Inside the modern bachelor pads tailor-made for new breed of tech-savvy millionaires
Property agents say they’ve seen a shift in the tastes of wealthy single clients, who increasingly seek elegant and distinctive homes that are sure to impress at their next party – though there are some who still like theirs brash too
When you think of a bachelor pad, there are two stereotypes that probably come to mind: a messy studio with dirty dishes piled high in the sink, or a Hugh Hefner-esque lair with shag carpet and a mirrored ceiling. However, the modern bachelor pad couldn’t be more different.
Developers, architects and property agents know there is money to be made from changing tastes, and as a result are focusing their attention on wealthy single male buyers and tailoring spaces just for them.
“There are many people in their early thirties who have already made a beautiful amount of money,” says Tyler Whitman, an agent with New York-based real estate agency Triplemint. “They don’t have families. They’re not coming in with kids. They want to have these luxurious spaces designed just for them.”
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Hong Kong interior designer Natasha Usher, of Nude Design, says she’s coincidentally found herself catering to the single male market; there was the newly divorced banker who enlisted her help on his Castle Peak Road home, and the recently completed flat near Hong Kong’s SoHo district that will inevitably appeal to single men.
“It’s a party pad,’’ says Usher of the 600 square foot duplex flat with 300 sq ft terrace. “It’s kitted out for some guy to walk in with his briefcase and settle in.”
Usher says that it’s partly her “masculine” design aesthetic that makes the SoHo-adjacent flat a good fit for a single man. It’s also close to many bars and restaurants, the space is hi-tech, and it has an outdoor entertaining area.