Shona McElroy

Shona McElroy is the founder and principal of Smac Studio Interior Architecture, a Sydney-based design practice with a global following. Smac Studio projects have received nominations for Australian and international awards, as well as numerous magazine features.

With a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Sydney and experience working in architectural practices, Shona’s thoughtful layouts create beautiful flow and function. Creative, unexpected details personalise her clients’ homes, elevating them with texture and materiality.

Notable recent works include Light House in Vaucluse, a modern reimagining of an Italianate family home, and the Smac Studio Office in Paddington, a bold refit of a small corner terrace. Shona had two days to design her company’s workspace and two weeks to fit it out. Walls and ceilings were painted a dark green-grey, while a deep terracotta shade was used in the bathroom – the goal was to prove rooms can feel bright and generous in a multitude of shades.

Shona’s most recognised work is the moody green grotto powder room from her Dover Heights project, Mirror Image. To avoid making it feel wedged under the stairs, McElroy used flexible plywood to embrace every possible curve in the space with no wall lines. Unable to fit the floor-to-ceiling mirror originally planned, two semicircular corner mirrors were positioned to reflect each other, creating a playful little optical illusion.

Smac Studio is currently moving into product design, collaborating on a collection of rugs with Hali. Furniture, and hardware and homewares will follow.

Personable, collaborative and hardworking, Shona has longstanding relationships with her clients and building teams. Her aim is always to create harmonious spaces that are elegant, original and inviting.