In the world of luxury real estate, the term biophilic design often conjures images of greenery inside crystal skyscrapers. DLF’s The Camellias in Gurugram, it’s different. In this project nature is not just an accessory it’s the very language of design. And when Niranjan Hiranandani—a master in the art of urban living—singles it out for praise, you know something profoundly deliberate is at play.
A Living Tribute to Nature and Design
DLF Camellias inspired its name from camellia flower, a reminder of nature all about finding beauty in nature. The architecture, led by Hafeez Contractor alongside a stellar international team (Rockwell Group, SWA, and others), weaves curves, sunlight, and greenery into daily life. There are seven landscaped concrete roofs, each shaped like petals, engaging the eye and the spirit. Embedded in the architecture: reflecting pools, walking paths, and skylights that feel like stepping into nature—not just passing through it.
A Clubhouse That Breathes Life
Camellias Club isn’t your typical hall-and-pool setup. Spanning 160,000 sq ft, it’s divided into seven energy zones—active, social, regenerative, renewed, creative, competitive, and relaxed—so that you can release stress, revive creatively, or restore quietly. The transition between each zone is a journey—and many are made within gardens and water.
Imagine walking across a water garden that appears ordinary by day—and transforms into a starlit canvas overhead at night, thanks to subtly embedded fiber-optic lights. It’s design with heart, built to seep into daily rhythms, not just surprise.
A Quiet Rebellion: Sustainability Without Showboating
The Camellias claims the distinction of being India’s first LEED Platinum–certified residential project, blending eco-conscious engineering with opulence. Rainwater harvesting, energy-efficient lighting, and surviving mature trees that were transplanted—it’s stewardship in high definition. This isn’t luxury as excess; it’s luxury as enduring care.
Here, superfine finishes like marble and glass share stage time with living design elements—gardens, airflow, quiet light—creating harmony between the built and the grown.
Exclusivity Woven with Community
Only 429 units across nine towers punctuate the skyline here, ensuring privacy in scale. That sense of small-scale exclusivity gives residents the feeling that they’re part of something curated, not mass-produced.
That’s why the camellias attract India’s biggest business, celebrities, stars, NRI people who seek more than address, they seek an ecosystem of quiet, like-minded excellence.
Real Prices, Real Value
These homes aren’t just architecturally curated—they’re fiercely prized. A 10,813 sq ft unit—purchased for ₹52 crore in 2022—recently was registered, signaling how enduring value can be.
Meanwhile, whispers on the street (and on Reddit) mention penthouses reaching the ₹190 crore mark—making headlines, and subtly underlining the grip Camellias holds in luxury’s uppermost tier.
Even so, for many residents, this is more than flex—it’s about the month-in, month-out quality of place. As one noted on Reddit:
“Camellias club house has a 2-lane bowling alley, private movie theatre… basically the whole premise of the pricing is that you don’t really need to leave your society for fun.”
Why Hiranandani’s Praise Resonates
Niranjan Hiranandani isn’t much for empty praise. His nod toward Camellias reflects deep respect—not because the project is flashy, but because it pushes the category further. It’s not DLF competing with others—it’s DLF competing with itself, raising the bar for experiential design.
For someone whose career has been about shaping cities, that’s the real compliment: Here’s a project that doesn’t just sit in the city—it enhances it, quietly and persistently.
What All This Means
Developers: Investing early in landscape and scaling design beyond finishes creates emotional and financial retention.
Investors: Buildings built for the soul—not just for flash—hold value beyond trends.
Residents: Luxury isn’t what you own—it’s what you feel, day after day.
In Closing
Camellias doesn’t scream opulence—it breathes it. Its biophilic nice whispers instead of loud . That’s the luxury that won Niranjan Hiranandani’s nod of approval, a project that blurs boundaries between architecture and nature, community and privacy, legacy and innovation.
Camellias shows us that in real estate and in life what endures isn’t showmanship. It’s craftsmanship: the places we feel, not just inhabit.