•S S P R O J E C T S• Hot off the press ~ some exciting updates from the studio! There is no rest for the wicked! As we hit May we’re absolutely bustling with some really exciting projects in the making⚡️ First up, some fab snaps from our Château Randwick project. A small kitchen renovation that packs a punch! This one was a tight turn around working with the existing floor plan. As you already know, I’m a sucker for blue & burgundy combo, so this palette was a treat! Then we have our OG clients, we’ve been working on this project since 2023 and it is so exciting to see our first ever design baby come to life. Rich hues add drama to the Victorian home, soft tonal sheers and lighting moments add extra sparkle. A whiskey room that’s tonal goodness with aged mesh brass and a main bedroom fit for queens & kings! I’m looking forward to shooting this home soon. Next up, a major warehouse renovation is keeping me busy! This one is being divided into 2 offices for each client and a photo studio to hire along with a 4th tenancy. It’s a biggie but super rewarding. My wonderful clients at Mount Eliza are keeping me updated with exterior colour testing on the fence, construction snaps and cute street numbers. This project is in full swing with some beautiful colours and interior details. Lastly, a new curation project in Northcote which I’m really looking forward to sinking my teeth into. The concept “jewels amongst the desert”, I honestly can’t wait to share more of this one with you all! I had real big doubts when deciding to take the leap with starting Studio Shields. That inner saboteur was causing all those nasty thoughts. But I just can’t believe the response I’ve had & the support from everyone. I have such gratitude to the people who want to work with me. Like ME… I keep pinching myself because it feels like a dream. I can’t wait to continue to grow, learn and develop as a designer ~ a big EEEK HELL YEAH coming from me!!

•R O U G E C I G A R S• Smoke it up and sit back, this render is hitting the spot for Sunday Scaries. Completing the vision for an uptown NYC townhouse cigar lounge, this interior is seriously giiivvvinngg. An intimate moody space with ambient lighting that just makes you want to sit back and relax! Richly hued textiles alongside sculpted pieces of organic curves and angular forms creates a dynamic space. Materials that catch your eyes, textures that make you go “yuuumm”. Deep reds and warm tans envelop the space, evoking the timeless allure of a cigar lounge. Order up, cognac & martini please! The stand out cocktail cabinet was a must have, made by the talented @rossthompson_furniture Sitting beside the 20.01 armchair, that I have a serious crush on by @studiohaos . A touch of blue provides a cool contrast, grounding the warmth and I could look no further than “Dub Dee Dark” by Clare Milledge from @stationgalleryaustralia . This is a space designed not just to be seen, but to be felt, it’s where materiality and mood are in perfect conversation. So sit back, let’s put on some electro jazz and make a few cocktails. It’s going to be a long night to wash away those Sunday Scaries.

•S S H O M E• Stacks on stacks ~ books layered with stories, amongst scattered objects gathered from everywhere and nowhere, our home has become a bowerbird’s trove of joy. Colour drenched in rich tones, leathered green stone, and our handmade brass handles (once old waste pipes, now patina touches) speak to a life curated with love. But today, it’s the books that get the spotlight. No matter how far we scroll or how deep we pin, the printed page still wins. As KW said last week, “print forever”. Each book brings a new lens: interiors, yes, but also graphic design, colour, fashion, gardens, branding, and cooking ~ all the magic that stirs creativity in unexpected places. I’m looking forward to adding a few more! But if you’ve got a fave, I’d love to know!

•W A B I S A B I• Take your shoes off and step inside. This interior is dedicated to raw materials that weave earthy tones and imperfect textures to create a space that’s layered, thoughtful & embraces simplicity. Curated pieces form a layered interior that’s full of warmth and compassion. A tonal palette of earthy greens, brown velvets, ebony and timber accents. Pieces chosen carefully so when you look deep enough they feel as though you could be lost in their charm ~ like the Mercury rug by @jennyjonesrugs with its oil like patterns or the “sushi” @alpi_wood veneer from @eltongroup resembling water ripples. This interior explores the raw beauty of materials that embrace imperfection, and authenticity. The Bark Coffee Table by @studiokaytar juxtaposes natural textures using aluminium material alongside @jillsymes ceramic piece ~ rough, raw and organic in form. There’s a beauty to these pieces, accepting imperfections of the hand. Our joinery unit designed using the @alpi_wood veneer alongside my favourite stone, Metaurus Oro, from @artedomus , is a piece that grounds the space with its subtle wabi-sabi charm. We choose pieces with intention and allow them to tell their own story while weaving a little magic between. It’s design that encourages mindful appreciation of the present moment.

•W I P ~ P E E P• Introducing Peep — our first foray into lighting and product design at Studio Shields. It’s a space both Pat and I have long dreamed of stepping into & we’re so excited to be debuting at Melbourne Design Week @ngvmelbourne in the 100 Lights Exhibition by @friends.associates Peep is made from reclaimed materials, salvaged with soul and reimagined into something that feels both contemporary and full of memory. The frame is hand-sculpted from a solid piece of red gum timber, and the glass, a treasure my dad picked up at an estate auction and lovingly hoarded for “the right moment” (clearly, it runs in the family) these two materials add the kind of delicate character you can’t fake. The shape is inspired by window panes. Think of it as a gentle nod to nostalgia, glimpses into the past. But also a wink to now, the grid we all live within, scroll through, curate. We wanted to honour the intention of the original materials while giving them a contemporary twist. As one friend has said “It makes me feel like I’m standing in a forest at night looking towards a cute little house that’s all warm and happy inside” We believe good design should tell a story and invoke a feeling. Peep isn’t just a light, it’s a study in form and texture. It’s that warm feeling of knowing you’re stepping into a space that’s loved and made with loving hands. Peep is a little moment of magic. We can’t wait to share more with you. This is only the beginning! SS

•F R I B E S• Following on from this week’s “dream interior palette,” we’ve brought the living room to life, layered, nostalgic, and full of long-held favourites. This one is steeped in warmth and soul, our version of forever furniture. The pieces we’d pass down, not just because they’re beautiful, but because they mean something. The Maralunga sofa by @cassinaofficial ? Still top of the list after Milan, when Pat’s toosh hit that seat, nothing else stood a chance. And the Soriana armchair a ride-or-die favourite of mine. I first saw it in a @flackstudio_ project many moons ago and ever since, it’s felt like a marker of “you’ve made it.” We’ve peppered in a few more obsessions, like @_jordanfleming bold red lamp (a punch of joy), and another @joshuadegruchy piece, because Pat and I both can’t get enough of his work. A @martynthompsonstudio piece because we like knowing the wonderful people behind the pieces we buy, and obviously my fave creatures by @lilachmileikowski All of this lives in my imagined mid-century hideaway, tucked into the hills, gums out the window, birds in the background. Pour me a glass, the sun’s just about to set!