Nothing official about it.” This witty one-liner for Pepsi by Anuja Chauhan, author of The Zoya Factor and executive creative director and vice-president of the advertising firm JWT, went down in the annals of advertising history. But she may as well have coined it for her 4,800 sq. ft Gurgaon home. A riot of colour and styles, the house is a happy haven for her family (husband Niret Alva, head honcho at Miditech, and three children).

The home is a live display of the family’s creativity and ingenuity. Each piece of furniture has a story to tell, and many of them have been designed by Chauhan. Big on ideas, the family collaborates on decorating projects, which means the home is always evolving. “People are too formal with their houses; they should have fun with it,” says Chauhan, who has her carpenters on speed dial.

The photographs

1. Chauhan papered her husband’s study in sepia-toned newspapers

2. A wall altar denotes the family’s faith

3. Chauhan and her children in the television room, which has been decorated with film and music posters

4. Gas cylinders were turned into stools and stencils helped spell out the front mural The Tispy Toad Tea Shop

5. The swing in the living room was fashioned from a spare bathroom door.

Photographs by Anay Mann / Better Homes and Gardens; Styled by Ragini Singh

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