Studio Shields, Piazza del Duomo (2026)

19/04/2026

•MILANO•

Mentally, emotionally… spiritually parked in Milan Design Week right now while our feed is flooded and I’m sitting here in Melbourne pretending I’m not jealous. I am. Deeply.

Two years ago, I somehow landed the golden ticket, a trip with to Milan, moving through ateliers that most of us only ever see through a screen. , , , … each one a masterclass in obsession, craft and absolute devotion to process.

And that’s the thing, it wasn’t just beautiful (though… it really was). It was the level of care. Watching a leather hide at get scanned, mapped, cut around its imperfections like it’s some kind of sacred artefact. Seeing the rugs at shift in tone thread by thread, like a painting translated into fibre. Sitting in pieces at that feel less like furniture and more like fully realised ideas.

Everything held narrative & nothing felt accidental.

There was a moment, somewhere between warehouses of hand-pulled rugs, fresco-lined showrooms and a slightly too many spritzs, where it all clicked. This is what it means for design to be ingrained rather than applied. It’s not surface. It’s not styling. It’s decisions, stacked over time, held with intent.

Yes, there were fashion fits. Yes, there was wine. Yes, there was a slightly unhinged level of enthusiasm over chairs (no regrets). But what stayed with me was the reverence for making. The patience. The pride.

It shifted something. It still does.

The trip gave me more than access, it gave me a deeper understanding of what sits behind the pieces we specify, and a sharper lens on how I want to design. With story. With weight. With that same sense of care stitched into every decision.

Forever grateful for that experience
But also… I’m ready to go back.

17/04/2026

•SHORTLISTED•

We’re going for a double here ~ so bloody proud to have The View has been shortlisted in the 2026 Residential design category for the Australian Interior Design Awards .

It is so amazing to have our home recognised on such a scale, it’s been seven years of hard work. There were no builders or joiners. No tilers, painters, floor finishers or plasterers. No drawing set, no neat details resolved on paper. Just Pat and I in the shed, at the dining table, figuring it out as we went. (An electrician. A reluctant plumber. That’s it).

This house is Christmases spent sanding instead of celebrating. The night before our wedding, repainting the kitchen in Moroccan clay because I couldn’t live with green. It’s arriving home from work and picking up a nail gun or trowel. It’s our arguments, doubt, exhaustion, and choosing to keep going anyway.

This recognition… these moments… make it all worth it. So thank you judges, for seeing the love, care, amount of sheer effort it takes to craft a home that is unique.

Again, none of it would be what it is without my very talented other half. poured so much craft, care and intelligence into this home. We’re a team, always, and The View simply would not exist in the way it does without you.

Interior design & decoration .shields
Carpentry & bespoke pieces
Photography
Stylist

17/04/2026

•SHORTLISTED•

Absolutely beyond excited to share that The View has been shortlisted in the 2026 Residential Decoration category for the Australian Interior Design Awards

This one has absolutely floored me, in the best possible way.

Our home has always been our little bowerbird nest of treasures. When I was pulling everything together for the shoot, I remember thinking, “well, this won’t go anywhere… I don’t have the budgets for those award worthy pieces, and surely my hard-rubbish sofa and Marketplace coffee tables aren’t going to cut it”. But I stayed true to the story. True to what I believe makes a home feel powerful. A home that genuinely reflects the people who live there. A home where every piece is woven into the bigger picture, like a delicious tapestry of life. And well… here we are.

Beside that hard-rubbish sofa, which, mind you, is a Simmons Playpen, but that’s another story, sit pieces by dear friends and brilliant Australian creatives. A table by , an sequence lamp, works from and a whole collection of bits and pieces gathered over time. Bones, feathers, bark, objects, memories. A treasure trove of love.

This project was as much about championing the incredible Australian designers and artists around us as it was about showing the power of colour, curation and a home with soul.

And of course, none of it would be what it is without my very talented other half. poured so much craft and care into this home. We’re a team, always, and The View simply would not exist in the way it does without you.

I could talk about this project for hours, so I’ll leave it here: stay true to your eye. Stay true to your story. Authenticity always lands.

A MASSIVE thank you to the judges for seeing our home and the presence it has. I’m just over the moon to be beside the designers & decorators that I have idolised for years.

Interior design & decoration .shields
Carpentry & bespoke pieces
Photography
Stylist

17/04/2026

•SHORTLISTED•

WOW, WOW, WOW!! Beyond thrilled and bloody humbled to announce that Joy Haus has been shortlisted for Residential Design 2026

My first project outside of my own home, sitting alongside designers I’ve admired for years… it feels surreal. There’s not enough words to express all the feelings.

