When paintings maketh the House

That’s the artistic abode of designers Navin Ansal and Raseel Gujral.

Raseel Gujral is a self-confessed visual junkie, a fact that comes across in her Chattarpur farmhouse. Replete with colour, creativity and calm, the house reflects Indo-Western philosophies. If there are, on one corner, ostrich eggs from Bali with stories from the Ramayana painted on them, there are Byzantine-era influenced artefacts from Holland on the other.

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The Indian influence is completed with antique Lakshmi charan from Andhra Pradesh and Satish Gujral paintings, among other things. Says Raseel, “I am a complete endorser of contemporary Indo-Western chic. That’s why you will see a harmonious mesh of Indian vernacular and contemporary designs in my house.” And we certainly do. A quick scan of the room shows us a neat example: the entrance is adorned with a beautiful white vase the size of a sofa, complemented with three feet tall silver replicas of Mughal inkpots.

Elements of nature
The harmonious presence of nature in the décor is the other predominant aspect. Fresh plants and flowers bring a natural flavour, while animal figures in the various objet d’art lend an aesthetic dimension. There are ram horns in carved silver, shell door knobs and natural fibre mats, among other things. When she moved into this house, Raseel’s mandate was to delete colour so that the art in her house could have some breathing space. She seems to have done that successfully. Hence, in an all-white house, colour plays peek-a-boo from various corners.

Art begins at home
Raseel also tells us that she has many pet compulsions and “collecting art is one of them”. Being legendary artist Satish Gujral’s daughter is an added advantage. “The best thing about being his daughter,” she says, “is that I do not have to pay for his works!” The lady owns in all 30 paintings, including works by other artists. Her latest obsession is jaali patterns and one finds the inspirations in ornaments and architectural arches. Though this house is not her ultimate residence, Raseel knows that she has reached a concept very similar to her dream abode.