Shelley established her own practice in 1993, following 8 years employment as a student/graduate architect. Early work concentrated on the design and delivery of private residential projects, and received peer recognition through awards, exhibition and publication in books and journals in Australia and internationally. In 2000, her focus shifted to working with public projects where the scope to contribute to better outcomes more broadly was compelling.

Shelley has served her profession through extensive work with Australian Institute of Architects (AIA), including five years as a nationally elected member of the AIA National Council, and a term as the 2012-13 National President.

Selected publications showcasing projects, primarily those from the 7 years following 1993, are arranged chronologically below. Virtually all were delivered on minimal budgets, with central architectural interests being the strategic use of natural light, interior/exterior relationship, and development of spatial proportion and flow to create resonant places.