My Den/Avanti Birla

Avanti Birla is well-known for her glamour and individualistic sense of style. Her home in Napean Sea Road has been featured in several lifestyle magazines. She herself makes a wonderful model for a photo-spread -- as evident in the latest issue of Verve. So last June when Avanti went into partnership with Manish Malhotra and Kajal Anand to set up Reverie, it came as no surprise to those who knew her well. "I sit with Manish and help with the designing, specially western wear," says Avanti. She may have a head for figures but not in the traditional manner -- "I leave the finance stuff to Kajal," she says. The wife of industrialist Yash Birla, she leaves her husband to handle their business affairs and he gives her a free hand at home.

A mansion in Mumbai's most exclusive residential area, Avanti's home -- Birla House -- has been designed by Sunita Pitamber. "She is really brilliant. I learnt a lot from her," says Avanti, who treats this leading designer as her guru. "I spent a lot oftime with her deciding how the house should be done up," says she. Avanti and Yash spend most of their time in their upstairs living room. But everyday they take their two children down to the garden and watch them play.

-- Sujata Assomull

Top

Printer-friendly page

Search and order from the largest database of Indian books