The Bungalow Project

Although converted into a commercial venture,the restoration of this bungalow is a sign of the interest that Bandraites are taking in maintaining these heritage sights.

It is clear that Bandra has succumbed to the new mantra of globalisation,with office spaces and restaurants springing up everywhere. The once quiet suburb has acquired a sophisticated gloss,but a few well-wishers do not want Bandra to lose its charm yet. “I have always been a Bandra boy. When I decided to set up Cafe Goa,almost one-and-a-half years ago,I was sure I wanted a place which would bring out the true essence of Bandra,” says Carl Pereira,owner of Cafe Goa,who rented a villa,renovated it a bit and set up the restaurant.

Similar was the case of Advaita and Sanjay Vazirani of Foodlink Services,who were looking for an extraordinary location for a restaurant,which they now call Bungalow 9. They were only happy when Leonys and Anselm Pereira,friends of a bungalow owner at St John Baptist Road,approached them with an offer. “It was like a dream come true,” says Sanjay. Ranging from an English tavern-styled lounge,to the indoor dining and an open-air courtyard,sprawling over 20,000 square feet,this restaurant stands out in Bandra where eateries are mostly cramped. When a heritage structure is pulled down and a new building is constructed,the old-world charm is just lost. One would rather give their customers a chance to revisit the place by inviting them to a setting so different from the rest. This is probably the reason The Bagel Shop,situated in a villa,and Spice Tree,in a vintage bungalow,are popular hangouts too.

While the trend is popular in Bandra,city architect Abha Narain Lambah points out that restoration of old bungalows and converting them into commercial enterprises is fairly common in Europe. The trend in Mumbai started in 2005,when Lambah worked on an old mansion called Jeroo Mansion in Kala Ghoda which now houses FabIndia. In 2007,she again worked on an usused bungalow in the same locality,which is now the multi-designer store,Kitsch. “Bandra has recently picked up this trend as the locality has a number of bungalows. It generates revenues and lends charm to your store,” says Lambah.

Shilpa Gupta,who owns Mozaic,a design store,in a Bandra bungalow couldn’t agree more. A huge bungalow with an open verandah and trees on either side,the location reflects the contents of the store. Each room of the bungalow tells a different story which was the main purpose behind Gupta renting out this space. “Firstly,when you see a bungalow converted into a store,you are intrigued. Secondly,you want the objects inside to reflect the space,and Mozaic lives up to the expectations it generates,” says Maya Deo,a customer at the store.

Although a bulk of these bungalows are converted into restaurants or stores,some have also been converted into office spaces. The office of Bombay Elektrik Project (BEP)—a company that organises music shows,poetry slams and various other activities,is one such instance. Sudeip Nair,partner,BEP,explains his choice. “We were looking for a space that reflects the kind of work that we do—music,DJ culture,arts and design. When we saw this bungalow,it was in ruins. The previous tenants had abandoned it because they thought it was haunted. We took it up as a challenge to redo the place.” Funky,open,friendly and in the heart of Bandra,the bungalow also has a tiny outdoor section where the staff has barbecue evenings. “We don’t pay much; it is less than an office in a plush building. More than that,we don’t really like the straight lines and cubicle set ups that most modern buildings offer. We have a tiny yet open office space with three rooms and one can choose to work from any of them,” explains Nair.