The London Project actually started about 8 months before these before pictures were taken, in Winter 2005.  Mom, Baba, Ryan, Shashi, Ronan and I went to London that Christmas and had our very first glimpse of where this building was going to be built.  There was nothing much there, just a tiny office off of a side street.  In that office was a model of the building, and we were able to see exactly which flat would eventually belong to them.  In August 2006 we all made another trip to London and Baba and Ryan were able to go into the partially constructed building to check things out.  Mom was already starting to have some serious problems with mobility, and the kids were too young, so only Baba and Ryan got to participate in the tour.

This is the open area where the lift is located.  All of the flats open up to this space, except for the really large and fancy penthouse levels, which have their own lifts!

The completed flat’s living room/kitchen/dining room.

We worked with an interior design firm that had been recommended to us.  The experience was interesting.  I consulted with them from Arizona, which was certainly challenging.  I ended up just purchasing the furniture from this room from them.  I didn’t like their decor ideas, so we are doing that on our own.  It is a work in progress, as I hope to find meaningful artwork to fill the space.

There is a rug in this room, but the first one had too much fuzz coming off of it, and it seemed to be a tripping hazard for Mom, so we returned it.  This photo was taken before the next rug arrived.  Sadly, Mom never had the chance to see this place.

The kitchen is small, but has all of the amenities.  The ready made food in London is a treat since there is a lot of Indian food available.

There’s that fuzzy rug, rolled up in the corner!

The bedroom.

The closet, which is now overflowing with clothes and shoes…and scotch!

Ryan found this bed online.  He and I took a trip to London in the Winter of 2006 to get started on the decorating.  Unfortunately, Ryan got really sick and spent most of the time huddled in this bed.

The winter garden runs the length of both the bedroom and the living area.

This is a great space to enjoy the view and relax, and also a fine place to spy on the neighbors.  We had a lot of fun watching a cat play with raindrops one gloomy afternoon.

This was the view from the flat a few years ago.  Now there is a giant building that blocks the view of a lot of the river.  The helipad is still visible, of course, and that’s the most important view, according to Ronan.

The exterior of the building.