A paradise of art

Ex-fashion photographer-turned-businessman Sumeet Chopra and his wife Apeksha occupy a 5,200 sq ft penthouse in South Mumbai which overlooks the Arabian Sea.

Brown upholstered velvet fabric sofas and another three-seater sofa set in faux black colour crocodile skin makes up their seating arrangement in their living room. 
Paintings by

masters like MF Hussain, Anjolie Ela Menon, Manjit Bawa, contemporaries like Thukral and Tagra, Rashid Rana, among others don the walls throughout the home. Black lacquered upturned flute glasses make for an interesting hanging lamp just above their mahogany dining table. “We picked up the dining table from Pinakin because his sense of aesthetics match ours,” says ‘home engineer’ Apeksha. 

 Step out from the living room and you’re onto the terrace staring at the sea beyond. Beautiful cane-like, 100% water-resistant terrace furniture from Dedon fools you into believing it’s the real thing. “It’s a highly durable range but frightfully expensive,” says the man who has it all — a gorgeous wife and beautiful five-year-old twins — daughter Shiva and son Skye.

The blue and white stripped cushions remind you of resort-towels and immediately put you in a relaxed frame of mind. The sandstone and limestone bar stands in one corner of the terrace sporting gold Traveltino marble as its table top. The flooring is made of Herringbone hand-placed mosaic tiles that impart a chilled out vibe to the space.

So what has Sumeet traded his camera in for? “I manage three businesses — an art fund, a construction business in Goa and Ko Samui, Thailand and a derivative options book business (too technical to describe!),” he says.  

Why did Sumeet quit fashion photography when he was at his peak? “I realised I was nothing better than a hooker at the end of the day. I was being paid to do what I was told — and not what I wanted to do. The fun element and creativity got lost along the way with the client dictating what percentage of a soft drink logo should be in the frame!” he explains. 

The master bedroom has a sky blue tone with Baiju Parthans and Shakti Burmans adorning its walls. Apeksha has her own room as well, which houses a walk-in-closet for her ensembles, bags and shoes. Not to mention a make-up cabinet, an air-conditioner to keep her cool and a bed to chill out and get some ‘me-time’ alone.
The couple’s bathroom has the works complete with a steam room that allows Sumeet to detoxify after a night of hard partying.