Fashion and lifestyle content creators Maggi and Devansh Kamboj tied the knot in 2020 and spent the first three years of their marriage living with Devansh’s parents before deciding to create a home of their own. For Manifest’s First Home series, the couple visits Obeetee’s flagship store, whose legacy of Indian craftsmanship dates back to its founding in Mirzapur in 1920, to revisit the choices that shaped their own home.
When they moved into their own space, Maggi was particular about bringing certain memories of childhood with her. One of the first was terrazzo flooring, a detail she had grown up with and wanted to recreate in her new home. Finding someone who could execute the white-cement flooring took Devansh three months. The finished floor, however, has become one of the details they are most attached to. “I am really glad that we did that, because it makes the place look so good,” says Devansh. “It has texture, and it has its own flaws, but those flaws make it look very personal to us.”
That same connection to the past can be found in the materials they chose for the rest of the house. Maggi grew up in a joint family, where a 10-seater dining table was a gathering point, and the woven chairs around it have stayed with her as a childhood memory. Rattan brought a similar texture into their own home, but in a way that feels natural to the space they have created today. “If you are building a space and you want to call it a home, there should be some part that connects you to your roots,” she says.
Devansh’s childhood finds its way into the house through a very different language. His early fascination with push-back cars and Hot Wheels has evolved into an adult love for gadgets, lighting, and smart-home technology, and he has incorporated much of that interest into the way their home functions. Automated curtains, for instance, were something he wanted long before Maggi saw the point of them, but the feature eventually became part of their everyday routine. “Since childhood, I have loved gadgets, and I have upgraded myself. I have purchased bigger gadgets. I love lights. I have automated everything,” says Devansh.
The contrast between them is also evident in the way they make decisions around the house. Maggi, who studied architecture, has a natural interest in interiors and is more conscious of how objects come together visually, while Devansh tends to look at how a space can work better for the people using it. The couple preferred choosing off-white walls, earthy tones, a burnt-orange sofa, plants, and natural textures—staying away from an overly modern look. “As creators, I feel like our lives are so flashy. And it’s full of colours, and it’s full of light,” says Maggi. The idea was to create a visual pause from their work lives. “Whenever we enter our home, we just want to feel calm and relaxed. So one thing we were very particular about is that we want to keep the walls very clean,” adds Devansh.
That feeling continues through their approach to lighting, which Maggi considers one of the most important elements in the house. After moving in, she gradually replaced the cooler lights with warmer ones, introducing bedside lamps, floor lamps, and accent lighting. “Lighting plays a very important role in setting the mood of your home,” she asserts.
Their travels have become another way of adding to the home, with local markets often finding their way into their itineraries. Maggi enjoys looking for pieces that reflect the culture of the place they are visiting, particularly objects with a strong regional character. “Whenever we are travelling, our first point of conversation is that we need some space in our bags to bring back a few interior design goods to decorate our home with,” says Maggi.
At Obeetee, the same instinct to collect pieces with personality becomes part of their exploration, as the couple considers furniture and objects through the same lens they have applied to their own home. They are drawn to pieces that have texture, character, and a sense of permanence, rather than simply filling a room because there is space to fill. It is an approach that has allowed their interiors to evolve slowly, with every new addition having a reason to be there.
The most lived-in part of the house, however, is also the least formal. Their lounging area—with its large windows and textured rug—is where they spend most of their time. “I love to sit on the floor, on the carpet,” says Maggi. “If I’m out and I’m very tired, there’s one thing that I’m thinking about. I just want to go and sit on the floor and have my warm cup of coffee or a hot chocolate.”
Having spent the early years of their marriage with family, setting up their own house gave them the opportunity to make decisions for themselves and gradually understand what they wanted from the place they lived in. “It was a really new and thrilling experience to first set up our home ourselves,” she says. “That process was really calming, and I enjoyed it a lot.”
Today, when they describe what home means to them, the answer has little to do with a particular piece of furniture or a carefully styled corner. For Maggi, it is the feeling of being able to return to a place where the pace slows down, and there is room to simply be herself. “Home, to us, is a place where we both are calm and free,” she says. Devansh further adds, “Calm, peaceful, spacious, and definitely aesthetically pleasing.”
Photographs: Karan Sudhir
Styling by: Palak Valecha
Location Courtsey: Obeetee Store, New Delhi
Maggi's hair and Devansh's make-up: Nitin Sankla