TL;DR
Ruby and Patrick Shields spent seven years renovating their home in Australia’s Yarra Ranges, using reclaimed materials and custom details to shape the project. Ruby said taking Kelly Wearstler’s MasterClass during the Covid period helped prompt her to pursue interior design professionally and launch Studio Shields.
Ruby Shields says a seven-year renovation of her home in Australia’s Yarra Ranges helped turn her interest in interiors into a professional design practice. In a Livingetc feature, she described taking Kelly Wearstler’s MasterClass during the Covid period as a turning point before launching Studio Shields; her husband, Patrick, contributed carpentry and custom construction to the home.
The couple bought the property in their early twenties, when Ruby worked as an advertising art director and Patrick was a second-year carpentry apprentice. The early-1980s house sits in the hills about an hour’s drive from Melbourne. Ruby said its position among the gum trees made it feel like a treehouse, inspiring the name The View.
The house needed substantial work. Its lower level was largely an exposed frame cut into the hillside, and it had no connecting staircase. The couple renovated it gradually while living there, spending evenings and weekends on the project over seven years. Ruby said they removed a hallway wall that had blocked the view, opening the entrance toward the treetops.
Ruby and Patrick designed and made details throughout the home, from brass handles to sculptural joinery. The feature describes reclaimed wharf timbers in a carved bedroom headboard and a palette of browns, rust, greens and pale blue. Ruby said financial limits pushed them to make considered choices and use reclaimed materials. Livingetc credits the home photography to Martina Gemmola and identifies the design as Studio Squire, while its headline and text connect Ruby’s professional practice with Studio Shields.
A Renovation Becomes a Design Career
The story offers a specific example of how a personal renovation can become a portfolio and a route into professional work. Ruby’s account links a hands-on home project with the decision to launch Studio Shields, while Patrick’s carpentry helped translate her direction into built details. The source does not establish that the renovation alone created the business, but it presents the home as a central expression of her design approach.
For readers interested in interiors, the project also illustrates how a distinctive result can be shaped by limited funds, reclaimed materials and bespoke work, rather than by purchasing a complete set of new furnishings. Ruby’s comments emphasize layering, color and objects with personal meaning. The home’s significance in the report is both practical and personal: it served as the couple’s residence and as a demonstration of the aesthetic Ruby wanted to pursue professionally.
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Seven Years in the Yarra Ranges
The property’s condition and layout made it a substantial undertaking. The early-1980s structure had an unfinished lower floor and no staircase linking the levels, while an interior wall obstructed the outlook. The couple saw the work as an opportunity: Ruby could develop her design ideas, and Patrick could build experience through practical carpentry.
They tackled the house one room at a time, according to Livingetc. Their choices included reclaimed construction materials, custom joinery and varied lighting. Ruby described the overall palette as inspired by the landscape on a sunny autumn day. The article gives no detailed project budget, renovation schedule or account of permits, and those details should not be inferred from the feature.
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Business Details Are Not Provided
The feature does not specify when Studio Shields launched, how many projects it has completed, or whether the practice remains active. It also does not provide an exact date for the home’s completion or the MasterClass, beyond placing Ruby’s decision during the Covid period. The article presents Ruby’s account of the course as a personal turning point; it does not report independently measured effects on her career or business.
The source’s headline refers to an interior designer and its copy discusses Studio Shields, while the image credits identify the design as Studio Squire. The supplied report does not explain the relationship between those names, so their roles should not be treated as interchangeable without further confirmation.
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No Further Milestone Is Listed
Livingetc’s feature does not announce a forthcoming project, business development or follow-up date for Ruby and Patrick. It documents the completed home and Ruby’s account of how the renovation contributed to her decision to pursue design work. Any next step for Studio Shields, including new commissions or changes to the practice, remains unreported in the source material.
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Key Questions
What happened in the Livingetc feature?
Livingetc profiled Ruby and Patrick Shields’ seven-year renovation of a house in Australia’s Yarra Ranges and Ruby’s account of turning her interest in interiors into a design practice.
How did Kelly Wearstler’s MasterClass figure in Ruby Shields’ story?
Ruby said she took Kelly Wearstler’s MasterClass during the Covid period and realized she wanted to pursue interior design professionally. The feature frames it as a turning point in her own account.
Who worked on the renovation?
Ruby and Patrick Shields worked on the home together. Ruby brought her design instincts, while Patrick, then a carpentry apprentice, contributed carpentry and custom construction.
What design choices are highlighted?
The report describes reclaimed materials, bespoke joinery, layered textures and a palette of earthy browns, rust and greens with pale blue. It also notes a carved headboard made from reclaimed wharf timbers.
What remains unknown about Studio Shields?
The feature does not give the practice’s launch date, current status, project count or future plans. It also does not explain the relationship between the Studio Shields name in the story and the Studio Squire design credit.
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