HARMONIA
Interior Decoration
Client: Private
Location: Moonee Ponds, Victoria
Interior Decoration: Nickolas Gurtler
Photography: Timothy Kaye
Harmonia is an exceptional Edwardian residence originally built in 1889 and thoughtfully renovated and extended in the early 2020s. Engaged by the home’s new owners, designer Nickolas Gurtler was tasked with bringing greater warmth, life and personality to a house that, while stately and beautifully resolved, felt restrained in spirit. With its towering ceilings, immense volume and almost commercial-scaled staircase, the home possesses a rare sense of grandeur. The result is a peaceful and highly considered interior shaped by harmony, material richness and a more intimate way of living.
The studio’s intervention focused on the entrance, dining room and principal living areas, where furniture, lighting and objects were used to soften the scale and introduce a stronger sense of atmosphere. In the main living room, the expansive use of Tundra marble and white Venetian plaster create a striking architectural backdrop, while a reworked furniture plan transforms the previously cavernous space into a more nuanced and flexible setting. A custom configuration of the iconic Marenco sofa by Arflex divides the room into two orientations: one toward the pool and garden for entertaining, and the other toward the fireplace and concealed television for quieter evenings at home.
A layered composition of custom commissions and enduring design pieces brings warmth, tactility and sculptural rhythm to the interior. A Tactile armchair by Baxter sits alongside a solid aluminium coffee table by Brud Studia, while a sculpted travertine coffee table by Tom Fereday is paired with a walnut and rattan chair by Daniel Boddam. Custom side tables by Melbourne maker Jess Humpston and a custom rug by Cassina complete the setting, while artworks by Steffie Wallace and Nunzio Miano add softness and depth. Together, these elements draw together a palette of ivory, cream, coffee, chocolate, bronze, aluminium and stone.
In the kitchen, the existing island pendant was replaced with a custom commission by Lost Profile Studio, introducing a more sculptural gesture at the appropriate scale. A vessel by Astrid Salomon and Cab counter stools by Cassina in rich chocolate brown add texture and depth, while the dining room continues the home’s calm material language with chairs by SP01, a vessel by Lost Profile Studio and further works by Steffie Wallace and Nunzio Miano. In the entrance hall, a vintage Tronchi Murano light sourced from a villa in northern Italy replaces the original chandelier, joined by a T904 bench by Poltrona Frau and a plinth by Karin Bochnik in Sottsass veneer.
Still evolving over time, Harmonia reflects an ongoing and deeply collaborative relationship between designer and client. The home remains serene and neutral in spirit, yet layered with contrast, warmth and personality — an interior where old and new, softness and solidity, are held in careful balance.