The home of artist and interior designer Angelika Thaman and her architect husband Dinesh Thaman in a leafy bylane of Sector 40, Noida, pays homage to new-age design idioms. Designed as a personal project by the architect eight years ago, it makes use of the best of technology and materials, with most of its furniture sourced from the couple's own firm, Eternity Interiors, in Sector 2, Noida.
An expansive drawing room is flanked by a small courtyard on one end, and the dining and kitchen area on the other. A stairway leads to the family rooms on the first floor, and a small terrace that makes for an impromptu breakout zone as well.
The courtyard on the ground floor blends in traditional building systems, and is like a welcome oasis, bringing in natural light, potted greens and a soft, gurgling stream in this ode to modern design.
As for the decor scheme, neutral tones sit artfully with contemporary hues that change with each season. “Most of the whimsicality is introduced through cushions and other knick-knacks available easily in Noida. Artistic terracotta figures and planters are easily available in Noida now,” says Angelika, who has been an interiors expert, artist, chocolatier and beauty consultant at various points, besides being a full-time mother of two teenage boys, who are studying in DPS, Noida.
“I feel fortunate that I have been able to indulge in things that have caught my fancy,” says Angelika, who recently held her first art exhibition, The Triology, at Arpana Fine Arts, New Delhi.
The versatile Angelika is a warm host, and is known among friends to host outstanding parties that carry the finesse of a person who is an aesthete at heart. While her interactions with neighbours are not as often as it is in gated societies, some of her close friends live in the sector. This is one of the reasons the couple decided to move here 16 years ago from Delhi.
“Noida is far greener and quieter than Delhi, though at times I miss the buzz that south Delhi has,” she says.
Not an active RWA member, she, however, hopes that the Sector 40 RWA gets a little more proactive. “The temple in the sector leads to huge snarl-ups, and the loudspeakers get too loud at times, but so far the RWA has not been able to do much about it,” she adds.
Despite the odds, she loves being in Noida, the Golf Course being a particular favourite. And yes, she is now looking forward to visiting the latest Noida landmark, the DLF Mall of India.
