ITEE Soni’s clutter-free apartment is filled with color and details that tell the story of her life, who she is and her values.

Originally from New Delhi, Soni has been a happy Shanghainese for 17 years. She has lived in the tiny apartment tucked away on Wulumuqi Road M., between Wuyuan and Fuxing roads for seven years.

“It affords me a very convenient and beautiful neighborhood, with all the shops and eateries right downstairs and the lovely leafy smaller lanes to walk my dog Robyn. I love everything about where I live,” she said.

“As a single, millennial small business owner who pays her own bills, I rent this small apartment. I love the big windows, the view and the fact that it had just been renovated, so the space was spotless. I did ask the landlord to get rid of some old furniture so I could personalize the space.”

Soni loves natural light as she has a lot of plants.

“To me, the highlights are all that life I have in my house, even though I live alone — my dog, my plants,” she said. “I have art and collectibles interspersed around the house from my travels and experiences over the years.”

The apartment includes a big kitchen with enough room for dining and a big room with a bed and living space.

“I enjoy the massive kitchen a lot,” she said. “I do cook but I got rid of the dining table, and now the kitchen also doubles as a lab where I make my essential oil blends for my home and gift brand, The Nectar Foundry.”

For the living room/bedroom space, she put a high table right by the window to work and eat while enjoying the view. It makes the room look much bigger and she can host more people for dinner.

“I like smaller spaces and I liked to ‘Marie Kondo,’ before she was a book or a method,” she said.

“I dislike clutter, and while I’m not a minimalist, I’m not a maximalist either. I remember a friend’s white kitchen and her rule about not having anything on the counter tops. What was incredibly stylish to her felt sterile to me. So, my home is organized and clutter-free but full of color and details that tell the story of my life.”

Soni keeps the furniture pieces simple and practical for this small space.

“I had a vintage reading chair I had to give up when I got my puppy as I needed space for her training pen — yes, the things you do for love,” she said. “I remember a close friend was heartbroken; she used to call it her de facto therapy chair.”

Now that Robyn is older, Soni has a dream to indulge in a fabulous reading chair in a beautiful fabric from her own home collection.

“My brand is moving in that direction with the vintage textiles I’m sourcing here and the block prints developed in India, so I hope I’ll be able to add this to my home soon,” she said.

Soni is the founder of The Nectar Foundry, a new sustainable gift brand, and co-founder of one of the first completely eco-swimwear brands, Loop Swim. A true believer to sustainability, she makes products but educates consumers to buy less and constantly advocates that we buy quality things and really value them.

“This is my value set and lifestyle, and everything, including my home, is an extension of this,” Soni said.

“I have pieces I have cherished for years and are in rotation at home, but equally, I have pieces that have done their times, and I have re-homed them with friends who love them.”

Not many people, except those close to her, know this but she rotates the art in her house.

“I have a small home and limited wall space, so it’s almost like I have collections for myself, and when I want something fresh, I put a different piece up,” she said.

This is why, when she first set up the space, she had artwork shelves installed so she didn’t have to constantly nail pieces directly into the wall.

“Most of my pieces are prints or originals by artists whose work I really like or have engaged with,” she said.

“While none of the pieces are rare or priceless, they all carry special memories. I do have some of my own wall art from my brand on rotation as well.”

An embroidery wall hanging piece was bought directly from a woman in Sapa, Vietnam, who finished embroidering it in front of Soni with her baby asleep in her lap.

“It was very lovely to see her smile after she realized I would wait until she finished it,” she said.

The two prints of Chinese artist Kim Xu’s paintings were Soni’s first art purchase almost 15 years ago.

“I love the ‘Zen ladies,’ as I call them, and I love that on the back, they both say ‘a woman is a piece of art.’”

A print of an Indian truck made entirely of words typically graffitied on them is by Play Clan, a gift brand in India that makes home goods and gifts inspired by local life and Indian folklore.

Soni’s other favorite is her own artwork depicting old letterboxes in Shanghai.

“First pointed out to me at a lecture about the city’s history and details, I captured them as a drawing very early on,” she said.

In a corner of the living space, Soni places a “Here By Me” foldable globe.

“After much thought, I bought this at the Balboa Museum gift shop in San Diego,” she said.

“I like that it’s an object and not a flat map. While I don’t travel to keep count of how many countries I’ve been to, it gives me joy to look at it and relive my travels. I also gave it a personal touch with some swimmer pins that were a gift from a friend. I used the red pins to mark where I’ve been, and all island destinations are marked by swimmers.”

Another personal touch is the Blue Jar of Magic, placed on the wall shelf.

“Anyone invited into my home leaves a note that I add to this jar. Once or twice a year, I open it and read the note. Sometimes, I also add my own notes of gratitude,” she said.

“As an energy healer, I’m extremely protective of my energy and the energy of my space. To me, my home is an inviolable sanctuary. While I don’t anthropomorphize it, it is my safe space. I attach great value to it; I respect it and care for it,” Soni added.

“Again, this is something I apply to most things in my life and is a value reflected in all my creations as well. Not to gather, but to collect and curate joyful things with care is the goal.”