If you look closely and intently enough, you might see tentacles creeping out from under your bed or the sofa. It’s also possible that the cabinet in your TV room is actually listening to you with its ear perked up. The steel flowers creeping up your dresser seem to have multiplied overnight. Your beloved dining table possibly leads a second life as an anthropod when no eyes are on it. These absurd occurrences, seeming to appear and disappear in the blink of an eye, lie on the fertile cusp of imagination and a suspension of disbelief. While design is often remarked as an inherently imaginative process, what if the products of design too could inspire and snowball the imagination of its users?

A discerning interior designer’s love for fantasy in the everyday and a certain detail-oriented outlook tempered by an abundance of quirk is exactly what defines the joyful language of Bangalore-based design practice, Multitude of Sins (MoS). Every project by the Indian designers seems to be teeming with induced life—unexpected design elements, lush material accents and vibrant colours—plus a touch of the extraordinary. Each one begins, as Smita Thomas, designer-in-chief of the studio, tells STIR, with the transformation of a client’s desire and unique vision into a tangible fantasy.

In conversation, Thomas describes this design ethic as ‘peculiar’. “Peculiarity, as we define it, is not eccentricity but fidelity, a philosophical commitment to design as a form of translation,” she shares. A client-centric approach and a perspective that is decidedly singular in its whimsy and peculiarity make Multitude of Sins’ projects an expression of “the nuanced realities of those we design for,” Thomas shares. She goes on to note, “The result is not a uniform aesthetic, but a collection of spaces that bear the quiet singularity of lives honestly reflected.” There is remarkable attention paid to the wonders that everyday life can be witness to in the projects the studio has taken on in the recent past—all conveyed through gestures that are particular to how the occupants of a space want to see themselves. It is in this way that their two recent projects—Pearls on Swine and Pennyroyal Tea—can begin to be encapsulated.

Pearls on Swine, a residential design by MoS for a couple in Bangalore, emerged out of this attention: to a client’s particular tastes, an eye for detail and a dash of the surreal. The project entailed a holistic interior design undertaking to house the couple and their two pets in a double-storey apartment. The result is a manic coming together of brutalist sensibilities and fantasy (not as disparate from each other as they seem). “A meticulously crafted tug-of-war, where the couple’s clashing visions collide, between the ascetic and the theatrical, the stoic and the strange,” is how Thomas describes it, speaking with STIR on what brought the vision together. Contained within this brutalist shell, concrete is celebrated in various mediums and formats in the home. A rationalist design language, evocative of the tenets of brutalism, extends to the colour palette with demure hues. A straight-laced robustness and emphasis on functionality are further highlighted in the design elements within each space. At the same time, the mutedness is offset by an unexpected pop of colour or accent (or maybe even a tentacle, if you were to look closely).

The studio’s meticulous and eccentric outlook colours each space, right from the entrance, which features a stark stone partition. The living space beyond has an open plan layout bathed in natural light. A fantastical mural with generous influences from sculptural design immediately catches one’s eye in the space, while more subtle gestures, such as an intricate pattern in the marblework, the geometric forms of the furniture design, or even the brutalist-inspired luminaires and lighting design tie the space together. The coffee table, with its steampunk aesthetic, is the hero of the space. The bar area is similarly conveyed in functionalist tones, rendered in metal, concrete blocks and wood panels, with an uncanny resemblance to a scientific lab through subtle material gestures such as thin steel membranes. A bar pole becomes the ingenious node around which the rest of the space is arranged. Intricate elements such carved wood flowers and 3D dots and shapes lining surfaces add a dramatic flair to the piece.

A cleverly placed textured mural, reminiscent of cubism with its dynamic composition, allows for a characterful transition into the dining and kitchen space. The dining space is connected to an open kitchen where a similar use of steel members, geometric forms and a perforated partition amplifies a texture that is common throughout the interior design language of the house. An abstract mural adds a signature element of intrigue to the space, while the kitchen continues the design language of a muted colour palette accented by geometric elements and bespoke cabinetry, also designed keeping in mind the non-human inhabitants of the home. The sculptural elements, never completely overblown but also superceding function, are something of a signature for the residential interiors. “The line between taste and excess is walked with a deliberate limp. Nothing is added without reason, but reason is occasionally bent into something more lyrical. The familiar isn’t abandoned, it’s destabilised just enough to keep it interesting,” Thomas tells STIR.

The familiar isn’t abandoned, it’s destabilised just enough to keep it interesting.

The fine line between abstract and expressionist, between reason and whimsy, is further blurred in the more intimate spaces of the private residence. For instance, in the library and the home theatre, a curved arch of grey bricks draws one into a space that feels cosy despite its cooler colour tones. This cosiness, perfect for a space in which to escape on literary escapades, is enhanced by the customised rug design, which adds a touch of abstraction and a sense of dynamism to the space. The office on the first floor of the house is a sunlight-filled nook, with a distinctly designed desk, personal memorabilia and a tile-clad daybed for the house’s pets. ‘Pearls on Swine’ incorporates two bedrooms, each telling its own unique story. While the guest bedroom is accentuated with a hint of the fantastical by the elaborate flower-shaped bedside lamps crafted with clay, the cubist-looking compositions for murals, a play on different textures, along with the use of mauves, blues and terracottas juxtaposed against the greys and the concrete make it feel cohesive to the rest of the private residence.

