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Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar is an internationally published architecture, design and art journalist.

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Vaishnavi works out of a sunny studio called Mangomonk where she writes for publications big and small.

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Latest Articles

Architectural Digest •

This architect’s home in Kozhikode is a culmination of all his life’s chapters

Architect Rohit Palakkal doesn't usually question his decisions. Once made, a decision is set in stone, unchallenged, until, rarely, a better one comes along. But as the founder and principal of Kozhikode studio Nestcraft Architecture discovered sometime last year, rarely is a relative term. “I asked myself a lot of questions,” Palakkal recalls of that period. “What does a home really mean to me? What do we actually need? What can be removed without losing what matters?” After seventeen years of...
Architectural Digest •

Inside the transformation of a 30-year-old family bungalow in Bhubaneswar

When interior designer Aanchal Mittal receives an enquiry, she knows to expect one of two things. “Either a brief that's really particular—or one that’s not,” says the founder and principal of Jaipur studio Aasa Concepts. But rarely, in her experience, do the two collide. In her latest commission, the renovation of a 30-year-old family bungalow in Bhubaneswar, that's exactly what happened. The family, who found her on Instagram, was pernickety about what they wanted—retaining the spirit of the house they'd lived in for the last thirty years—until a creative rendering came along, when they'd throw caution to the wind and abort all previous reservations.
Elle Decor •

[Print] Growing Up, Again

Every renovation has an origin story, but few begin as unglamorously as this one: a leaking terrace roof. That was the entire brief, at first. But for interior designer Farah Ahmed Mathias — co-founder, with Dhaval Shellugar, of Bengaluru's FADD Studio — a leaky roof is rarely just a leaky roof. More often than not, it's a Trojan horse, and this one snuck its way straight into her childhood. One suggestion led to another, until Farah wasn't just fixing a house — she was reckoning with everything that had happened inside it.
Architectural Digest •

Inside a designer's Bengaluru apartment that bridges three continents and three generations

After twenty-five years as an interior designer, Raji Radhakrishnan was ready to hang up her boots. “I’d retired from taking on new projects,” recalls the founder and principal of her erstwhile eponymous Virginia-based studio. But when she and her husband, software professional Murali Narasimhan, decided to move to Lyon, France, with a plan to later retreat to Bengaluru, in 2024, she decided that it was only appropriate that their homes in both cities should be her last hurrah(s). She began desi...
The Local Project •

MAPIO: Architectural Hardware with a European Sensibility - The Local Project

MAPIO began in 2021 during Demourtzidis’s own home renovation, when a diamond-cut, cross-knurled cabinet handle stopped her in her tracks. Coming from a family steeped in hardware manufacturing, she recognised something the industry had largely missed: that architectural hardware deserves the same design consideration as the interiors it inhabits. (The company’s name reflects deep family connection: Mapio is a Greek nickname for Maree – and honours Demourtzidis’ grandmother, her namesake.)
Drawi...
Domino •

This Minnesota Home Has All the Details We Love About Cozy Swedish Cottages

Interior designer Melissa Oholendt has a habit of going wild the moment any new-build project comes along. But when a brief for a spec house in Cottagewood, Minnesota, landed on her desk, the founder of Minneapolis-based Oho Interiors knew she had to think way outside the box. The builder, Mark Williams of Mark D. Williams Custom Homes, didn’t want just any home; he wanted one designed for an imaginary family of five who didn’t exist quite yet. “They didn’t have names, but they absolutely had pe...
The Local Project •

Murray House by Rob Mills Architects

Some sites ask for restraint; others invite something more ambitious. Set high above the Murray River with sweeping views across the river flats towards Albury, New South Wales, Murray River Residence by Rob Mills Architects belongs firmly in the latter category. Working with a dramatic natural slope and an extraordinary landscape, the team conceived a home that celebrates its surroundings at every turn, framing light, sky and water through a seamless integration of architecture, interiors and l...
Sotheby's •

From Renoir to Chagall: A Journey Through French Painting

There is a particular quality of light that falls across a Normandy cliff-top in late summer—thin, silvered, forever shifting. It is the kind of light that can undo a painter's certainties, and it very nearly undid those of Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919). By the mid-1880s, after a decade spent chasing the fleeting and the momentary as one of Impressionism's leading lights, the French artist had begun to want something else entirely: not the instant, but the eternal.It is tempting to imagine...
Elle Decor •

Farah Ahmed Mathias of FADD Studio restores her childhood home

Every renovation has an origin story, but few begin as unglamorously as this one: a leaking terrace roof. That was the entire brief, at first. But for interior designer Farah Ahmed Mathias — co-founder, with Dhaval Shellugar, of Bengaluru’s FADD Studio — a leaky roof is rarely just a leaky roof. More often than not, it’s a Trojan horse, and this one snuck its way straight into her childhood. One suggestion led to another, until Farah wasn’t just fixing a house — she was reckoning with everything...
Livingetc •

