SATISH GUJRAL

THE LATE PAINTER AND SCULPTOR WAS ALSO AN ARCHITECT GIFTED WITH AN IMAGINATION THAT MANIFESTED ITSELF IN ARCHES, COURTYARDS, AND ROOMS THAT RANGED FROM THE GRANDIOSE TO THE INTIMATE, ALL LAID OUT IN A SACRED GEOMETRY. TODAY IT MAKES THE CURRENT RESIDENCE OF THE PORTUGUESE AMBASSADOR TO INDIA,CARLOS PEREIRA MARQUES AND HIS WIFE SUSANA

The New Delhi home of Carlos Pereira Marques, the Portuguese ambassador to India, was designed by the late artist-architect Satish Gujral. This space serves as a connection between the lounge and a small sitting room. The walls of the lounge retain their original raw-brick appearance, contrasted by the greenery of the inner courtyard, which is seen through the large arched window. The window above opens to one of two symmetrical suites on the first floor. The vase lamp is antique Murano glass. Portuguese and Persian carpets add a touch of colour to the room.

The armchairs, bench, and ottoman in the lounge are upholstered in a paisley-jacquard fabric from Sarita Handa. The painting in the centre is a 2017 work by Portuguese contemporary artist Pedro Calapez; above the doors on either side are two 18th-century golden altarpieces from Goa. On the left are an 18th-century religious painting on glass from Portugal, an Aubusson tapestry that dates back to the 16th or 17th century, and a 16th-century Martaban pot. On the right are Kaftan, a frog sculpture by Portuguese contemporary artist Joana Vasconcelos and a 19th-century miniature of an Udaipur maharaja. The coffee table runner is by Japanese textile designer Chiaki Maki.

The entrance lobby—all the walls on the ground floor are in brick, and all the floors in the house are in Jaisalmer stone. The pashmina shawl hung on the upper landing is a 19th-century piece from Kashmir; the cloth hanging below, which depicts the Portuguese coat of arms, was made in India; the Caucasian Shirvan runner is also 19th century.