India, May 15 -- When 35-year-old Nimesh Shah (name changed) purchased a 3BHK apartment in a premium housing society in Mumbai's suburbs, he believed he had finally secured an aspirational address in the city's increasingly expensive real estate market.

Earning nearly Rs.6 lakh a month, Shah stretched his finances to buy a flat in a luxury residential tower that also housed larger 4 and 5BHK apartments. But shortly after possession, he realised that affording the apartment was only one part of the equation; sustaining the lifestyle expectations of the society was another challenge altogether.

The turning point came when residents in the building proposed redesigning the lobby interiors because they were unhappy with the existing aesthet...