Forget the stereotypical bachelor pad of yesteryears where Kenyan men would live in tiny, hidden houses, mostly in domestic servant quarters (DSQs), with mismatched furniture, scattered laundry, and dirty utensils.
A growing number of Kenyan bachelors are now elevating their houses into “boy apartments,” a new term for carefully furnished homes with potted plants, elegant furnishings, neatly made beds with four throw pillows and eucalyptus-scented candles or humidifiers.
These men are changing the way people think about male living habits. These are men who vacuum their homes not because guests are coming, but because order gives them peace.
They curate their interiors almost as carefully as they plan their careers. Their homes whisper self-discipline and aesthetic awareness.
It started with a heartbreak
Victor Karanja’s home in Nairobi is among them. When the BDLife visits, a vacuum cleaner, something that was a rarity in many Kenyan bachelor’s houses, is the first thing that greets us. A glass-railed staircase leads upstairs, and just past it, the living room opens up. The house is very clean.
At the far end, a huge window lets in light with white sheers that flutter gently in the breeze. In one corner, there are green potted plants that catch the eye. “I have four plants around the house.
The big one is the ficus benjamina, then the cactus beside my TV stand and two snake plants. For the ficus benjamina, I water it once a week with one litre of water. The other ones I do it once every three weeks. I chose these plants because they are signs of life, and I like taking care of things. I have had the ficus benjamina for two years now and the others for a year.
Greenery brings life into the house,” Victor says.
Victor, a tech manager and lifestyle content creator, says his journey into intentional living began with a heartbreak. “I was married before, and you know when you’re married the house is not really yours. When I first spruced up my house, it was like a journey of discovering what I like and what I don’t like.
My style is minimalistic, Japandi [an interior design style that blends Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics] and airy,” he says.
His home has clean whites, warm browns and bold blacks. There are no clashing colours or jarring lights, everything flows in balance.
“When I enter my house, I want to enter a peaceful space. I want to come in and feel rested without bumping into a lot of colours and things,” he says.
Victor Karanja vacuum cleans his house on May 6, 2025 at his residence in Garden city Nairobi.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
This level of meticulousness did not come naturally. “When I was growing up, I was very untidy. My mom used to be pissed off. I’d lose things every time. I even left a shoe at school once and went home with one shoe,” the 34-year-old says chuckling.
Then he thought of creating content as he furnished his home, and it caught people’s attention on social media. “People started commenting, and I was like, oh maybe this is a thing. Let me show them more of what I’m interested in,” he says.
When it comes to furnishing a house, the biggest challenge for most men is where to get items. The tech manager says that his sourcing process is very deliberate.
“It’s a mix of things. Like the console, I just reached out to a friend of mine who runs a furniture shop. It also starts on Pinterest, just like most people. I have a Pinterest board with exactly what I want it to look like. Then I’ll start hunting and looking for those things.”
Some hunts, he says, are long. He once searched for a living room chandelier for an entire year.
“Because people didn’t have it here. I had to source it abroad. Furnishing a bachelor pad has to be intentional. I always like getting exactly what I know I want.”
Lighting and scent, for Victor, are essential elements of his ambience.
“I hate big lighting fixtures, they bring in too much light. It’s like you’re living in a hospital. I believe in clean colours. Even if I introduce colour, it will be like a dash of it because different colours inspire different moods,” he explains. “Also, when I open the house and come in, I want to be hit by a wave of freshness. That’s why I also spray the couch, things that grasp on scents and hold it longer.”
Favourite item
Do these bachelors hire professional interior designers? Some do, others don’t.
“No. I do it alone. I feel like when I let someone else do it, it would be an expression of what their home would look like. I feel like it won’t be me,” Victor says.
Still, his home has rules, and small violations unsettle him.
“I like my things exactly where they are supposed to be, and it brings conflict with my cleaning lady because after she cleans, she never returns things where they’re supposed to be. I’m always coming back and putting things back here and there. That light has turned to that side. I’m like bruh. Why?”
His favourite item? A piece of art called The Pilgrimage.
“I explained to the artist what I wanted, and he drew for me exactly that. I needed to show a journey, and a journey is not taken alone. You have to take it with people. This is my favourite thing in the house,” he says pointing to the painting.
The plant dad with two plates
In Kiambu County, VicPreston Maina, a software engineer, shares a similar philosophy of having a beautiful bachelor pad.
His house opens with a white console and a round mirror, giving a hint of the clean lines and soft glow that lie beyond the white walls, black accents, and polished wood floors. Everything is in its place. No rogue socks. No chaotic corners.
