Sheppard, an architect and designer, began collaborating with Michael Gabellini in 1994, inspired by her years of living and working in Milan and other design-rich cities of Europe. Since becoming a partner in 1998, she has expanded the firm’s capabilities across residential, hospitality, retail, public, and exhibition platforms. Sheppard initiates and develops integrated design concepts to heighten both the sensory and functional experience of architectural environments. From inception to implementation, her holistic approach to design reveals a spatial dexterity across all scales of investigation, from a custom light fixture to a commercial master plan. In restoring and renovating historic properties from a contemporary point of view, she establishes an architectural dialogue between old and new, exploring sustainable building through design regeneration.

Sheppard has designed numerous signature environments and branding concepts for clients worldwide. She has directed the firm’s design of luxury condominium and hotel interiors including The Edition in Istanbul and the Knickerbocker Hotel, set within a historic National Landmark building in New York. She is an accomplished designer of cultural and civic spaces such as Top of the Rock and the redeveloped Rainbow Room at New York’s iconic 30 Rockefeller Plaza—reflecting her ability to preserve architectural landmarks while pursuing latent possibilities within the redevelopment and design process. In addition, Sheppard has designed distinguished boutiques and showrooms for brands such as Jil Sander, Nicole Farhi, Gianfranco Ferr√©, Salvatore Ferragamo, David Yurman, and Elena Miro; and large-scale retail environments for The Village at Westfield London, the Mall of America in Minneapolis (renovation and expansion), and the Giorgio Armani Center in Milan.

Sheppard is a registered architect in the states of New York and Nevada. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, she earned her Architecture and Fine Arts degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design, and has served as adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design. Prior to collaborating with Gabellini, she worked with Laboratorio Associati, where she was project architect for the Halkin Hotel in historic Belgravia, London. She also contributed to the design and implementation of a variety of fashion boutiques across Europe, Asia, and North America, including Gianni Versace flagships set within historic Beaux-Arts buildings in London and New York.