‘It’s art made and not art purchased’

The villaments by Manju Yagnik, Design Brain & Vice-Chairperson, Nahar Group is a dream house for many. In conversation with Architecture Update, she explains the challenge and the possibility of a luxurious apartment within the space crunch of the city.

Tell us about your journey in the real estate.
I’ve been in the real estate for last 30 years. I started my career with Nahar and I am very passionate towards it. I have plans to make more acquisitions of properties and make landmarks in the industry. And apart from that, I have plans to work with associations and be part of the council where they are working towards policy making and taking developers issue to the authorities.

What was the idea behind making the Nahar villaments?
I am from North and I have only seen big houses. Since the time I’ve come to Mumbai, I’ve seen the shortage of space. There is a trend of apartments in the city and how one can accommodate those in a building. Within the same area, you can create that kind of lifestyle. At the same time, I’ve travelled across the world and the best I’ve seen are the vintage spaces but in Mumbai, there aren’t any. There is either ultra-modern or flaunting of the best brands. But some spaces demand such vintage looks to showcase the culture, the ambience and at the same time accommodate the modern lifestyle. So, with all these things in mind, I have designed these spaces. It’s completely my dream-child and I wanted to show people that such a space can also be made within the limited boundaries of the city.

In this project, I’ve tried to give it a traditional look by creating the spatial arrangement of a villament instead of an apartment. I’ve accommodated all kinds of luxurious features in this but also
made sure to not splurge money on it. Retaining the vintage culture of the British style and our Indian heritage is also a part of the design process. Aesthetically, it gives a stony texture like the old structures and the lavish life of British in India. We have tried to bring indoors to outdoors and vice versa. It’s art made and not art purchased.

Established in 1973, Nahar Group is a premier real estate developer, headquartered in Mumbai. The Group has developed 15 million sq. ft. of prime real estate projects, making it one of the names to reckon with. The group having proved its proficiency in developing Integrated Townships, Lifestyle Residences and Industrial space, has also marked its footprint in the field of education. The Group is now expanding exponentially by constructing about 1 million sq. ft. annually. Guided by the visionary leadership of Mr. Sukhraj Nahar, Chairman & Managing Director and Ms. Manju Yagnik, Vice Chairperson, Nahar Group is recognised for its quality, reliability and professional approach. Under their able leadership, the Group has earned prestigious awards for its domain expertise, management practices and corporate social responsibilities.

Tell us something about the design of the villaments.
The Villa apartment is a concept that is made by the marriage of reality and comfort of the city with luxury of the outskirts. Every villa has its own private garden and is designed to a theme that is artistically woven into every space of interiors. The master bedroom, with its exquisite fittings and mirrors, is a piece of art in itself. The luxurious villas come with an exterior to match the 1600 sq ft of garden comprised of an elegant cabana & prestine lawn. Just outside the villa is the township’s meticulous landscape, designed with safe-play equipment from Kompan.

Do you have any plans to sell these? Who would be your target audience?
Currently, the space is being utilised by the youth to create their portfolios. They shoot pictures there. The place is open to people and a lot them visit the villament. The idea is to showcase that such a concept is possible in the city where there is a space crunch. If somebody wants to implement the idea in their residence they are open to do so.

What were the challenges you faced while designing these villaments?
End of the day, if I could eliminate the grids I would have done more justice to the project. The only thing is that, these villas had a fix structural system and I had to work with that. Probably, it would have taken less space if I wouldn’t have worked within that grid. Apart from this, I did not face any challenge, it would have been if I would have worked with limited resources and limited budget.

Any upcoming projects?
Quite a few in fact, one of the upcoming project is of a city and we also have projects lined up in Chennai and Pune. We are also constructing low cost houses in Ambernath and more.