ABOUT SHIRAZ ATELIER
A Canberra Building Design Studio Built on Experience, Credentials & Craft
Discover The Taste of Architecture
Who we are
A Structured & Thoughtful Building Design Studio
Shiraz Atelier is a Canberra-based building design studio delivering residential, multi-unit and commercial design solutions across the ACT.
We work with homeowners, developers, builders and business owners — guiding projects from early feasibility and concept design through to construction documentation and implementation support.
Our team brings together three Masters-qualified designers with over 70 years of combined experience across international and Canberra-based projects. That depth of academic training and hands-on practice means every project benefits from both refined design thinking and real-world construction knowledge.
We work across custom homes, townhouses, dual occupancies, renovations, extensions and commercial fitouts — with completed projects in Whitlam, Taylor, Throsby, Denman, Kaleen, Red Hill, Narrabundah, Monash, Woden, Lyneham and beyond.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Design That Feels Balanced, Clear & Intentional
Discover the Taste of Architecture.
For us, good design is experienced daily — through light, proportion, layout and material choice. It is not something you admire once and forget. It is the feeling of a well-placed window on a winter morning, a kitchen that flows naturally into a living space, a hallway that never feels wasted.
We approach each project as a coordinated composition of space, structure and usability. Creative direction is balanced with regulatory awareness and construction feasibility — because ideas that don't translate into built form aren't ideas worth pursuing.
Rather than over-complicating, we prioritise clarity. Intelligent layouts. Refined spaces that feel intuitive, functional and lasting. Design that earns its place — every room, every decision, every detail.
OUR VALUES
WHAT WE STAND FOR
Four Principles That Shape Every Project
Clarity Over Complexity
We believe good design should be understood, not decoded. Clear documentation, transparent process and honest communication at every stage.
Buildable Outcomes
Every design decision is made with construction reality in mind. Ideas that can't be built don't serve anyone.
Site-Responsive Thinking
Orientation, slope, neighbours, light — we study the site before we draw a single line. Good design begins with good listening.
Refined Without Excess
We aim for spaces that feel considered and lasting — not trend-driven. Quality of proportion and light over decoration.
OUR APPROACH
HOW WE WORK
Practical Thinking. Refined Outcomes.
Every project we take on moves through the same disciplined process — not because we follow a formula, but because structure reduces risk and supports better design decisions.
We begin by listening.
Understanding your site, your goals, your budget and your timeline before a single line is drawn. Early feasibility review shapes everything that follows.
We develop with intention.
Concept design is about finding the right spatial logic—zoning, orientation, light, and circulation—not just producing drawings. We test ideas against site conditions and planning requirements before committing to detail.
We document with precision.
Construction documentation is where design intent becomes a buildable reality. Our drawings are structured for clarity—supporting builder pricing, consultant coordination, and approval pathways with minimal back-and-forth.
We stay present.
Design doesn't stop when documentation is issued. We support projects through approvals and construction — responding to clarifications, adjusting where needed and maintaining alignment between design intent and built outcome.
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Meet our team
Experience, Depth & Practical Insight
Shiraz Atelier brings together three Masters-qualified designers with diverse international and local experience in residential, landscape and commercial design. Our team combines academic depth — including PhD candidacy and university-level teaching — with hands-on construction knowledge, allowing us to deliver solutions that are both refined and genuinely buildable.
Shirin
Designer
Roy
Designer
Lili
Designer
Our Team
Shirin
Master of Architecture · Master of Landscape Architecture
26+ years experience · International & Canberra projects
Shirin leads the creative direction of Shiraz Atelier, bringing a rare dual qualification in architecture and landscape design that shapes the way she approaches every project. For Shirin, the boundary between a building and its setting is not a hard line — it is an opportunity.
With over 26 years of experience spanning international practice and Canberra-based residential work, she has developed a design language defined by the integration of built form, landscape, light and material expression. Her projects are characterised by a calm, considered quality — spaces that feel naturally balanced rather than visually busy.
Shirin's approach consistently prioritises how a home will be lived in over how it will be photographed. The result is architecture that performs as well as it looks.
Roy
Master of Architecture · PhD Candidate (Energy-Efficient Design)
25+ years experience · Former University Lecturer in Architecture
Roy brings the rare combination of deep academic research and practical construction experience to every project. As a PhD candidate specialising in energy-efficient design and a former university lecturer in architecture, his technical understanding goes well beyond standard documentation.
With over 25 years of international and local experience, Roy has developed a design logic built on performance — spaces structured to be thermally comfortable, efficiently built and long-lasting. His knowledge of Passive House principles, zero-energy design strategies and sustainable residential planning means that every home he works on is designed to perform as well as it looks.
Roy's role at Shiraz Atelier is to ensure that creative direction is always grounded in buildable, technically sound outcomes — translating design intent into drawings that builders and certifiers can work with confidently.
Lili
Master of Architecture
18+ years experience · Former Architecture Lecturer
Lili brings a refined design sensibility to residential and interior projects — shaped by over 18 years of practice across Canberra and overseas, and an academic background that includes both a PhD candidacy and university-level architecture teaching.
Her specialisation lies in site-responsive home layouts: understanding how orientation, topography, neighbouring conditions and daily routines should drive spatial decisions from the earliest stages of design. Lili has a particular sensitivity to light — how it moves through a space across the day, how it defines character, how it can be captured or controlled through thoughtful window placement and spatial sequencing.
The homes and interiors Lili designs feel harmonious and unhurried. Spaces shaped by careful attention to proportion, texture and the rhythms of everyday life.
OUR CLIENTS
Supporting Homeowners, Developers & Business Owners
We collaborate with a diverse range of clients — each approached with the same commitment to clarity, structure and practical delivery.
Homeowners
Custom homes, renovations, extensions and dual occupancies — shaped around your lifestyle and block.
Developers & Investors
Townhouses and multi-unit projects focused on yield, compliance and buildable documentation.
Builders
Coordinated, practical documentation that supports smooth construction delivery.
Business Owners
Functional, compliant commercial and retail fitout solutions across the ACT.
A CLEAR PATH FROM CONCEPT TO CONSTRUCTION
Design That Goes the Distance
At Shiraz Atelier, we believe design should be thoughtful, structured and grounded in real-world conditions. From early feasibility through to detailed documentation, we provide a clear and confident pathway — balancing creativity with compliance, and vision with practicality.
Whether you are planning a custom home in Canberra's newer suburbs, considering a renovation in an established neighbourhood, or developing a multi-unit project — we bring the experience and structure to guide you from idea to built form.
Discover the Taste of Architecture.