The brief
A couple in a Mumbai 3BHK, both working from home four days a week, using the dining table as a desk and losing an argument with it every evening. The second bedroom belonged to their daughter and the third was a guest room the grandparents used for two months a year. The only room with spare volume was the master.
What they asked for was a study. What the room actually needed first was the wardrobe run sorted out, because the existing storage was two shallow builder cupboards and a loft nobody could reach.
- 265 sq ft carpet, 13 ft 4 in × 19 ft 10 in, with a 6 ft window on the long wall.
- Existing storage: 48 cubic feet across two 450 mm deep cupboards and an unreachable loft.
- Two people needed to be able to take a video call in the room at the same time without appearing in each other's frame.
- An attached bathroom that was staying exactly as it was — outside scope, and structurally awkward to move.
- Budget band discussed at the outset: ₹7–9 lakh for the room, ex-GST.
The constraints
| Constraint | What it ruled out | What we did instead |
|---|---|---|
| 2.85 m slab height | A full multi-level false ceiling — it would have dropped the room to 2.55 m | Peripheral cove with a single raft over the bed only |
| Window on the long wall | A wardrobe run on the wall with the best light | Study on the window wall, wardrobe on the opposite blind wall |
| Bathroom door at the far corner | A continuous wardrobe run down the full 19 ft | 15 ft 6 in run plus a 900 mm dresser column beside the door |
| Society lift car 900 × 1,200 mm | Pre-assembled 2.4 m tall wardrobe carcasses | Carcasses knocked down flat, assembled in the room |
| Two simultaneous video calls | A single desk facing one direction | An L-desk with the two seats at 90 degrees and separate task lighting |
Design and build under one accountable roof
What we did
- Put the desk where the daylight isThe 6 ft window wall became a 2.1 m L-shaped desk in 25 mm veneered MDF over a BWP substructure, with a 450 mm return. Both seats get daylight from the side rather than behind, which is what stops a video call looking like a hostage tape.
- Put all the storage on the blind wallA 15 ft 6 in full-height wardrobe run, 600 mm deep, floor to 2.7 m, with a 500 mm loft above. Sliding shutters on the two bays nearest the bed because the circulation there is only 750 mm.
- Recover the dead cornerThe 900 mm between the bathroom door and the corner became a dresser column with a fold-down mirror front and jewellery drawers, replacing a freestanding dressing table that used to block the door swing.
- Make the headboard wall the decorative moveA fluted veneer panel, 2.4 m wide and full height, in a mid-tone oak with a 60 mm flute pitch. Backlit at the top on a warm dimmable circuit. Everything else in the room is deliberately plain so this reads.
- Three lighting circuits, not oneAmbient cove around the perimeter, focused task lighting at the desk on its own switch, and a warm reading circuit at the bed. Two-way switching at the door and at both bedsides.
- Bed storage under the platformA hydraulic-lift storage bed adding 32 cubic feet, used for luggage and winter bedding — the items that previously lived in the unreachable loft.
