Inside Archana Puran Singh’s home

Home is where the heart is, and a lot of effort goes into creating the perfect house that not only reflects your past but also has enough space to hold your present and future. Season 9 of Asian Paints Where The Heart Is captures the everyday routine and memories that turn a space into a home. It features home tours by actors Archana Puran Singh, Keerthy Suresh and Sonakshi Sinha, cricketer Gautam Gambhir, and Aman Gupta, co-founder of boAt and Shark Tank India judge. The episode that stayed with me is of Singh’s Madh Island villa.

Archana Puran Singh’s home.

A view of the bedroom.

Singh takes us through the living room that echoes the joyous days of childhood, a beautiful space to host parties for friends and family, a cosy corner in the living room with a memory wall, a dressing table that boosts confidence and a guitar stand, all replete with myriad memories.

A view of the room.

The Spanish villa-style home located in northern Mumbai mirrors Singh’s childhood in Dehradun. “Growing up in Dehradun shaped so much of who I am, and when we started building our home in Madh Island, those memories just showed up naturally. My childhood house was this joyful place, full of laughter and dreams that my dad nurtured, where we children painted, heard music, and played indoor and outdoor games. It made me crave the same sense of peace and creativity here in my Madh home,” Singh says to me. The earthy palette and the strong connection to the garden create a sense of calm that pervades the house. “I wanted the space to feel grounded and soul-soothing, where the indoors seamlessly flow into the outdoors. Thanks to my mother, who lives with me and truly has a green thumb, we’ve grown a beautiful variety of fruits and vegetables in our garden over the years.”

Singh’s bedroom has a beautiful bluish-grey wall contrasting with a cream and white ceiling. Her dressing table mirrors her confidence on stage, and she has ensured that it sparkles with lights.

Singh’s favourite place

For Singh, the most important room is the master bedroom that opens up to a luscious garden. The space holds her family’s laughter and fights. The living room is created with a subtle lime-based finish using Asian Paints Nilaya Arc. She says, “Aaryamann, my elder son, has made the most out of the performance space in the living room. We have seen his music career, which began in this space, blossom over the years and fill our home with many a musical evening.”

Archana Puran Singh with her family.

The focus on local materials and collecting personal pieces truly won my heart. The simple idea of following your gut should perhaps be applied to everyday scenarios as well. “We sourced local Malad stone for the pergola and paving, church lamps from Mahim craftsmen, Mangalorean tiles that echo our villa’s Spanish style, and breathable linens throughout the home,” says Singh. For her, the most precious piece is Aaryamann’s handmade guitar stand.

Maybe one day, when I set up my own house, I will draw inspiration from Singh’s Spanish villa, where childhood, nature, and local materials beautifully amalgamate.