True To Self

This apartment speaks of a homeowner who knows exactly what he wants and is not afraid to express it.

Magnus Li interviewed all 12 of the interior designers on his shortlist, before deciding on Bu Shukun, the design director of Architology Interiors.

“I felt that Kun understood exactly what I wanted and could take it further,” he explains. On this, Magnus and Shukun were on the same page. “Even though Magnus had an extremely detailed brief, I wanted to challenge it and push the boundaries. Being a design-savvy client, he kept an open mind towards the ideas that we proposed,” says Shukun.

For the bachelor pad that he shares with his Shiba Inu, the Asian manager of a start-up knew right from the beginning that he wanted a modern interior with clean lines.

“I am a mentally orderly person and I envisioned my home to have a Bauhaus-meets-Muji style, where all the lines are flush and meet up precisely,” he says.

Delineating spatial bands

Magnus’ initial image of his home was one of slate grey, because he dislikes colourful things. When Shukun first suggested combining a black and dark grey palette with light wood, it was a much higher colour contrast than what the homeowner had in mind. But he quickly warmed to the idea and the result is something that he is comfortable and pleased with.