Pooja Hegde’s home, is a perfect reflection of who she is. Her lovingly designed home sits on a high floor, overlooking a pond and the Arabian Sea. It speaks of her attention to detail and her passion for her home. “Working out to build this home was an extreme roller coaster ride for me. Had ups and downs! While building this, I learnt a lot about myself too. For example, found many objects that were soul-seeking for me.” A melting pot of happy memories and comfort, Pooja’s home is a true blend of experiences that have inspired her, from London.
From the moment you walk in, you get a sense of London, with its perfect green shade instantly transporting you to this old city’s alleyways and streets! From there, it gets even better with the terrazzo-finish fireplace, the pastel pink couch positioned against the cream textured wall, and the rustic dining table carved from a single log. “While doing this house, i realised who I am. Both my likes and dislikes are great! This house is the labour of my love. Smallest details como from the painters, carpenters, even they put their heart into making actress Pooja that’s me, to make my home as artistic as they can.” With cleverly designed spaces, Pooja’s home uses spaces intelligently and beautifully.
There are hidden doors that reveal storage space, unravelling the wisdom of old Indian homes, paired with modern design aesthetic that mirrors the best in the world. All rooms in the house have pastel colors, and the light fixtures feature exposed filaments as a motif. There’s clear intent in the allocation of floor space too: an entire room has been dedicated to use as a green room, walk-in closet. “Talking about the creative process, took an army of people to build what it’s today. Every single contractor put their heart and soul in building my dream home! What sets my home apart from other actors is: I am very obsessive with lines! Even the finishing should be perfect to me. They called me a tough taskmaster.”
Her brief was that her door is like a trailer, in many ways it’s shows the vibe of who she’s as an actress. “My near and dear ones will be expecting what will this door lead us into. I wanted it to be blend of two of my most favorite cities: New York and London. Lofty sort of NYC vibe because it should be my safe space. Also, a place of tradition.” Growing up with her parents, she’s used to celebrating festivities, so she goes traditional that way.
Another thing that the Tollywood actress pointed out was: “When i go out, as an actress my fans expect me to be someone else! So, i wanted a home where I can be just ‘me’. Love a lot of white, wood colours too. To go mute is my way of decorating! But to add a feminine energy — i bought a pink sofa.” And, what she loves about her kitchen is that it’s an open kitchen. She mixed a lot of metals to add shine and glam. “I just love exposed filament. Lighting is also a POV. If you are frying a fish, the whole house gets smoked up. My smart idea was to add a panel to shut the kitchen immediately at the moment!”
She has a closet too: it’s her workspace, she recalls! “Not everyone will get to see that. My bags are my prized possessions. I am classic over trendy. In the bedroom, I sit and watch my own films (she laughs). I have a projector system there, a screen will pop up. My ceiling has the feel of a monument, that’s where a lot of my thinking went too. I saw this in abroad — they light monuments and I added that flush of lights in my ceiling here in India.” Another tough thing while building her dream home was to choose the colour blue for her kitchen because it was overpowering. She mixed black with blue!
