Featured in the kitchen is an island crafted in reclaimed timber joinery by Patrick Shields with Laminex brass kickers, Artedomus Oro Ducale stone, Faucet Strommen Pegasi tapware, cabinetry wrapped in Laminex Moroccan Clay, Studio Shields custom-designed Tactile brass handles, George White brass splashback, Fisher & Pykel freestanding induction cooktop, Yumemiru glass vases by Hot Haus, vintage Persian runner from Cadry’s, a pair of vintage Norman Archibald leather stools, a Studio Shields custom-designed ‘Valency’ pendant, and a Locki Humphrey Button stool in the background.
An alchemy of creativity, craftsmanship, and a love of the surrounding landscape is rendered throughout a 1970’s weatherboard bungalow.
If a contemporary revival of the Arts and Crafts movement existed today, The View would certainly be used as an emblematic home for study. Seven years is considered symbolic, and in this case, that’s how long it took creative duo Studio Shields, principal Ruby Shields and her husband, maker and carpenter Patrick Shields, to complete the renovation of their home. Purchased in 2018, the two-storey bungalow had undergone a mid-renovation and was left with exposed framing. This enabled the couple to intervene early and reconfigure the floor plan to realise their vision.
Working with a blank canvas, “the primary influences became the two of us, the surrounding landscape, and what was achievable within our means,” she says. By relocating the staircase and removing partitions, they created an open-plan living space and, thanks to the home’s perch in the Yarra Valley, offered immediate treetop views upon arrival. The kitchen’s layout was also optimised, while the fireplace was redirected into the adjacent dining room to improve the thermal performance of the communal living spaces.
Conceiving a design brief, the designer explains, was “intentionally fluid, an evolving dialogue between two creatives shaped by experimentation, intuition and shared curiosity. Rather than working towards a fixed endpoint, the house evolved into a living canvas, crafted slowly over years of collaboration and creative exchange.” Their home instead became a unique opportunity for them to exercise their apprenticeship skills while in the early phases of their careers. It also became a laboratory for them “to test boundaries and explore materiality in unconventional ways”, she adds.
A HAY Rice Paper Ellipse pendant illuminates the dining room with a vintage marble dining table, a Maryam Moghadam Ioanna chair, a ceramic plinth by Emily Ellis from Pépite Gallery, a collection of Tantri Mustika ceramics, a Curtis Bloxsidge and 2 am close Kukeri floor lamp and Tiento Aru Olive wall tiles.
Pictured in the living room is cabinetry wrapped in Laminex French Navy with custom-designed Studio Shields Pipe handles, a vintage postmodern leather sofa, a Squeak side table by Ka Ra Studio from Pépite Gallery, ‘Echos of the Unseen’ by Emma Labattaglia, ‘Eros #3’ vase by Martyn Thompson from Oigall Projects, e15 Backenzahn stool, a vintage granite coffee table, IXIA vase by Hattie Molloy, and an Armadillo Agra rug in Burnt Umber.
Each room reads as a gallery, saturated with the vibrant play of colour across the ceilings, walls, cabinetry and furnishings, with white removed from the Shield’s colour vocabulary. Instead, they articulate colours in hues of yellow ochres, wine purples, muddy terracottas, lilac, French navy, ice blue and nutty browns. Adding to this chaleur is the use of ply that dresses the ceilings and runs down the sides of the cornices, forming a pelmet for the curtains, described as an “architectural ribbon.”
Repurposing discarded materials to craft their own designs became a priority, rather than turning to off-the-shelf solutions. Their custom designs are showcased throughout, with the timber kitchen island, pendant, shelves, and bedheads, while hand-finished handles, inspired by the shadows of gum leaves, accent each space. Interwoven throughout every room’s design is the tapestry of the collective work of more than 25 local Australian makers, artists and craftspeople. Reflecting on their explorative renovation journey, Shields defines The View as “our bowerbird nest, completely curated, constructed and cared for by the two of us.”
The living room features a special edition Collector Moca chair, a Curtis Bloxsidge stool and an Armadillo Agra rug in Burnt Umber. Also pictured: ‘Three Vessel’ by Theodoisus Ng from Pépite Gallery, ‘The Griever I’ by Belinda Wiltshire from Craft Victoria, a vintage silk artwork, handmade tapestry by Ruby Shields, ‘Material Palette’ by Breaking Ground, ‘Peep’ wall light by Studio Shields, Earth Pigment painting by Ruby Shields, Djulpan 5300-24, Dhalmula #2 Burarrwaŋa from Brunswick Street Gallery, Grass weave with Alchemy of Orange, ‘Hug’ by Charlotte Swinden represented by Saint Cloche and ‘Where silence moves’ by Emma Labattaglia.
Pictured in the den the ceiling is wrapped in Maxiply Radiator plywood with Objects for Thought Rider Single ceiling lights, a vintage 1980s leather chair, Tali Roth Celeste cushions, Objects for Thought Sequence lamp, Jordan Fleming Wade table, a Dean Norton Containa side table, a vintage Simmons Playpen sofa, an Emma Shepherd Olive Stripe cushion and an Afrikesh Moroccan shag rug, accessorised with a ‘Mossy’ platter by Rina Bernabei, a ‘Trophy #2’ by Alterfacts from Pépite Gallery, a ‘Drip Urn’ by Kelly Brown from Pépite Gallery. Artwork pictured: ‘Start from the start but not from the beginning’ by Ro Noonan, cotton jacquard tapestry by Martyn Thompson, ‘Matchstick Bowls’ by FDO Studio from Pépite Gallery, ‘Flux’ by Locki Humphrey, ‘Eros #1’ vase by Martyn Thompson from Oigall Projects, ‘Void I’ sculptural vessel by Steph Wallace from Craft Victoria, ‘Trophy #4’ by Alterfacts from Pépite Gallery, ‘Resilience – May We Grow Tender’ by Astrid Salomon/ Bastard Ceramics from Craft Victoria and ‘Marbled’ green vase by Tantri Mustika Ceramics.
The bathroom features a Studio Shields custom-designed reclaimed-timber vanity sculpted by Patrick Shields, a Slip Vase by Anna Varendorff from Oigall Projects and a Tantri Mustika Ceramics vase.
In the primary bedroom, the room is furnished with a ceiling wrapped in Maxiply Radiator plywood, ‘Happiness’ cotton jacquard tapestry by Martyn Thompson from Oigall Projects, ALTER table lamp by Studio Kaytar from Craft Victoria, a Torbjørn Afdal Hunter chair, a ‘Flow State Lamp’ by Tanti Mustika Ceramics, a Studio Shields custom-designed bedhead ‘ Where Dreams Subside’, L&M Palermo Caramel bedcover, and a vintage Oushak rug.
Pictured in the bedroom is a vintage tapestry artwork, a Jordan Fleming ‘Exhausted’ floor lamp, a Locki Humphrey Body & Soul side table, a Studio Shields custom-designed bedhead and Odditi Avant Garden bedding.
The post Home Tour | The View by Studio Shields appeared first on est living | exceptional living.