In a palatial Cambridge home, designer Sashya Thind imparts imperial touches in every room.

There are countless beautiful details to behold in the home of Krishna Gupta, an entrepreneur and founder of Remus Capital, but there’s only one that’s carried from room to room: a peacock motif.Mosaics of individually hand-chiseled Moroccan clay tiles were specially made in Fez and Marrakech.

A symbol of the Hindu god Krishna, the peacock was incorporated into almost every space in the Cambridge property by designer Sashya Thind. It’s most visible in the home’s Moroccan tea room—look up to find it painted as a ceiling mural designed by flind in collaboration with local artist Tasha Cough.

Farrow & Ball wallpaper hangs opposite the home’s museum-quality artwork.

Instead of the warm minimalism that characterizes Thind’s designs, this home, nicknamed Manmaison, received a treatment more akin to thoughtful maximalism. “The home is a departure from all trends,” flind says, “with each room being defined though a period in history in all its grandeur.”

The Persian formal dining room with a handcarved Anglo-Indian credenza.

The house’s name is a play on Napoleon’s countryside home, Château de Malmaison, and the Urdu word “man,” which references the mind, heart and soul. The idea is that the name—and the home’s design—reflects what inspires Gupta: “reliving the glory of Empire past in the pursuit of Empire future.”

A mid-1800s Cavioli bronze Napoleonic bust alongside Gupta’s childhood piano.

Below that peacock mural in the salon, custom coffee tables designed by flind grace the sitting area. The wood, sourced from western Massachusetts, has cracks filled with gold kintsugi, or “joinery,” which is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with shining lacquer.

“Pride Hunt” by Iranian master Reza Derakshani hangs in the primary bedroom. Furnishings include a Restoration Hardware canopy bed and a Ghost chair by Philippe Starck from Design Within Reach.

On the wall, a piece called “Princess in Gold” by Indian painter Arup Das overlooks it all, while below it, handmade Moroccan tiles take the place of wainscoting. Naturally, the peacock motif continues with a peacock mirror from Restoration Hardware, floating over the mantel opposite the coffee tables.

Homeowner Krishna Gupta sits under the painting “Conjunction” by Lebanese Bostonian Kahlil Gibran.

Two distinct dining areas offer sumptuous places for guests to gather. The first is what Gupta calls the Persian formal dining room: “Here, entrepreneurs, investors, dignitaries, visionaries and friends are entertained over innovative cuisine that fuses cultures, with biryani being a favorite,” he says. In it, golden Platner chairs resemble mini thrones, while underneath them is a rare orange sarouk Persian rug sourced from Nazmiyal Antique Rugs.

Expressionist Josephine swan chairs procured from a Newport mansion grace the Salon de Napoléo.

Beside the dining table, a handcarved Anglo-Indian credenza sits flush with the wall, flaunting intricate jaali, or latticework. The second Clockwise dining area, meanwhile, is more casual, with Provencestyle touches in the form of a French country table from Woodbridge, a range of yellow and cream hues, and a Juliet balcony.The breakfast room opens up onto a Juliet balcony.

Even the outdoor living spaces further the home’s imperial aesthetic. An expansive lawn mimics a “European plein air feel,” according to Gupta, with plenty of space to practice his cricket cover drives. The marble dining table near the edge of the property is used for outdoor gatherings à la Sicilian summers, while the nearby patio is meant to feel like a Parisian bistro.A view from the Salon Marocain to the Salon de Napoléon

Each room, whether indoors or out, adheres to a specific color palette and theme, thanks to historical design research on landmarks like the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, Malmaison in France, the Shah Cheragh in Iran, and others. “Rich textiles, wallcoverings, paints and tiles adorn each of the spaces to give them their individual identities within the larger context,” Thind says. Together, the themes create a palatial experience in a storied Cambridge construction.The study is anchored by an antique Louis XIV table.

DESIGN DETAILS

TYPE
Single-family home

LOCATION
Cambridge

INTERIOR DESIGN
Sashya Thind sashyathind.com

RESOURCES

DESIGN WITHIN REACH
Study and primary bedroom Philippe Starck Ghost chairs
dwr.com

RESTORATION HARDWARE
Salon Marocain peacock mirror; dining table; primary bedroom canopy bed
rh.com

ROMO
Salon Marocain custom divan sofas velvet; Salon de Napoléon custom tuxedo sofa velvet
romo.com

RUGS
Salon Marocain The Rug Company custom silk and wool rug; foyer Merida rug
therugcompany.com; meridastudio.com

WALLPAPER
Maya Romanoff in the Salon Marocain; Farrow & Ball in the foyer; Graham & Brown in the dining room
mayaromanoff.com; farrow-ball.com; grahambrown.com