But more than anything, Joy Haus is special because of Mitch & Clare. The level of trust they gave me ~ full reins, no hesitation, is rare. It shaped not just the outcome, but a friendship that will last well beyond the project.

This is why I love what I do. Creating homes that feel deeply personal. Spaces that don’t just look good, but feel like something.

Thank you to the judges for recognising the joy, and the love poured into this one.

Interior design & decoration .shields
Built by
Photography
Stylist

09/04/2026

•DULUX COLOUR AWARDS•

A bit of a pinch-me moment for the studio.

To have my first two projects as a solo practice recognised in the 40th anniversary of the Colour Awards, and named finalists across 2 categories, feels monumental and bloody exciting!

These projects mark the beginning of Studio Shields as its own voice. Colour-led, story-driven, and colour being deeply ingrained into the fabric of each space, not applied as an afterthought, but embedded from the outset.

A huge thank you to the judges for recognising the work and the diversity in how colour has been used across both projects. It is an honour to be recognised in such a talented group of designers.

Joy Haus holds a special place in all of this. A home shaped by trust, generosity and a shared appetite for colour. Thank you to my wonderful clients who leaned in, said yes, and allowed the work to become something layered, personal and full of life.
Nominated for residential interior & exterior ✨

For The View, thank you to Patrick, who has been there through every iteration, every wild colour turn in our own home, backing the experimentation and letting it unfold without restraint.
Nominated for residential interior ✨

Colour has always been more than a visual tool for me. It’s how I understand space. How I build atmosphere. How I tell stories.

This feels like a full circle moment, and also just the beginning.

Both projects photographed by the talented
The view ~ carpentry & bespoke pieces
Joy Haus ~ built by
Both projects styled by

29/03/2026

•JOY HAUS•

Monday blues, but the kind you really want to sink into 💙

This colour-drenched blue bathroom at Joy Haus is one of those moments that catches you slightly off guard, in the best way. Tucked within a home defined by warmth and layered materiality, it arrives as a cool exhale. A shift in tempo. A little jolt of joy.

Located in Mt Eliza, Joy Haus is an interior design and decoration project created for the most wonderful family. A home that holds joy at its core, expressed through colour, materiality and personality in equal measure. Here, colour isn’t applied, it’s embedded. Used architecturally to guide how you move and feel through the space.

This bathroom forms part of that sequence. Moving from warm, neutral-wrapped walkway into a fully immersive blue moment. Baby blue tiles paired with contrasting blue grout, a ceiling that dissolves into the same dark hue, blue quartz stone layered against smoked birch laminate. It’s playful, but deeply considered.

Jewellery moments carry through, hardware by and alongside the baby blue Nelly lights from ~ soft, sculptural, slightly cheeky. And of course, the cloud. I’ve wanted one since I was a wee snapper, so it had to happen. The glaze, the softness, the way it sits against the tiles… she earns her place (right into my heart).

What makes this project so special, beyond the materiality, is the people. Mitch, both client and architect, brought a level of trust and openness that allowed the collaboration to truly sing. We jokingly called ourselves the A-Team, with more wild ideas cooking.

And alongside Mitch is Clare, who has become a mentor and someone I deeply admire. A powerhouse in every sense, generous, sharp, and endlessly inspiring. We’ve shared many wines and many deep conversations & for that I am extremely thankful.

Somewhere along the way, this project moved beyond work. That’s the real joy of Joy Haus.

Joy Haus is featured in Issue 04 of which is on presale now! ✨

Interior design & decoration .shields
Built by
Photography
Stylist

27/03/2026

•IN THE PRESS•

I’m so excited to finally share Joy Haus, my most recently completed project, now published in Issue 04 magazine ~ on pre-sale now!! ✨

Located in Mt Eliza, this interior design and decoration project led by Studio Shields for the most wonderful family. A home that holds joy at its core, expressed through colour, materiality and personality in equal measure.

The inspiration came from the family, their personalities, their cheek, their vibrancy. The palette of materials shaped by behaviours over aesthetics, intuitive and instinctive.

The home is a material wonderland of checkered cork, Rosso Levanto, blue quartzite, bold gloss orange, jacquard velvets, walnut, silk rugs, stainless steel… layered with intention, woven into a fever dream of colour and texture that feels both playful and grounded.

Orchestrating over 13 colours, the palette unfolds as you move through the home. Blossom yellows wrap the main living zones, emanating warmth, before intensifying into bold blues, deep browns and finally arriving at a main bedroom cocooned in rich nutmegs and rusts ~ romantic & immersive.

