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Ruby Shields says taking Kelly Wearstler’s MasterClass during the Covid period helped her decide to pursue interior design professionally. She and her husband, Patrick, spent seven years renovating their Yarra Ranges home, which became the foundation and showcase for her design practice, Studio Shields.
Interior designer Ruby Shields says taking Kelly Wearstler’s MasterClass during the Covid period helped her decide to pursue design professionally, after years spent renovating a home in Australia’s Yarra Ranges with her husband, Patrick. The seven-year project became the strongest showcase for her practice, Studio Shields, according to a Livingetc profile.
The Shields bought the early-1980s house while they were in their early twenties: Ruby was working as an advertising art director, while Patrick was a carpentry apprentice. The property, about an hour’s drive from Melbourne, appealed to them despite unfinished areas that could have deterred other buyers. Its position above a canopy of gum trees inspired Ruby to call it “The View.”
The renovation took place gradually over seven years, with the couple working on the house during evenings and weekends while living in it and completing one room at a time. The lower level lacked a connecting staircase and was largely an exposed frame cut into the hillside. The couple also changed the entrance: Ruby said they removed a wall that had blocked the view, so visitors now see treetops through a window upon entering.
Ruby told Livingetc that the MasterClass gave her a moment of clarity about work she wanted to do. “I took Kelly Wearstler’s masterclass and realized it was time to follow my dream,” she said. “I loved interior design and wanted to do it all the time.” By the end of the home project, she had started Studio Shields. The article identifies her practice by that name, while its headline and image credits also reference Studio Squire; it does not explain the difference.
The finished home combines custom work by the couple with a palette inspired by the surrounding landscape. Features described in the profile include glossy green wall tiles, a sculptural timber vanity, and a bedroom headboard made by Patrick from reclaimed wharf timbers. Ruby said the pair used reclaimed materials to create bespoke pieces while making the most of a limited budget. The article credits Martina Gemmola/Living Inside for the home photography.
A Renovation Became a Design Portfolio
The story shows how a long-running home project can serve both as a personal renovation and a public demonstration of a designer’s approach. For Ruby, the house supplied a setting in which to develop and present ideas about color, texture, craftsmanship and reuse, then became the clearest example of the work behind Studio Shields.
It also highlights the practical partnership behind the project. Ruby described giving design direction while Patrick executed and refined the details through his carpentry. Their account connects the home’s distinctive elements to hands-on collaboration, rather than presenting the renovation as the work of a designer alone. The profile does not establish whether the MasterClass directly caused the business launch; Ruby describes it as a turning point in her decision to follow a longstanding interest.
For readers considering a career change or a renovation, the reported experience offers a specific example of a personal project becoming professional work. It is not evidence that a single course or home renovation will lead to the same outcome for others. The account is the couple’s own description, published in a design profile, and does not provide business results or independent measures of the practice’s growth.
Kelly Wearstler MasterClass interior design course
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Seven Years of Work at The View
The property was not a finished home when the Shields bought it. Its unfinished lower level and lack of stairs meant the renovation involved more than choosing furnishings: the couple had to make the building function while gradually shaping its interior. The report says they undertook the work over seven years, fitting it around their other commitments and living in the house as they went.
Ruby’s design choices draw on both the setting and the couple’s interest in individual objects. The palette includes browns, rust and greens, with a bright blue ceiling; the profile also describes collected decorative objects and a guest-room rug that continues up the timber headboard. Ruby said she likes spaces where details reveal themselves over time and described a home as something that should feel like its inhabitants.
The source names Ruby’s practice as Studio Shields in its account of the launch, but the title and image credits use Studio Squire. It offers no further information about whether these names refer to the same business, a collaboration, or a change in branding. That distinction should not be inferred from the profile alone.
Business Details Remain Unspecified
The profile does not give a publication date, the MasterClass’s exact timing, or a more specific timeline for when Ruby launched her practice beyond saying it happened by the end of the renovation. It also does not provide details about the course content or establish that taking it alone led to her career decision.
The distinction between Studio Shields and Studio Squire is unresolved in the supplied report: the practice is called Studio Shields in the narrative, while Studio Squire appears in the headline and image credit. The article does not clarify the relationship between the names. It also offers no information about the practice’s client base, revenue, current projects, or the home’s renovation cost.
The Profile Leaves Follow-Up Open
Livingetc’s report presents the house as the portfolio piece that helped establish Ruby’s design direction, but it does not announce a new project, business expansion, or upcoming milestone. No next step for Studio Shields is specified in the source material.
Any further account of the practice would need to clarify its name and provide current information on its work. The renovation itself is described as complete enough to serve as the couple’s home and a showcase of their approach; the report gives no schedule for additional work or changes to the property.
Key Questions
What prompted Ruby Shields to pursue interior design?
Shields told Livingetc that taking Kelly Wearstler’s MasterClass during the Covid period helped her realize she wanted to work in interior design full time. The report does not describe the course in detail or say it was the sole reason for her decision.
How long did the home renovation take?
Ruby and Patrick Shields spent seven years renovating the Yarra Ranges property, working on it during evenings and weekends and completing rooms gradually while living there.
Where is the Shields’ home?
The house is in Australia’s Yarra Ranges, about an hour’s drive from Melbourne, according to the Livingetc profile.
What is Ruby Shields’ design practice called?
The report says she launched Studio Shields, but its headline and image credit also use Studio Squire. The supplied article does not explain whether the names refer to the same practice or a separate entity.
What design features define the renovated home?
The profile describes a landscape-inspired palette, glossy green tiles, custom timber details, and furniture and finishes made by the couple. It also highlights reclaimed wharf timber used for a bedroom headboard and the home’s views over gum trees.
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