An artful sanctuary in Shanghai's iconic Embankment Building

After nearly two decades in Shanghai, Russian-born interior designer and spatial stylist Yulia Klyueva has developed a discerning eye for homes.

"Shanghai offers everything," she said. "You can find any style, any budget. But for me, it has always been the city's old architecture that captured my heart."

Yulia has lived in many neighborhoods in the city, including a lush downtown villa. She knew it was time for a new chapter when she entered her current apartment in the historic Embankment Building on the Bund.

"I'd never lived on the Bund before," she recalls. "The area has changed so much – it's now filled with galleries, cafés, and riverside walks.

"The iconic Embankment, with its monumental architecture and rich history, felt like the right fit for where I was in my life. I wanted a home that reflected growth, and this apartment stole my heart."

Unlike many sleek new apartments in Shanghai, Yulia's home is full of quirks and imperfections – and she loves it that way. "The high ceilings are everything," she says. "I can't stand low ceilings; they make me feel trapped. Here, there's air, there's space."

She gestures toward the concrete walls, exposed columns, and creaky wooden floors. "Every detail tells a story. Even the glass cube in the center of the living room, which doubles as my bedroom, feels like part of the apartment's personality."

The downside? "No balcony!" she said. "My neighbors across the hall enjoy stunning river views. I do wish I had that, but this place is unique enough that I can forgive it."

Though the apartment already had what Yulia calls "perfect bones," she's infused it with her own personality through furniture, art and carefully chosen objects collected over a lifetime.

She repainted the walls in warm beige tones to highlight the raw cement elements, then layered modern pieces with vintage finds: a retro wooden cabinet, velvet dining chairs paired with an industrial-style table, and leather seating softened by silk cushions.

"I love contrasts," she explained. "Modern inside old. Hard with soft. Every corner is a mix that feels very me."

The living room is airy and deeply inviting.

"A big comfortable sofa is a must in the living area. I work from home and work on the sofa," she said. And there's a fireplace – a rare luxury in Shanghai apartments – which she positioned directly opposite the sofa. Fire is alive; it breathes. It gives her energy and calm at the same time.

Lighting is a ritual here. Instead of relying on ceiling fixtures, Yulia prefers eye-level lamps and candlelight, which transform the room's concrete walls into something intimate, almost cinematic.

Candles – many of them made by Yulia – flicker in nearly every room, adding warmth and a sense of ritual. "I light them every evening and on rainy days," she said. "It calms me and makes the apartment feel homey."

Fresh flowers are another constant.

"I can't imagine my home without them. They bring nature inside."

If the living room is the heart, the dining area is the stage. A large dining table commands attention, uniting the entrance, kitchen, and living area into one harmonious flow. Though Yulia lives alone, she insists on a table big enough to carry fresh flowers and her beloved salt candles. Chairs around the table carry stories of reinvention: she reupholstered them herself, selecting fabrics that blend velvet softness with playful retro tones.

Overhead, there are no bulky wall cabinets to weigh the space down. Instead, open shelves line the kitchen wall, functioning both as storage and exhibition.

"Why hide beauty?" she asks. Then there is her favorite tea set, painted in the French Toile de Jouy style. Instead of pastoral scenes, tiny futuristic figures in armor dance across the porcelain. "Old and new, in conversation," she says.

Perhaps the most striking feature of Yulia's apartment is the glass cube that sits in the middle of the living area, serving as her bedroom. It's a bold architectural gesture, but Yulia has transformed it into a sanctuary of softness. Inside, she keeps the design minimal: just a bed, side tables, and a carpet.

Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the cube with daylight each morning and moonlight at night. White silk curtains filter the glow, shifting the mood from bright to serene. On the wall hangs a favorite photograph by Ruslan Lobanov.

The walls are alive with art, each piece tied to a memory. She pointed to a Chanel exhibit poster that now adorns her fridge and a painting she created herself. But the centerpiece is a haunting photograph from the series The Ruins of Detroit by French photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre.

"I first saw it years ago at my office," she said. "It belonged to a colleague who has since passed away. It's one of my most treasured possessions. The photo captures a grand old station, now decayed. To me, it reflects life's duality – the greatness humans can build and the ease with which it can be destroyed. It's the essence of my favorite mix-and-match aesthetic."

For Yulia, design is never just about furniture or color palettes – it's about people.

"A welcoming home is where your heart lives," she said. "It's not the sofa or the lamp. It's the laughter of your children, the smell of your mother's cooking, or, in my case, the presence of my cats and plants. That's why I always begin projects by asking clients, 'What do you love? What brings you joy? Only then can I create a home that's truly theirs'."

In her space, earthy neutrals dominate, accented with brighter pieces that echo the colors of nature. It's a palette that reflects calm, grounding energy.

"I believe our home is our place of power," Yulia said. "It's where we regain strength, where we surround ourselves with memories and beauty that remind us who we are. Every corner of this apartment fulfills me. It's my sanctuary."