Shade Skin redefines the traditional skin cancer clinic experience, offering a space that honours the complexity, resilience, and beauty of our largest organ. At the core of this project is a singular ambition: to transform clinical care into a restorative, human-centred experience that inspires awareness, self-care, and dignity.

Drawing inspiration from the ever-changing nature of skin, the design embraces texture, contrast, and tactility to create an environment that is both calming and thought-provoking. Muted tonal hues, reflecting the diversity of skin tones, form the foundation of the colour palette, while soft transitions between spaces are achieved through subtle colour blocking, allowing clients to move seamlessly through zones of comfort, privacy and care.

A minimal-intervention approach was key to the project’s sustainability goals. By working with the existing building fabric, we reduced material waste and cost, while creating opportunities to celebrate the site’s architectural bones. The result is a series of curated spaces that feel fresh and contemporary, yet grounded and authentic.

At the heart of the clinic sits a sculptural, organic reception desk and point of sale, crafted from formed steel and referencing the undulating dunes and waves of Western Australia’s coastline. This piece becomes a tactile focal point, functional, evocative and tied to place.

Key moments within the clinic elevate the patient journey. A quiet, private waiting area offers a residential sensibility - soft, familiar and warm. In contrast, the client restrooms are richly saturated in tone and texture, designed as a deliberate departure from the sterile aesthetic of typical consulting environments.

Shade Skin invites reflection on the connection between skin health and wellbeing, while positioning itself as a centre for education, awareness and compassion. It’s a space where design not only supports healing but celebrates the human condition in all its nuance.

Photography by Dion Robeson | West Perth, WA