CHARLEE, MUMBAI - KAVIAR COLLABORATIVE
Amid the lively streets and eclectic charm of Bandra West, a new chapter in Mumbai’s nightlife quietly unfolds. Charlee — a clandestine restaurant and bar tucked below a wine shop — invites guests into a world as secretive as it is spectacular.
Designed by the trailblazing Kaviar Collaborative, Charlee is more than a venue. It’s a mood, a texture, a place where materiality does the storytelling. Charlee seduces the senses with every surface, finish, and detail — not through excess but through a rich, almost hypnotic layering of contrasts. It’s here, deep in the shadows of the city’s most bustling suburb, that one of India’s most compelling new design narratives unfolds.
The atmosphere is enveloping from the moment you descend. A palette of deep, moody tones sets the stage — stone and concrete surfaces bring an industrial rawness, their coarse textures drawing the eye and grounding the space in natural authenticity. This rugged base is elevated by the strategic use of brushed brass and stainless steel — materials that glint under dim lighting like urban jewellery, lending the interior a sense of quiet opulence.
At once mysterious and magnetic, Charlee balances dualities with precision. Japanese-style screens introduce a cool serenity, visually breaking up the space while creating moments of pause. Warm circular wall lights cast a soft glow across velvet-bolstered seating, where subtle art deco curves lend a nostalgic elegance to an otherwise brooding backdrop.
It’s a space that resists easy definition — “a batcave meets gentleman’s club” as described by its creators — and that’s precisely its strength. Charlee challenges traditional hospitality design by marrying the polished with the primal, the familiar with the unexpected. It’s a place designed for presence, for mood, for a new kind of nightlife.
What makes Charlee particularly exciting is what it represents on a broader scale. In a country rich with heritage craft and architectural legacy, it’s thrilling to witness such bold and boundary-pushing interiors emerging from the Indian design scene. Projects like this are not only elevating the standard of design within India, but are positioning the country as a serious voice in global design innovation.
Charlee is more than a hidden gem — it’s a statement. One that whispers in stone, brass, and shadow: Indian design is here, and it’s raising the bar.
Find out more about the designers at kaviarcollaborative.com