This Article was published in the Interiors Special Edition of Hello Magazine India in July 2016 .

Hello! Bangkok Home !

HELLO ! July 2016 page 98 .

Anita poses with Deepak in the dining area near the Italianate gilded wooden table by Baker , paired with high backed velvet brocade chairs, complemented by gorgeous gold Rosenthal plates and jewelry-toned Hermes glasses.Anita is clad in a velvet jacket from Mandira Wirk,trousers from Chanel and suede pumps from Gucci. She accessorizes her look with Neelkamal chandbala shoulder dusters , a Neelpushpa ring from Sunita Shekhawat Jaipur , a Bagha ring in pink gold and blue sapphire from Boucheron and a Serpenti ring from Bvlgari . Deepak wears a jacket and trousers by Gucci , a Christian Dior shirt and alligator shoes from Angelo Galasso .

Anita and Deepak Ohri — The CEO of Lebua Hotels And Resorts And His Wife , Welcome Hello ! Into The Met Condominium — Their Jaw — Dropping Home In Bangkok .

Anita and Deepak met in New Delhi, at a common friend’s party. After a courtship of two years, they tied the knot in 2000. “We came to Thailand for our honeymoon and loved the place, so we decided to settle down here. Within two months of our marriage, we came to Bangkok and have been here since,” shares the happily married couple of their union as HELLO! gets comfortable in their beautiful dream home. And speaking of this dream home, the couple bought it in 2010 after Anita had looked for a perfect place for almost six years. “A new very tall building, the Met Condominium, launched by the famous Singaporean company, the Pebble Bay on the main Sathorn road, was getting a lot of appreciation and bagged many awards for its unique design, layout and finish. On visiting the place, Anita loved the tall grey building with beautiful green creepers and selected the plush duplex with a swimming pool. The Met is a great location, has a fantastic layout, spacious rooms with a spiral staircase and the design ensures the extensive passage of natural light. Floor-to-ceiling windows open up to brilliant views of the city and keep the home well lit all through the day. The view of the city from the apartment is a very beautiful visual, particularly at night,” shares Deepak with enthusiasm and pride. The home took one year to complete and the design involved plenty of structural changes, after which they moved in to the place they would forever call home.

Anita and Deepak then consulted a number of interior designers before entrusting the job of building their dream home to interior designer, Sopit Sucharitkul, Managing Director of Creative Great Design, Lincoln Scott as lighting designer and Bang & Olufsen as the AV designer and provider. “The Met has a very contemporary design. We told our designer we wanted to give it a luxurious look along with all the modern amenities and she did a fantastic job. Design statements, both dramatic and subtle, punctuate different parts of the apartment,” says Anita. Given the Ohri’s affinity for gold and silver, Anita selected gold flecked wallpapers in matching shades to provide a subtle glow at night. To further warm up the crystal lighting, the ceiling alcoves were given a soft champagne coloured silver leaf treatment. There is an antiqued silver feature wall along the entire first floor which serves as a backdrop for pictures of the couple, encased in ornate carved wooden frames. The textured plastering on the wall, covered in silver leaf, tinted with dark shades and then lacquered to a high shine, “is really a work of art,” according to the designer. Both Anita and Deepak were completely involved in the design process and have worked with some of the best names in the industry from around the world. Deepak credits Anita for her eye for detail and for balancing the fabric and colour combinations for furniture, wallpapers, curtains, accessories and for immaculately coordinating them. Just the curtains alone required more than three months to finalise the colours.

HELLO ! July 2016 page 99 .

The long, rectangular living room comprises of the formal living area in deep shades of blue and powder green sofas. The furniture is customised from brands such as Thomasville, Ralph Lauren, Hickory, Baker and Barbara Barry. An antiqued silver feature wall runs through the entire first floor and serves as a backdrop for the couples’ photos. Beautiful Indian Divine statues are carved from marble, such as the Ganesha studded with Swarovski and crystals, a finely carved gold trimmed antique Saraswati strumming her veena, Goddess Lakshmi on a lotus flower and Ram Darbaar, both from Lladrò, decorate the home. Custom designed cascading spiral Swarovski crystal chandeliers, a stunning dining table in rosewood and gold from Baker in the dining area with high backed velvet chairs and Bang & Olufsen audio visual accessories, add to its opulence (above). The casual living area with Swarovski chandeliers on champagne coloured silver gold leaf ceiling alcoves (below)

HELLO ! July 2016 page 100 .

”All I do is just pay the cheque ,” jokes Deepak. Sopit, the interior designer customised the furniture from brands like Ralph Lauren, Baker, Thomasville and Barbara Barry, among others. She highlighted the spiral staircase with wooden steps, black trim and gold leaf and further brightened the area with a shiny gold tiled accent wall behind the staircase rising two storeys, completing the look with a cascading spiral Swarovski chandelier reaching the floor. The lighting consultant gave beautiful spiral Swarovski chandeliers in the living room and a classical style Swarovski chandelier with brown pendants to match the matte gold and brown herringbone patterned tiles on the feature wall, in the glassed-in private home theatre – that’s found on the second floor of the home. Drawing upon their rich Indian heritage, beautiful statues of various Gods and Goddesses have been used to tastefully decorate the apartment. The three marble statues from Kalakriti from Agra are the Ganesha adorned with Swarovski crystals, a finely carved gold trimmed antique Saraswati strumming, her veena and the delicately painted white marble Krishna. Deepak’s favourite piece is the limited edition Ram Darbar statues from Lladrò, which comprise of Ram, Sita, Lakhsman and Hanuman. While Anita’s favourite piece is the statue of Goddess Lakshmi on a lotus flower, also from the world-famous porcelain brand.