“When people come to visit, especially my brothers, I will know someone is around and not me. I will find something that is misplaced. Maybe if I find the car keys on the table, I will know that it’s not me because all my car keys when I enter, everything stays at the console. It’s like a flow,” he says.
He, too, has indoor plants.
“I have six plants. I have an English ivy, the one that was on the shelf, two Monsteras, a rubber plant and pothos, although people commonly know it as a moneymaker and two snake plants. I am generally a plant dad, it’s like a hobby. A plant is like a pet. Live plants require the same care as pets. Seeing plants thriving makes me happy. They not only bring beauty, but they also bring some additional advantages. For example, the Monstera is good at purifying the air, that is why I have one in the washroom because it thrives in a humid area and also for air purification in the house,” he says.
Vicpreston Maina cleaning up around the kitchen at his residence in Kitisuru on May 10, 2025.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
Despite his busy schedule, he has mastered when to water them.
“I water the rubber plants once in two weeks, then the Monsteras weekly. There is no watering schedule for the pothos, but I check on it weekly to ensure optimum soil moisture,” he says.
That flow, the software engineer says, did not happen by accident. It’s a ritual.
“I have created this so that I can maintain this place. It’s one thing creating and another one maintaining which is not easy. My maintenance is also part of the routine that I’ve created.”
His day, like his home, runs on structure. “I have a routine. My bedtime ritual starts the night before. I follow this rule that says if you want to wake up in the morning, you have to start the previous night.”
Clothes laid out, gym plan set, and a day mentally rehearsed. Yet under all the order is a story of early responsibility.
What inspired all of this?
He circles back to his childhood. “I was born and raised in a family with both my parents and all my brothers. No sisters. I’m the firstborn. My mom was a part-time lecturer during the holidays, so when we came home, she’d be away. Someone had to cook. Someone had to care for the house. That was me,” the 31-year-old says.
From running the household in his youth to curating the one he now lives in, VicPreston’s journey feels less like an aesthetic transformation and more like a growing ritual.
“When we had visitors, my mom would let me host even when she wasn’t around. I started learning these concepts early, way back.”
Even in university, his freelance earnings went into building his space, one couch, one TV at a time.
“Later, I learnt about Scandinavian and Nordic design. I realised, this is how you create a space.”
And now? “I’ve created Pinterest mood boards. Everything here, from the furniture to décor, all follows a theme: grey, white, black, and wood. The wood has to be a natural tone. Any piece I buy has to follow that,” he says.
Two cups, two plates
However, beneath this routine lies a rebellion against the domestic stereotypes. He doesn’t do too much unnecessary use. “I started by decluttering. I only have two cups, two plates, and two spoons. If I use one, I have to wash it. That’s how I train myself, even for sufurias (cooking pans), I have two. At no time will I have five pans piled up in my sink,” he says.
The engineer’s wardrobe choices echo this structure as well. “I only wear black, grey, and shades of blue. So every time I’m choosing what to wear, it’s very easy.”
Statement of self-respect
Then there’s Joseph Mugo, a civil servant and also a lifestyle content creator, whose home reflects a slightly different take but is still thoughtful and even more anchored in functionality.
“I try to make sure everything has a use—that’s where the functional part comes in. Warm, because I like spaces that feel cozy and lived-in, not too cold or perfect. And intentional, just because I’ve started putting a bit more thought into what I bring into my space, instead of just grabbing whatever’s convenient.”
His journey started with an insight.
Joseph Mugo, a civil servant and content creator poses for a photo in his bedroom which he has intentionally curated to match his taste of style.
Photo credit: Pool
“When I realised that my space was saying things about me before I even opened my mouth. I didn’t want the first impression to be ‘he just moved in’ or ‘he doesn’t care.’ I decided that if I put effort into my clothes, my work, and my brand, my home should get the same respect.”
At the heart of his home is a quiet reading nook, which he says is his personal refuge and favourite corner.
Joseph’s outlook reframes decor as a personal reflection.
“I have always had this desire to live in a space that looked like something out of a movie or a Pinterest board, those cozy, well-thought-out rooms that just feel good to be in. But it always seemed out of reach until I started watching vlogs and lifestyle content. Seeing regular people turn ordinary apartments into beautiful, functional spaces on a budget shifted my mindset.”
However, despite his curated aesthetic, Joseph keeps it real. “Bad lighting! Nothing ruins a space faster than harsh, cold, overhead lighting. If it’s not layered or adjustable, it flattens the whole energy.”
The content creator says he has had his share of regrets, like when he let a friend hang a piece of art that looked cool but “didn’t feel authentic,”.
“If you feel good in your space, who cares what anyone thinks? Creating a beautiful environment isn’t ‘extra’, it’s self-respect.”