The master bedroom, on the other hand, evokes a whole new world, with views of the verdant landscape beyond the apartment. There is, once again, a stringent use of colour and texture to allow some of the more sculptural pieces to stand out. For instance, the custom-designed bed stand is ensconced in velvet and steel and its scheme is matched by the dresser, opulent yet classical at the same time. On the terrace, the design team has conceived an outdoor gym, with a final theatrical gesture in the form of a mural that captures the memories of the couple’s cat, Coco.

In a world driven by excess, the subtle (and sometimes intently unsubtle) ways in which MoS manipulate material or bring attention to a particular corner with an otherwise unexpected element are worth noting. They say that our homes are where magic unfolds and the theatre of life plays out; it is exactly this that the studio’s work orchestrates. Speaking about their insistence on craftsmanship and an inclination towards customisation, Thomas explains to STIR, “The decision to customise rarely springs from a thirst for novelty, but rather from the subtle intricacies of the brief. When the questions posed by a client are highly specific, rooted in memory, emotion, or unconventional needs, standard solutions rarely suffice…Material exploration frequently becomes a parallel catalyst.”

This thread of customisation, along with a crafted and over-the-top intent, is also reflected in the Indian designers’ project, Pennyroyal Tea. Designed for a family of four in Chennai, the residence puts a new spin on what it means to create an ‘inside-outside’ connection in residential architecture with a design concept centred on gardens. A link to the landscape outside is mirrored not only in the elaborate openings of the home, but also in the interior design.

The foyer is a double-height space, giving residents a sense of grandiose arrivals. An exuberant mural on the walls, a custom chandelier and a sculptural installation by the Wicker Story bring the wild flora of the garden inside, while boldly announcing the wonders contained within. The spacious living room, also a double-height space, subsumes a loose interpretation of art-deco aesthetics, with geometric, repeating patterns and gold accents. The furniture features nature-inspired motifs with blooming flowers, butterflies and celestial bodies inlaid on the tables. This is accentuated by a colour palette comprising a melange of greens, beiges and blues. The foyer beyond and large glass panelled windows flood the space with natural light. Off the living space is a lounge that incorporates a delicate lighting installation with metal birds and flowers. Beyond this, the dining area features a whimsical mural of origami butterflies. Each corner of the house is teeming with life from the natural world.

There is a certain opulence that underlines the design language of the house, using gold and brass accents, velvet upholstery, along with marble and stone work in various manners. The opulence is especially remarkable when juxtaposed against the perceived rawness of Pearls on Swine. The opulence is, however, tempered by the colour palette and the delicateness of the elements. This balancing act between exuberance and restraint almost tips towards the former in the art studio on the lower level. A collage-like, vibrant door crafted from abstract murals and fluted glass beckons one inside, where striking installations with neon lights, a mosaic floor that spells out kala (art) in Tamil and paint-splattered walls signal that this is a place from which creative energies flow forth. The botanical theme is carried forward with the use of a calming, mossy green tiled wall.

The heart of the home is the master bedroom, which includes a dedicated yoga room, taking into consideration the lifestyle of the residents. The sloped roof distinguishes the space from the rest of the house. Characterised by a soft pink hue that complements the dominant greens of the private residence, the master bedroom also incorporates clever little touches like flower accents and a metallic sculpture in the form of a tree. The tree marks the space delineated for yoga, emphasising the signature element of fantasy. With its reliance on an abundance of motifs, colour and whimsy, the project brings to mind books like The Secret Garden and without being remiss, Alice in Wonderland. The house took nearly three years and around 200 craftsmen to complete. “The true magic of this space lies not in isolated elements, but in the orchestration of many - each crafted, placed and layered with intent,” Thomas shares about Pennyroyal Tea.

[Design elements are] placed precisely where order begins to feel too comfortable.

With both Pearls on Swine and Pennyroyal Tea, Thomas strongly owns up to the orchestrations of a mad hatter, combining disparate elements that work to create a setting straight out of a fairytale. As Thomas herself puts it, “Whether it’s an unexpected colour, an abstract installation, or a singular absurd object, these moments are not mere decoration but deliberate interruptions. They’re placed precisely where order begins to feel too comfortable.”

To Thomas, design is a live thing, an entity that has a mind of its own and ought to have a say as to how it wants to be expressed. “We want the design to feel like it’s in conversation with the client’s life, not a rigid, pre-decided aesthetic,” she notes. It’s clear that Thomas sees design as much as an act of storytelling, of bringing forth what is a deep-seated desire in unexpected ways, as it is of imparting elevated function. On the role of fantasy in their projects, Thomas concludes, “Across our work, fantasy functions as a design tool, not to escape reality, but to reframe it. It allows us to step slightly sideways from the literal, to render emotion, memory and identity spatially.”