Maria

“We wanted the guest bedroom to feel warm and inviting. We have people of all ages who come and stay with us, so we chose terracotta as our primary guide,” says Chhabra, who selected wallpaper from PIP Studio. As for the art, she opted for neutral pieces, including a Shola work by artist Ashish Malakar and botanical prints sourced during the couple’s travels. The sofa bed is a bespoke design by Couchlane, while the wall lights and floor lamp are from Orange Tree.

Ankush Maria

A peep into the gallery, where the couple’s Indies, Gogo and Tikki, can usually be found basking in the sunshine.

Ankush Maria

Matters Of The Art

Chhabra may have taken risks with colour—such as painting each wardrobe a different jewel tone—but in doing so, she felt the added pressure to live up to her aesthetic signature. “I kept asking myself, as a set designer—what would I do? What would my personal aesthetic look like?” She didn’t want to create just another Instagrammable moment or Pinterest-inspired look. Instead, she envisioned the home as a curated art gallery, or as she puts it, “a space where art isn’t just displayed, but lived in.” To Chhabra, nothing was off-limits, and everything from everywhere was equally welcome. Her selection included over 30 original works, such as a commissioned canvas by Goa-based artist Laila Vaziralli, serigraphs by Haku Shah and Thota Vaikuntam, Gond and Shola art by Mayank Shyam and Ashish Malakar respectively, and heirloom treasures reimagined for the modern day. “The space is far from a typical designer home—it’s a deeply personal sanctuary, filled with objets d’art collected over time from different parts of the world. You’ll find everything from a bold Theyyam breastplate sourced from Kerala to Gauri heads from Jodhpur, and even a whimsical wooden Judas head from Europe. It’s the world through our eyes,” enthuses Chhabra.

Chhabra’s wardrobe room also doubles as her art studio. “It is very different from the rest of the house. Here, I took a very set designer approach to styling, creating drama with colour,” she says. She gave the room a European feel with striped wallpaper by UDC Homes, a carpet from Jaipur Rugs, and a fringed French-style ottoman by Couchlane. She balanced the soft blue palette with pops of cherry red in the way of curtain and pelmet borders, mirror stripes, and artwork by Mona Sharma. The chandelier is from The White Teak Company.

Ankush Maria

“This is the last thing we show our friends and family because it is like being transported into a completely different universe and away from everything that they have seen so far in the house,” Chhabra muses of the wardrobe room, adding, “I do most of my flower styling experiments here. It is where I hide myself from the world and retreat into my creative paradise.”

Ankush Maria

‘Midimalist’ Mood

Though Chhabra considers herself a maximalist, she doesn’t see her Delhi home that way. “Siddhant is more relaxed by nature and leans minimalist, so we settled on a ‘midimalist’ vibe. He truly is the yin to my yang,” she muses, referencing the couple’s collection of souvenirs from different parts of India and the world. While her husband initially preferred to stow them away, he eventually relented to displaying them. Chhabra may have taken risks with the decor, but not at the cost of wasting anything. “I’m the queen of upcycling. Take the bookshelf in our bedroom—that’s made out of plywood and leftover PU paints from our wardrobe and cabinetry,” she explains. When asked about her favourite spaces, she’s quick to answer: “The living and dining rooms are where we love to host, and it’s where many memories are made. The rooms have become a natural conversation starter for anyone who visits, thanks to the trinkets and tchotchkes collected from our travels.” For Chhabra, Malhotra, and Gogo and Tikki, there’s never a dull moment. “We almost never have a reason to leave,” Chhabra signs off.