Kimberly McMahon

“A house is much more than a mere shelter; it should lift us emotionally and spiritually.”

This quote has stayed with me throughout my studies because it perfectly captures what interior design means to me. As designers, we have the unique responsibility of shaping environments that people don’t just live in, but truly experience. The way individuals move through a space, how colours and textures influence their emotions, and how thoughtful design can shift perception. All of this fuels my passion for the field.

My work as a Sales Assistant at Clu Living has given me valuable insight into how deeply people’s environments affect them. I’ve had the opportunity to help clients curate colours, materials, and furnishings that harmonise with their existing palettes. Ensuring their interiors feel cohesive, comfortable, and personal. Collaborating with clients to bring their vision to life has strengthened my understanding of both aesthetics and function.

Beyond the design floor, I have gained practical experience managing supplier relationships, coordinating logistics, and navigating operational challenges to maintain a seamless process from start to finish. These experiences have broadened my appreciation for the behind-the-scenes work that supports great design and reinforced my commitment to creating spaces that elevate everyday living.

Soft Boundaries: Using Fabric to Define Semi-Private Spaces

The use of fabric as dividers in semi-private spaces offers a unique way to balance openness and privacy, creating environments that feel both intimate and connected. Unlike rigid partitions, fabric introduces softness and flexibility, subtly defining boundaries without fully enclosing a space. Visually, fabrics serve as cues that signal a shift in spatial function: folds, textures, and colours guide users’ perception, indicating that an area is more private while still maintaining a sense of accessibility. This visual language is essential in helping occupants intuitively navigate and respect personal zones within a shared environment.
Equally important is the auditory effect of fabric. Unlike hard walls, fabric absorbs and diffuses sound, reducing noise levels and creating a calmer atmosphere, while still allowing the ambient sounds of the surrounding public space to filter through. This acoustic permeability reinforces the semi-private nature of the space. It feels protected without being completely isolated, maintaining a connection to the broader environment.
The interplay between visual and auditory cues allows fabric dividers to achieve a perfect balance between openness and seclusion. By combining the softness of material with thoughtful spatial arrangement, designers can create areas that offer comfort, focus, and personal retreat while still reflecting the energy and presence of the larger shared space. In this way, fabric partitions enhance both the functional and experiential quality of semi-private zones, supporting adaptability, well-being, and human interaction.

Fourfold Living: Designing for Collective Comfort

In shared living environments, the inclusion of spare rooms plays a crucial role in enhancing individual privacy and overall well-being. These additional rooms serve as flexible retreats, offering residents a personal space to work, rest, or recharge away from the communal areas. By providing this buffer, the apartment supports a healthier balance between togetherness and independence, ensuring each resident can maintain their own rhythm within a shared home.
Adaptability is further strengthened through the integration of flexible design elements such as tambour doors. Their smooth, retractable movement allows spaces to transform effortlessly in response to changing needs. Open, they encourage connection and transparency; closed, they create defined zones for privacy or focused activity. This fluidity ensures the apartment remains responsive to daily routines, hosting styles, and personal preferences.
The customised kitchen island with its hidden pull-out table adds another layer of multifunctionality. Acting as both a central gathering point and a discreet dining or work surface, it maximises functionality without sacrificing visual simplicity. When tucked away, the table maintains an uncluttered aesthetic; when extended, it seamlessly accommodates shared meals, study sessions, or casual conversations.
Together, these features create a living environment that is adaptable, considerate, and thoughtfully attuned to the diverse needs of shared occupancy.

Light as Architecture: Crafting Space Through Illumination

Light is one of the most influential elements in architecture, shaping both the visual identity of a space and the emotional experience of its occupants. Beyond ensuring visibility, light reveals form, enhances materiality, and sets the overall atmosphere. Natural light in particular adds a dynamic quality, with its shifting angles and intensities throughout the day animating surfaces, creating subtle shadows, and connecting users to the natural rhythms of their environment.

A key role of light is its ability to soften hard surfaces. Materials such as concrete, stone, and metal can appear harsh or rigid. Still, when illuminated thoughtfully through diffused daylight, warmth and depth are added. Strategic lighting can soften edges, reduce visual heaviness, and bring a sense of comfort to spaces that might otherwise feel cold or imposing. Such as this breezeway, made with concrete and corten steel shaders.

Light also shapes how people navigate and interpret a building. Bright, open areas promote activity and interaction, while more subdued or filtered light supports rest and introspection. These variations help define spatial hierarchy and guide movement, enhancing both functionality and user experience.

Ultimately, light is not just an accessory to architecture but a fundamental design material. It influences mood, supports well-being, and elevates even the simplest forms. By harnessing its ability to enrich textures, soften surfaces, and create emotional resonance, designers can craft spaces that feel inviting, balanced, and deeply connected to the human experience. All of these subjects were explored through the shader design.

The EMBRACE Project

An exploded axonometric diagram is used to clearly illustrate the project’s vertical circulation, revealing how each level connects and interacts within the overall design. By separating the building’s components. As the floors progress in height, the spatial arrangement gradually shifts from open, publicly accessible areas at the lower levels to more controlled semi-private spaces, eventually transitioning into fully private zones. This intentional layering of privacy enhances the user experience and supports the building’s functional hierarchy. The expanded view not only clarifies these relationships but also offers a deeper understanding of how movement flows throughout the structure and how the architecture responds to varying levels of accessibility and use. This visual approach allows viewers to appreciate both the organisational logic and the design intent behind the project’s circulation strategy.

Designing Play: Colour as a Tool in Leisure Environments

Colour is a fundamental tool in shaping experiences within public spaces, influencing perception, mood, and behaviour. Beyond its aesthetic value, colour can guide movement, highlight pathways, and subtly organise spatial hierarchy. In dynamic environments such as plazas, parks, or recreational areas, the thoughtful application of colour encourages exploration and interaction, transforming ordinary circulation into an engaging experience.
Bright, warm tones such as pink and yellow tend to attract attention and stimulate energy, naturally drawing people toward key zones or activity areas. Cooler, calmer hues, like blues and can define resting or contemplative spaces, creating contrast that helps users navigate intuitively. By using colour strategically on architectural features, designers can shape flows of movement and establish visual cues without the need for intrusive signage.
Colour also plays a psychological role, influencing how welcoming, safe, or stimulating a space feels. It can define boundaries, indicate transitions, and enhance spatial legibility, particularly in large, open, or complex environments. In addition, colour can reinforce identity and culture, making public spaces feel unique, memorable, and inviting.
When combined with form, texture, and light, colour becomes a dynamic instrument that not only beautifies but also orchestrates human activity. Thoughtful colour design in public spaces fosters interaction, encourages circulation, and transforms ordinary environments into lively, engaging, and purposeful places.