Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 17, 2017)

On Monday, Kangana Ranaut took off to Manali to bring in Diwali with her family. She made a brief stopover at Chandigarh, with interior designer Shabnam Gupta in tow, to pick up some last-minute crockery and cutlery, for her new home in the hills. It’s an eight-bedroom house, spread across three levels, with the staff quarters on the lower ground, the ground floor dedicated to entertainment and the first floor as Kangana’s private space.

Describing the property in Himachal, Shabnam informs that from the outside the house is grey and has clay roof tiles imported from Europe. It even has the traditional chimney. “We have retained the steps and different levels typical of the mountains. But the wilderness of its surroundings has been tamed inside where everything is finished and perfect set, lots of neutral shades and soft pastels with tints of pink,” she rhapsodises, adding that the bungalow even has a glass conservatory, a sunroom to the east, a den with its walls lined with memorabilia and a somewhat industrial gym. “It also has a breathtaking view of the Himalayas.”

Kangana had reached out to Shabnam after visiting Irrfan Khan’s Andheri home which was also done up by her. Her brief to the interior designer was, “I’m a mountain girl and I want to be true to my roots.” They have been working around that brief and at the same time ensuring that the interiors are classic yet modern. “Kangana is emotionally connected to the mountains. She has been handpicking lots of rugs and cushions unique to the region from local artisans,” says Shabnam, who has earlier worked on Raveena Tandon and Parineeti Chopra’s residences and is currently doing up Aditya Chopra and Rani Mukerji’s Juhu bungalow. “I hope to be able to hand over Kangana’s home to her by next month.”