Sense of proportion

How much is enough? For investment banker James Howlett, about 800 sq ft, in Mid-Levels. His relatively modest choice of digs was dictated more by a healthy sense of proportion than by his budget.

'I decided to downsize. I suppose it's got something to do with reaching a certain age where you realise that it's not necessary for a person to have so much and that you can make better use of the resources you have available to you,' he says.

Howlett is involved in several charities and is currently working on a project to rehouse slum-dwellers in the Philippines. When his company started a sabbatical programme as part of its social responsibility policy, he was one of the first to be selected to take a year off to work on a project of his choice: in 2005, he began a five-year initiative to equip public schools in the Philippines with computers.

'As a banker, you have a position that can be used as a platform to serve the community and magnify the blessing,' he says. But Howlett is no horsehair-wearing ascetic. His one-bedroom apartment is tastefully kitted out in contemporary bachelor style, with a collection of art and mementos used to create a warm and relaxing space.

'I wanted it to look nice but not spend too much. As long as the quality is OK, I don't need brand name things,' says Howlett, who sought out architect Bruce Harwood to design and manage the apartment's renovation.

'I was looking for something functional with clean lines and I saw a place he did in Post Magazine. I called him up straight away and that was that.'