HELLO! July 2016 page 101 .

Anita steps down from a spiral staircase that is highlighted with black trim and gold leaf, complemented by a cascading spiral Swarovski chandelier, a mirror decorated with colourful orchids reflecting the chandelier and a posh rose wood drinks trolley from Ralph Lauren. Anita looks smart in a velvet jacket by Mandira Wirk, trousers by Chanel, heels from Gucci and a clutch from Jimmy Choo. The ensemble is further decorated by Neelkamal chandbala shoulder-dusters and a Neelpushpa ring from Sunita Shekhawat Jaipur.

”Everything we have here is what we really like. We like unusual, vintage pieces and take time to make each purchase, so it is just right for us” – Anita Ohri .

HELLO! July 2016 page 102 .

A cosy den makes for the perfect space to work out of, with a calming fish tank to gaze upon (above). One of the plush bedrooms in the apartment offers sweeping views of the city of Bangkok – talk about a room with a view! (right)

The couple likes to travel and they love to collect unusual pieces for their home, like the jewel toned Hermès glasses, gold leaf Rosenthal dinner sets or the silver cutlery from Versace for their dining table… every small piece is collected with a lot of passion and has a story to tell. “It is difficult to say what style our home is, it is just our style. Everything we have here is what we really like. We like unusual, vintage pieces and take time to make each purchase, so it is just right for us,” Anita elaborates. We move on to inquire what their spouse’s favourite nooks in the house are, and Anita is quick to say that, “Deepak’s favourite place in the house is the family room on the second floor. He loves to relax on the comfortable velvet sofa and watch his favourite movies from Apple TV in the home theatre, drinking his champagne. He loves to chill out in the glassed, private home theatre.”

“Anita likes to dress up so her favorite place is the walk-in closet in her bedroom, which boasts of her extraordinary collection of Indian haute couture and Western ensembles. Each outfit is encased in an individual satin or organza sheath, designer handbags stored in their protective sacks and glamourous sandals and shoes are displayed like works of art! Another of her favourite corners in her bedroom is the romantic vanity set by Barbara Barry. It’s lit by crystal wall sconces and decorated with her extensive perfume collection, displayed on filigreed gold mirror trays. She loves to collect beautiful pieces for her vanity counter, like the Indian silver filigreed hand mirrors from Hyderabad or pearl and crystal studded perfume bottles from London,” counters Deepak.

HELLO! July 2016 page 103 .

Anita and Deepak hold hands in the family room and lounge on the second floor of their haven. Anita wears an organza anarkali by Abhishek Sharma, a polki, ruby and pearl choker and passa (hair accessory) by Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas Jewellers from Jaipur, pearl earrings from Mikkimotto, Serpenti pink gold and diamond pavéd bracelet from Bulgari and a Bagha sapphire ring from Boucheron. Deepak wears a silk jacket and shirt from Angelo Glasso, trousers from Berluti and shoes from Louis Vuitton .

Tell us about your daily routine…

“Both Deepak and I start our day with a workout in the gym with our personal Brazilian trainer, Erica Silva. She trains us in Pilates, followed by some weight training TRX and cardio. Apart from that, Deepak loves to cycle early in the morning. He is a member of a cycling community called Gentlemen of the Platoon. They cycle 100km on weekends on the outskirts of Bangkok. Both of us also like to play golf.”

Deepak, what fashion brands do you lean towards?

“For work, I like to wear suits from Christian Dior, Tom Ford and YSL. For the evenings, I opt for my favourite brands, Angelo Galasso and Berluti.” And you, Anita?

“For Indianwear, I like Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla, Sabyasachi and Mandira Wirk. For international labels, l like to wear clothes from Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, YSL, Emillo Pucci and Tom Ford. For bags and accessories, I am fond of Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. For shoes, I love the crystal- embellished sneakers from Christian Dior and Mercedeh (Monaco) and sandals from Chanel and Christian Louboutin.”

What about jewellery?

“I like jadau jewellery from Jaipur… and jewellery by Sunita Shekhawat, Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas and Amrapali. For international jewellery brands I like Bulgari, Boucheron, Tiffany, Cartier and Mikkimotto.” Favourite perfume?

“I buy bespoke perfumes from Roja Dove. I love his perfumes.”

Style secrets?

“Elegance and a touch of accessories to add a bit of glamour.”

Do you like entertaining at home?

“When we entertain guests at home, we prefer to serve Indian food as I love to cook. I believe that by cooking for our guests, we show true love and respect for them. It is also my way of showing how proud we are to be Indian and though we stay abroad, our roots are as strong as our culture.”

Favourite destinations?

“In India, we love to visit Rajasthan and Kashmir. Internationally, it’s Lake Como, London, Venice and Lausanne.”

CO-ORDINATED BY: RADHA JETLEY PHOTOS: APICHART CHAICHULLA HAIR: RATCHANIDA MOUNGDEE MAKE-UP: SOMKEAT JUNKEUP STYLING: ANITA KAUL