My Signature
Aesthetic
My design language is a cocktail of modern decadence, sculptural expressionism, and artistic sophistication — always finished with a twist of playful rebellion.
I thrive on challenges most people dread: low ceilings, awkward corners, cookie-cutter layouts. For me, these so-called obstacles are opportunities to craft spaces that are expressive, unexpected, and full of character. The magic happens when vintage, contemporary, and bespoke elements collide — transforming your space into one that inspires you every single day.
Knock, knock,
who’s there?
It’s me — Judith Achumba-Wöllenstein, the creative maestro pulling the strings behind Atelier Akuko.
My passion for transforming spaces began in childhood, inspired by my mother’s inventive redecorating during our family’s many international moves. That early love of reinvention carried me into fashion editing, before I pivoted into design with a Master’s at London College of Fashion in the Psychology of Fashion and Design. It’s where I learned to merge aesthetics with human behaviour — a thread that runs through everything I create today.
In 2020, I founded Atelier Akuko as an extension of my pioneering psychology of fashion magazine, Hajinsky. What began as a platform for psychology-based design advice soon evolved into a full-service studio, offering residential transformations and commercial retail concepts across Brighton, London, and the wider UK. Today, I’m recognised as a British interior designer with a psychology-driven approach that blends storytelling, aesthetics, and human behaviour.
My work has been featured in Domino Magazine, Wallpaper, Apartment Theory, and House Beautiful, and I was honoured to be named one of Homes & Gardens’ 25 Next in Design — recognition of the fresh, rebellious voice I bring to UK interiors.
But while credentials and press are lovely, what really drives me is helping clients uncover stories that deserve to live in their walls, furniture, and everyday rituals. Think of me as your design collaborator: part psychologist, part storyteller, part aesthetic rebel.
(Oh — and I’m also a die-hard chair fanatic, forever “rehabilitating” from my addiction to sculptural seating.)
“I’ve found that my background, especially in the perception of space, has really helped me explain why things work, as opposed to just saying, ‘This is the new trend and you should go buy this,’” she says. “I love taking what people already have and adjusting layouts.” After all, a rebel is a rebel, whether they’re smashing boundaries or steadily chipping away at them. Which isn’t to say Judith plays it safe. […] she doesn’t worry what anyone else thinks.”
— Lindsey Mather, Digital Director Domino Magazine, Excerpt From The “Rebel Rebel” Issue, Spring 2022.