7 beautiful homes in India that carry memories of the past

And so, Kush, with the help of Polyfloors India, designed a home that hangs heavy with history…a mature, expansive twin of his family home with Mediterranean design ethos. Regular meetings and constructive inputs from Jaaved resulted in a well-balanced, harmonious home. While merging functionality with aesthetics raises a challenge, at the heart of the design stands individuality. The former host of the popular 90s dance show Boogie Woogie, with umpteen other accolades to his name, finds home in family. There’s nothing he’d choose over it despite giving it his all, here in Bandra—a sweet ode to his first home, drawn up from his memories for posterity.

Original text by Harleen Kalsi, edited by Samara Fernandes.

In This Maximalist Bungalow in Dehradun, Every Object Has A Meaning

Harshita Nayyar

Walk into Mehek Malhotra’s sunlit bungalow in Dehradun, and the first thing that strikes you is the colour. A lipstick-red study table anchors one corner. A mustard-yellow ceiling bounces warmth across the living room. Even the curtains conjure a personality of their own. After a decade in Mumbai’s ever-shifting rental landscape, Malhotra, founder of the design studio Giggling Monkey and Canva’s India Creative Lead, decided she was ready for a different pace. A quieter one, grounded in space, stillness, and self-expression. “Bombay shaped me. It gave me people, perspective, and profession. But at some point, I needed quiet to hear myself think,” she says. In Dehradun, Malhotra found the kind of house that invites staying. A generous lawn framed by trees, wide windows letting in morning light, and just enough room for her two cats—Gagu and Chikki—to pick their favourite corners. The house may be temporary, but everything in it feels deliberate.

Harshita Nayyar

Harshita Nayyar

Each room in her bungalow in Dehradun is defined by bold, confident choices. The ceiling in the bedroom is a rich mustard yellow — “a sunroof on cloudy days,” she calls it. Jewel-toned curtains drape to the floor like paint spills, softening the space with movement and light. A forest green bookshelf, repainted twice to get the shade just right, now anchors the study corner. “I could never quite settle on the green,” she laughs. “So I kept layering it until it felt like mine.” The home brims with objects that don’t necessarily match, but each carries meaning. A ceramic cow from a roadside stall in Mussoorie. A rakhi she made in school, still proudly displayed. A mirror propped against the wall, deliberately left unmounted. “It’s not polished, but it’s deliberate,” she says. If this house had a voice, it would be clear, warm, and lightly amused. Not a whisper, not a sermon, but a friendly nudge that says, “Make yourself at home, but don’t mistake me for ordinary.” That ethos runs through every wall and window.