[Print] COVER STORY / Hyderabad: No Walls Attached

There's a peculiar kind of panic that sets in when your architect knocks down half the walls in your house and you show up for a site visit expecting rooms and find, instead, air. That's exactly what happened to badminton champion Jwala Gutta and actor Vishnu Vishal, who, mid-construction, looked around their Hyderabad apartment and asked, in uncanny unison, whether they had any walls left.
It was, by all accounts, a beautifully engineered leap of faith, and luckily, the man asking them to take it remained entirely unruffled. Having designed for the family since 2022, Thomas Parambil of the Bengaluru practice Thomas Parambil Architects arrived already fluent in their taste, their quirks, and their tolerance for a little chaos mid-build.
The Local Project •

The Verso Collection by Basil Bangs and Tom Mark Henry

Some of the best design ideas are the ones that go almost unnoticed. That’s the thinking behind Verso, the latest collaboration from outdoor shade specialist Basil Bangs and interior design studio Tom Mark Henry. The 21-piece capsule range spans patio umbrellas, seating and soft furnishings, and it’s built around a single, quietly compelling idea: the best details are the ones that reward a second look.
The Local Project •

Casa en Palmilla by Estudio Ignacio Urquiza Ana Paula de Alba

Shaped by sun, wind and landscape, Casa en Palmilla embraces passive cooling, native planting and the understated beauty of Baja California Sur. Long before a single wall went up, Casa en Palmilla was already being shaped – by wind patterns, by the arc of the sun over Baja California Sur and by a 50-year-old palo verde tree that had no intention of being ignored. Designed by Estudio Ignacio Urquiza Ana Paula de Alba, with furniture and decoration by Alejandra Usobiaga, the home is less an object placed on the land than a translation of it.
The Local Project •

Logan House by Di Bartolo Architects

This interplay between solidity and openness finds its clearest expression in the Logan rock formations that inspired the design – natural structures notable for their considerable mass, yet capable of balancing with surprising delicacy. The reference is evident in the home’s chiselled stone base and cantilevered upper form, which hovers above the sloping terrain rather than resting upon it.
Internally, the architectural language shifts markedly. Di Bartolo describes the interior as embracing “t...
The Local Project •

Stoked Opens its Sydney Showroom

It is a quiet but confident statement: these are pieces considered enough to be design objects, holding their own in a showroom setting just as they do in the high-end residences and resorts they already call home. The Stoked experience begins the moment you step through the door, long before a single drop of water is drawn. For architects, designers and homeowners alike, the showroom offers something a catalogue never could – the chance to run a hand along brushed, 316 marine-grade steel, to re...
The Local Project •

Rockpool House by Architecture Saville Isaacs

Nestled into a coastal hillside behind Avoca Beach, New South Wales, Rockpool House is conceived as a robust yet relaxed retreat for a multigenerational family. Designed by Architecture Saville Isaacs, this 478-square-metre residence unfolds across five cascading levels, balancing solidity and openness as it draws in the surrounding landscape. Located about 90 minutes north of Sydney in one of Avoca Beach’s most coveted pockets, the six-bedroom dwelling responds directly to its setting between bushland and ocean, reflecting the location’s laid-back atmosphere and strong sense of community. The project carries personal significance for the owners, whose longstanding connection to the area informed the brief and inspired the home’s name, a reference to the rockpool at the southern end of the beach.
Architectural Digest •

This 16,000-square-foot bungalow in Karnataka’s Kundapur refuses to be ordinary

There is a particular kind of tragedy reserved for buildings: the tragedy of being merely fine. Such was the case for one bungalow in Karnataka's Kundapura—a perfectly serviceable modern shell, going up brick by brick, minding its own business, until its owners took one look and decided that 'fine' simply would not do. What they wanted, with the steady resolve of people who know exactly who they are, was a house that remembered where it came from. The owners in question, Sampath and Sonali Shett...
Livingetc •

[Print] Mumbai: Designing in the Dark

The call came from Hong Kong. The clients—well travelled, quietly assured, with homes across multiple cities—wanted their Mumbai apartment designed by SHROFFLEóN and handed back to them fully complete. There would be no extended back-and-forth, no iterative reviews, no site visits. A single phone conversation would set the course; after that, the architects would be left to their own devices. In fact, the first time Kayzad Shroff and María León would meet the homeowners in person would be on the day the project was finished.
AD Middle East •

This Heritage Resort in the Himalayan Mountains Was Once an Indian Freedom Fighter’s Refuge