Material and colour are used deliberately as architectural devices, shaping atmosphere, guiding movement, and creating moments of surprise throughout. From joinery detailing to hardware that reads like jewellery, every element plays a role in the broader narrative.

The home is also a celebration of local & internatial design, featuring lighting by and , hardware by , and furniture from local makers & designers like , , and many more ~ bringing depth, character and a strong sense of authorship to every corner.

This project was built on trust, openness and a shared ambition to create something truly expressive, a collaboration that allowed the design to be pushed, refined and fully realised in joy.

Interior Design & Decoration .shields
Builder
Photography
Stylist

Front cover is the beautiful house of shot by

20/03/2026

•ELIZA LEGAL•

A little moody board for your Friday ✨

Sharing our latest commercial project, concept board where we explored how colour can transform a professional environment into one that feels warm & welcoming.

Eliza Legal is a practice that leads with empathy first. A place for family law that acknowledges the emotional weight people often carry when they walk through the door, uncertainty, vulnerability, big life shifts. The interior responds by softening the experience of arrival, creating a space that feels human before it feels corporate.

The palette sits in careful balance between warm and cool, a little nod to Lady Justice herself. It’s the rich fig burgundy’s and hues of verdant, alongside natural materials of cork, stone and walnut. Always a flourish of bold in there & combining all this into a melting pot you just want to sink your teeth into.

The result is a legal office that moves away from the clinical greys and whites we’ve come to expect. Instead, colour and material are used to build atmosphere, comfort and trust.

A place that recognises that sometimes the most powerful thing a space can offer is simply a sense of calm.

17/03/2026

•ELIZA LEGAL•

Not every legal space needs to feel cold or clinical. Our latest commercial project, , explores how colour can transform a professional environment into one that feels warm & welcoming.

Eliza Legal is a practice that leads with empathy first. A place for family law that acknowledges the emotional weight people often carry when they walk through the door, uncertainty, vulnerability, big life shifts. The interior responds by softening the experience of arrival, creating a space that feels human before it feels corporate.

The palette sits in careful balance between warm and cool, a little nod to Lady Justice herself. The spatial planing of the space was a balance between private offices, a boardroom and an area for the legal team to work together. Acoustics play a huge role for privacy along with colour zoning to define key spaces.

Set within an original Victorian bank building, we wanted the exterior to stand out and have a street presence. Defining the key brand colour & drenching the lower story contrasting it with terracotta tiles and a custom coloured triple rider. There’s no missing it.

The result is a legal office that moves away from the clinical greys and whites we’ve come to expect. Instead, colour and material are used to build atmosphere, comfort and trust.

A place that recognises that sometimes the most powerful thing a space can offer is simply a sense of calm.

16/03/2026

•E L I Z A L E G A L•

Not every legal space needs to feel cold or clinical. Our latest commercial project, , explores how colour can transform a professional environment into one that feels warm & welcoming.

Eliza Legal is a practice that leads with empathy first. A place for family law that acknowledges the emotional weight people often carry when they walk through the door, uncertainty, vulnerability, big life shifts. The interior responds by softening the experience of arrival, creating a space that feels human before it feels corporate.

The palette sits in careful balance between warm and cool, a quiet nod to Lady Justice herself. Ochres, clay and honeyed tones meet cooler notes of stone and mineral. Not opposing forces, but a gentle equilibrium ~ warmth for reassurance, coolness for clarity.

At the heart of the space sits the reception desk, conceived almost as a small stage set for this idea of balance. Inspired by Lady Justice - soft drapery folds against solid marble and walnut ~ fabric meeting stone. Tenderness alongside strength. A physical expression of the dualities often held within family law.

Set within an original Victorian bank building, the design works with the bones of the past rather than against them. The historic ceilings remain intact, while contemporary signage and lighting layer a new chapter into the space.

The result is a legal office that moves away from the clinical greys and whites we’ve come to expect. Instead, colour and material are used to build atmosphere, comfort and trust.

A place that recognises that sometimes the most powerful thing a space can offer is simply a sense of calm.

14/03/2026

The View ~ our richly layered home in the Yarra Valley treetops ~ Read the full article here - https://bit.ly/4apm4xm

14/03/2026

The View featured on Vogue Living - A true labour of love spanning seven years, Studio Shields’ debut project is a warm, colour-drenched, deeply personal and handcrafted home inspired by the natural setting surrounding it. Thank you Saskia for such a beautifully written article.

Studio Shields

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