Designing Vijay Mallya's house

Decorating people’s houses is interior designer Anjaleka Kriplani’s passion who has done up homes and offices of the likes of the Birlas, Jindals, Hafeez Contractor, Vijay Mallya, the Goenka group and others.

Anjaleka says, “I usually prefer to opt for a fusion look — a look that has not much of carvings and yet is not ultra contemporary.” And one of her best clients till date is none other than tycoon Vijay Mallya. She says, “He had seen my works at one of my client’s place and he asked me to decorate his house in Delhi.” She continues, “He wanted to decorate his house keeping in mind the Moroccan theme. At the very first meeting, he informed me that he has houses all over the world and he prefers different themes in each.”

Anjaleka informed us that Mallya is a stickler for time and deadline.
She asserts, “He wants the work completed in the stipulated time and he stresses on the same. And he does give a lot of attention to details. But saying that he is easy to work with as he knows exactly what he wants. And once he signs the sketches, he will never ever bother you to change things around. So things become easy and also convenient.”

His Delhi house is a reflection to his opulent personality. Anjaleka explains, “We have used rich gold and bright colours and his taste is ostentatious and also elegant. He has also highlighted his personal belongings in the decor of the house. He has added paintings of Pablo Picasso and Raja Ravi Varma. There are also pictures of the family that are put up in this house.”

After working on the decor for so many high profile people, Anjaleka says that it is rather challenging to work with such high-profile people. “These people have travelled around the world and are aware of the latest trends and fashion. They are also more aware of the right prices. So you have to be absolutely prepared and should have done a great amount of research and homework to impress them.”