Original timber, hidden stone masonry and a rich family legacy guided Design Legends' revival of this 150-year-old heritage resort tucked high in the mountains.Following his release from British house arrest in 1937, Indian freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose spent six months in the picturesque mountain town of Dalhousie recuperating from tuberculosis. Surrounded by the mist-veiled peaks of the Dhauladhar hills, his time in the tranquil retreat was spent mostly in quiet seclusion, famousl...
The Local Project •

MyHomeware’s Elevated Online Bathroom and Kitchen Offering

This is where MyHomeware comes in. An Australian-owned online retailer, the business has built a sterling reputation among renovators, homeowners and trade professionals seeking quality tapware and fixtures for both bathrooms and kitchens – without a custom-build price tag. The approach is straightforward, with considered ranges of taps, basins, sinks, showers, vanities, mirrors, toilets, baths, shaving cabinets, tiles, flooring and accessories sold directly to the public online, bypassing the u...
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Architectural Digest •

Inside a coastal Karnataka bungalow inspired by childhood memory

As sometimes happens when inspiration strikes, Salian found himself guided by flashes of memory, or as he puts it, “a faint, sensorial fragment from childhood. I remember stepping into a Mangalore tile factory, now long vanished, and being enveloped by its vastness. A double-height roof stretched overhead, its terracotta tiles resting on an exposed lattice of wooden trusses. The air was thick with the scent of sun-baked clay and ash. Light filtered in from high openings, casting long shadows acr...
Architectural Digest •

AD Visits: Diipa Büller-Khosla's canal house in Amsterdam is a postcard from 1614

Even from 6,000 kilometres away, Diipa Büller-Khosla’s energy is palpable through the screen. It’s morning where she is, and she and her husband and business partner, Dutch former diplomat, Oleg Büller-Khosla (the couple legally adopted each other's last names when they married in 2018) are perched in the kitchen of their Amsterdam home, in the company of their pet pooches, Kubii and Bimbo.

By their own admission, it’s a scene that just a few years ago, was a figment of their imagination. “We'd
Architectural Digest •

AD Visits: Ishaan Khatter’s Mumbai apartment is a sunset sanctuary

When he isn't busy filming or promoting or air-dashing off to exotic locales, Ishaan Khatter likes to appreciate the little things in life. “On Sunday mornings, when time permits, I slip off for a bike ride. In the evenings, I like to watch the sunset with some music and coffee,” says the actor, who was last seen in supernatural comedy Phone Bhoot, alongside Katrina Kaif and Siddhant Chaturvedi. So when he moved in a three-bedroom apartment along the Bandra sea face, naturally, his first priorit
Architectural Digest •

AD Visits: Actor Aahana Kumra’s Mumbai apartment is a pretty-in-pink princess pad

In a building full of identical brown doors, Aahana Kumra's entrance is the only non-brown curiosity. "I absolutely love pink. It's my all-time favourite colour—that's why it's right at the front," she laughs, holding open the candyfloss-coloured opuscule as she ushers me inside. For Kumra, the home is a manifestation twenty years in the making, and one that nods equally to her Lucknowi roots and her life in Mumbai. "There are whiffs of Kashmir, London and Delhi too. It's a collection of all my
Architectural Digest •

AD Visits: Actor Aparshakti Khurana’s Mumbai home displays drama in the details

Even before they had finalised their house, or decided who would design it, actor Aparshakti Khurana and his wife, events entrepreneur Aakriti Ahuja, had a chandelier picked out and stowed away in storage. "I had spotted it some years ago in Delhi and just knew I had to buy it," laughs Aakriti, and Aparshakti chimes in, "We had no idea what our future house would look like. Nothing was set in stone, except this big, blue bhaisahab." The bhaisahab in question now occupies a corner of their living
Architectural Digest •

AD Visits: Singer Armaan Malik’s Mumbai home is halfway between London and Los Angeles

At 10 AM on a Sunday, the last thing you'd expect is for Armaan Malik to be crisping the edges of a frittata. And yet, that's exactly the sight that greets me as I step into his kitchen, a California-cool bolthole with a London-esque edge. "I love making breakfast and treating myself to a good spread," he says, drizzling butter on bruschettas. Dressed in a casual button-up and chinos, he looks like a laid-back version of his on-screen alter ego, who, as fans of The Voice (on which Armaan appears
Architectural Digest •

AD Visits: Actors Aditya Seal and Anushka Ranjan’s newlywed nest is a storybook come to life

At the door of actors (and newlyweds) Aditya Seal and Anushka Ranjan Seal's new Mumbai duplex, the nameplate is conspicuous by its absence. What is not is the cheery (LED) baby seal that takes its place, animating the wall and nodding to its namesake owners. “It's fun to watch people guess," says Anushka. "Those who get it, get it. And it makes for a great conversation-starter." But the unlikely sea creature isn’t the only thing setting the entryway apart—because if the peach-toned front door (a