Atelier Shan approaches every project as a collaboration. The studio works closely with clients to understand their vision and supports it with technical expertise, experience, and clear guidance throughout the process.
Before any design work begins, the focus is on understanding the client in depth. This includes how they live or operate, how the space will be used, and what it needs to support in the long term. For residential projects, this process begins with a detailed questionnaire that helps define lifestyle, priorities, and full project scope. For private clubs, hospitality, and food and beverage projects, this extends to understanding brand identity, operational needs, and member or guest expectations.
Timelines are addressed from the outset. Clients are guided through what is realistic, which decisions need to be made at each stage, and how the project will progress. Understanding the client’s personality and decision-making style is equally important. The studio adapts its communication and workflow so clients feel comfortable, supported, and confident throughout the journey.
From there, Atelier Shan helps translate the brief into a clear design direction. Some clients arrive with a defined vision, while others know how they want a space to feel but struggle to articulate it. The studio’s role is to listen carefully and turn those intentions into a coherent story that the design can follow. This storytelling approach is especially important when working with private clubs, where alignment with committees and members is essential.
Atelier Shan typically presents three distinct concept directions for each project. These are not minor variations, but carefully developed interpretations of the brief. This allows clients and committees to understand options clearly, respond with confidence, and refine the direction collaboratively.
A defining feature of the studio’s process is its material-led approach. Rather than designing purely for visual impact and sourcing materials later, Atelier Shan introduces materials early and develops its designs around them. Samples are presented at the beginning so decisions are tangible and honest. In-house renderings are created to reflect real materials and finishes, avoiding any disconnect between concept and delivery. This approach removes uncertainty and ensures there is no pretending between what is shown and what is built.
Materials are selected for how they shape the experience of a space, with careful attention to comfort, tactility, and atmosphere. Functionality and long-term use are addressed alongside these qualities so materials support the design intent rather than dictate it. Custom patterns, branded fabrics, bespoke wall finishes, and textured surfaces are explored where appropriate, always with guidance from the studio.
Clients often find this hands-on process reassuring. Being able to touch materials, understand how they age, and see them accurately represented in renderings builds trust and makes decision-making clearer, particularly in high-end hospitality and private club environments.
From concept through to final outcome, Atelier Shan’s role is to work with clients at every stage. The studio presents to committees, engages with members when required, and coordinates across consultants and specialists to ensure alignment. The result is a collaborative process that feels transparent, supportive, and grounded, leading to spaces that are thoughtful, functional, and genuinely aligned with the client’s vision.