Materials and specification
| Element | Specification | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Wardrobe carcass | 710-grade BWP plywood, 18 mm, with 0.8 mm edge banding | Mumbai humidity; the one component that cannot be replaced later without dismantling the run |
| Wardrobe shutters | Matte acrylic, mid-grey, on the hinged bays; sliding in mirror-backed frames on the two bays nearest the bed | Matte acrylic does not show fingerprints the way gloss does in a bedroom |
| Headboard wall | Fluted veneer panel, natural oak, 60 mm flute pitch, matt PU sealed | Fluting adds depth and breaks up a 2.4 m flat plane without adding colour |
| Desk top | 25 mm veneered MDF with a 12 mm bullnose, matt PU | MDF takes a cleaner machined edge than ply on an exposed desk profile |
| Wardrobe hardware | Hettich soft-close hinges and full-extension drawer runners; Hafele sliding gear | Sliding gear is the component that fails first in a bedroom — it is worth the upgrade |
| Bed | Hydraulic-lift storage platform, BWP base, upholstered side rails | 32 cubic feet of storage in space that was already occupied by the bed |
| Lighting | 3000 K cove, 3500 K desk task light, 2700 K bed reading lights | Cooler at the desk to stay alert, warmer at the bed to wind down |
| Flooring | Existing vitrified tile retained; wool-blend rug on the bed side | The tile was sound. Replacing it would have taken a fifth of the budget for no functional gain |
Programme
| Stage | Duration | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Design and 3D | Weeks 1–3 | Three layout options, two rounds of 3D, veneer and acrylic samples approved on site under the actual daylight |
| Society NOC and mobilisation | Week 3 | Run in parallel with the last design round |
| Civil and first fix | Week 4 | New circuits for the desk and headboard, two-way switching chased in, wall levelling on the wardrobe plane |
| Carcass and ceiling | Weeks 5–7 | Wardrobe carcasses assembled in the room, cove ceiling, headboard substructure |
| Shutters, veneer, desk | Weeks 8–9 | Acrylic shutters fitted, fluted panel installed and sealed, desk top and hardware |
| Snag and handover | Week 10 | Our snag list closed first, then the clients' inspection, then handover |
The outcome
Usable storage went from 48 cubic feet to 172 — a 3.6× increase — while the clear circulation around the bed stayed at 750 mm on the wardrobe side and 900 mm on the window side, which is what it was before. The room holds more and walks the same.
The final account came to ₹8.4 lakh ex-GST against an ₹8.2 lakh BOQ, a 2.4% variation caused by one client-requested change: upgrading the two bays nearest the bed from hinged to sliding after seeing the carcasses in place. That variation was priced and approved in writing before it was executed.
We stopped fighting over the dining table in week one of using it. The thing I did not expect is that the room is quieter to be in, even though there is more furniture in it.
Homeowner, master bedroom suite
What we would highlight
- Daylight belongs to the desk, not the wardrobe. Storage does not care where the window is. A desk does.
- One decorative move, executed properly. The fluted wall works because the wardrobe next to it is plain. Two feature walls in a 265 sq ft room would have cancelled each other out.
- Sliding where circulation is tight. A hinged shutter needs its own depth of clear floor to open. At 750 mm circulation it does not have it.
- Lofts are only storage if you can reach them. The old loft held nothing because nobody could get to it. The new one has a dedicated step stool stored in the dresser column.
- Keep sound flooring. Retaining the existing tile released roughly ₹1.6 lakh into joinery and hardware.
Selected work by Greenbox Design Studio. Tap any image to enlarge.
Frequently asked questions
Can a bedroom take a proper study without feeling cramped?+
Yes, if the desk is built in on the window wall and the storage goes on a blind wall. A freestanding desk pushed into a corner always reads as an afterthought and always ends up as a surface for laundry. In this 265 sq ft room a 2.1 m built-in L-desk works comfortably for two people.
How much storage can a master bedroom realistically hold?+
On this project, 172 cubic feet — up from 48 — in a 265 sq ft room, without reducing the circulation. The gain came from a 15 ft 6 in full-height wardrobe run with a 500 mm loft, a dresser column in a dead corner, and 32 cubic feet under a hydraulic-lift storage bed.
What did this master bedroom suite cost?+
₹8.4 lakh excluding 18% GST, against an ₹8.2 lakh bill of quantities — a 2.4% variation from one approved change. That is roughly ₹3,170 per sq ft of room area, which is a premium-tier rate because of the veneer, acrylic and sliding gear.
Should bedroom wardrobes be sliding or hinged?+
Hinged wherever you have at least 900 mm of clear floor in front, because hinged shutters are cheaper, seal better and give you the whole opening at once. Sliding where circulation is tighter than that — a hinged shutter needs its own depth of clear floor to swing, and 750 mm is not enough.
How long does a single-room project like this take?+
Ten weeks from design sign-off to handover: three weeks of design and 3D, one week of civil and first fix, three weeks of carcass and ceiling, two weeks of shutters and finishes, and a week of snagging. Society NOC ran in parallel with the last design round.