Jean Louis Deniot has completed a private farm in Chattarpur, New Delhi, India, from original architecture to custom interior design, furnishings and furnishings. For him, building a manor in New Delhi was a dream assignment. All it took to make it a reality was ingenuity, patience and a team of Indian artisans. It took a huge leap of faith to build this magnificent house in New Delhi.

When Nasreen Qureshi and her husband, Moin, bought the five-acre lot where the house is now located in 2002, she immediately suggested that Jean-Louis Deniot design the house. Today, the Paris-based designer is a global star of interior decoration. But he was just starting out and had never built a house from scratch -- not even in Europe. 

Deniot’s initial brief was to create a house that looked one hundred years old. He was also presented with an image of Picasso’s 19th century Villa California in Cannes, telling of the owner’s passionate admiration for French design. Deniot largely acquired inspiration from the architecture of the celebrated British architect Edwin Lutyens in New Delhi. The majestic portico on the front facade and the colonnades that encase the side wings are specifically characteristic of such an influence.

Inside, however, French influences are abundantly found. In the drawing room, a sofa evokes the designs of the revered 20th century designer Jean-Charles Moreux, while the dining room houses Empire-style wall paneling. When it came to the interior architecture, Deniot says his goal was to create a grand Neo-Classical feel with a European layout.