Atelier Shan was founded by Ketty Shan following a career shaped by large-scale architecture, international hospitality, and private members’ clubs. The studio’s approach today is the result of years spent working inside complex environments where design, operations, and long-term use must function seamlessly together.
Ketty trained as an architect and worked with international practices including 10 Design and IO DESIGN, contributing to projects focused on urban development and large-scale architectural planning. This background established a strong technical foundation and an understanding of how buildings, systems, and people interact over time.
She later became closely involved in the expansion of Soho House across Asia, including Hong Kong and Mumbai. Working on site, Ketty gained direct experience in the private club world, collaborating with operations teams and committees while designing the backbone of the clubs. This included AV systems, cinemas, bars, kitchens, security, and the technical infrastructure that supports high-end hospitality and food and beverage environments.
This exposure shaped a rare skill set. Private clubs and high-end hospitality projects require far more than visual design. They demand an understanding of club culture, member expectations, committee dynamics, and operational realities. Change is often sensitive. Members are attached to memories, routines, and identity. Atelier Shan’s role in these contexts is to work with clients and committees, not over them, guiding projects forward with respect, care, and clarity.
This approach has positioned Atelier Shan as a private club design studio trusted with complex, high-end hospitality projects. The studio works closely with some of the best contractors, brands, and consultants in Hong Kong. This network is central to its value. Clients gain access to experienced specialists across MEP, AV, kitchens, licensing, and technical coordination, areas that many designers avoid but which are essential for successful delivery.
Hong Kong’s context further informs this way of working. Space, budget, and functionality often define projects from the outset. Atelier Shan works within these realities, starting with a deep understanding of how spaces must operate, both now and in the long term. From there, design and comfort are integrated early, ensuring usability and atmosphere develop together.
The studio’s work extends internationally, with experience across high-end hospitality projects in Macau and Southeast Asia, including site-specific environments such as Indonesia and the Komodo Islands. Whether working on private clubs, clubhouses, villas, restaurants, or food and beverage destinations, the same holistic approach applies.
Heritage and restoration are addressed when the brief requires it. Hong Kong’s architectural identity includes colonial-era buildings and old structures that demand careful renovation rather than replacement. Projects such as Tai Kwun illustrate how thoughtful restoration can preserve memory while allowing spaces to evolve. Atelier Shan approaches old building renovation in the same way, responding to context rather than imposing style.
From its beginnings to its current portfolio of high-end, luxury, and international projects, Atelier Shan has been shaped by technical understanding, collaboration, and respect. These qualities continue to define the studio’s work across private clubs, hospitality, and complex architectural interiors.
The studio’s work extends internationally, with experience across high-end hospitality projects in Macau and Southeast Asia, including site-specific environments such as Indonesia and the Komodo Islands. Whether working on private clubs, clubhouses, villas, restaurants, or food and beverage destinations, the same holistic approach applies.
Heritage and restoration are addressed when the brief requires it. Hong Kong’s architectural identity includes colonial-era buildings and old structures that demand careful renovation rather than replacement. Projects such as Tai Kwun illustrate how thoughtful restoration can preserve memory while allowing spaces to evolve. Atelier Shan approaches old building renovation in the same way, responding to context rather than imposing style.
From its beginnings to its current portfolio of high-end, luxury, and international projects, Atelier Shan has been shaped by technical understanding, collaboration, and respect. These qualities continue to define the studio’s work across private clubs, hospitality, and complex architectural interiors.
