Think of what fashion icons Coco Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld and even Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw (with a Chinese twist, of course) might chose to furnish their homes with, and you are close to describing fashion designer Judy Sun's Shanghai apartment. 'I wanted an elegant, fashionable and romantic interior scheme for my home,' she says, referring to her 1,600 sq ft unit close to bustling Xintiandi, in the heart of the city. To turn her ideas into reality she commissioned interior designers Thomas Dariel and Benoit Arfeuillere, of Lime388 Studio. 'Judy gave us a few reference images,' says Dariel, who designed and built the interior. 'We spent time with her, talked a lot and tried to define her person- ality, discover how she lives and pin down her taste. We then recreated her passion for fashion via the interior design.' The result is a city pad that is part feminine and part futuristic, incorporating curvaceous lines and pop-art influences. And, although there is no doubt it is inspired by fashion, it doesn't take itself too seriously. Dariel and Arfeuillere organised the apartment around an eye-catching circular glass study - or cap- sule - positioned off the main living area. The study has sliding glass walls that can be closed for privacy. 'This is a studio for fashion; the centre of the home,' says Dariel, pointing out that everything in the apartment revolves around the studio. 'This study is my favourite design idea in the apartment,' Sun says. 'It allows me to concentrate on my work but also lets me communicate with other people and maintain a visual connection with the rest of my home.' Fashion ideas continue inside the capsule with a side wall clad in panels of black glass, inspired by the famous mirrored staircase in Chanel's former home at 31 Rue Cambon, Paris. 'It is a small reference to Chanel and the origins of fashion design,' says Dariel. The main living room features a curved back wall painted with striking black and white stripes. This wall divides the apartment into two (the master suite is on the other side). 'Black and white is always glamorous,' says Dariel, 'and Judy is a very black-and-white girl.' The designers added a black-and-white cowskin rug, white-lacquer and mirror coffee tables, a custom-made lacquer dining table and built-in shelving and audio-visual cabinetry, again in black-and-white lacquer. A glass chandelier and sequinned cushions add a feminine touch. On the other side of the glass capsule is a corridor - also curved - leading to the guest bedroom and bath- room, a changing room and, finally, to the master suite. Here, the designers have indulged Sun's girlish fantasies with a combination of futuristic white walls, curved white lacquer cabinetry and a circular bed, warmed by a custom-made deep-pink carpet imprinted with butterflies. 'I think my bedroom is fantastic; it's my favourite room and I love the butterfly motifs,' she says. For a touch of romance, the round bathtub has been positioned outside the glass-enclosed circular en-suite bathroom. 'Originally we were going to design furniture that directly connects the bed to the bath,' Dariel says. 'In the end we changed that idea but the approach is still very light-hearted.' 1 In the master bedroom a feminine palette of deep pink and white offsets the curvaceous white lacquer bed (7,000 yuan/HK$8,160) and cabinetry, all custom designed by Dariel & Arfeuillere (3/F, Building 1, Lane 12, 1384 Wanhangdu Lu, Shanghai, tel. 86 21 6191 0102; www.lime388.com ). The cabinetry features circular insets for a vanity unit and television. The carpet, with butterfly motif, was inspired by Vivienne Westwood and custom designed by Dariel & Arfeuillere for 3,000 yuan. 2 In front of the painted black-and-white striped curved rear wall in the statement-making living room is a long beige leather couch, custom designed by Dariel & Arfeuillere for 4,600 yuan. The chandelier came from Casa Casa (281 Anfu Road, Xuhui district, Shanghai, tel +8 621 5403 0200) and cost 2,600 yuan. Standing on the black and white cowskin rug from Casa Casa (12,000 yuan) are two circular white-lacquer and mirror coffee tables. Also from Casa Casa are the Philippe Starck Louis Ghost chairs (2,000 yuan each) around the dining table (6,500 yuan), which was custom designed by Dariel & Arfeuillere. 3 On the bedroom side of a curved glass wall is a spacious circular tub while on the bathroom side are mosaic tiles (2,500 yuan per square metre) from Bisazza (available through Shanghai Oriental Slate Tile Company, 4/F, 149 Pujian Lu, Pudong, Shanghai, tel: 86 21 6464 1188). 4 The white lacquer-finished door was custom made by Dariel & Arfeuillere, with a circular motif to reflect the curved lines found throughout the apartment. 5 The circular, three-metre diameter study area allows Judy Sun to stay connected with the rest of the apartment while providing a space to concentrate on her work. Dariel & Arfeuillere custom designed a 2.8-metre diameter curved wood and lacquer table (4,000 yuan) to fit the space. The spider-like light fixture came from Artan ( www.artan.com.cn ) and cost 4,800 yuan. The side wall is made up of 2.8-metre-long and 20cm-wide black glass panels. 6 The curved corridor leading to the bedrooms and bathroom has a more masculine feel, with its combination of oak-wood flooring, glossy white paintwork and grey leather-clad walls. The leather cost 300 yuan per square metre through Dariel & Arfeuillere. Tried + tested Vanity lair For a new take on the traditional dressing table, Dariel & Arfeuillere (3/F, Building 1, Lane 12, 1384 Wanhangdu Lu, Shanghai, tel. 86 21 6191 0102; www.lime388.com ) came up with a curved vanity unit, built into the lacquer cabinetry. Featuring a circular mirror and inset lighting, the unit also conceals cupboards on both sides. These hide Judy Sun's cosmetics and keep the surfaces clear.