Commissioned to transform a sparse architectural Caufield house into an inviting home for a young family, Nickolas Gurtler utilised a warm monochrome colour palette and layered raw textures with refined finishes throughout the contemporary home.

“A common thread in all our projects is the inclusion of pieces by local Australian artisans and makers – the talent that we have in this country, particularly when it comes to lighting is world class. We see lighting as the “jewellery” of a space, specifying pieces that exemplify this ideology is our signature.

For this project, the ABACUS pendant constellation was central to the concept – being that the dining space was surrounded by glass, we needed the luminaires to function as pieces of art as well as sources of illumination. The warmth of the aged brass and the rawness of the rough-hewn quartz crystals juxtaposed beautifully against the other elements that were sleek and angular. The quality of the light creates the perfect ambience when dining, with the crystals absorbing and diffusing the light in the space.” – Nickolas Gurtler

For this project, Nickolas Gurtler specified the ABACUS and ARCHIMEDES from the CHRISTOPHER BOOTS range. The ABACUS, which is distinguished by its raw quartz crystal drops, movable along a brass linear channel of LED downlight, and the ARCHIMEDES, characterised by its brass orthogonal triangle grounded in a composite cement base. Both fixtures combine raw and earthy materials (quartz and cement) with refined and precise brass componentry.

“The ARCHIMEDES floor lamp has been a quiet favourite of mine since I first saw it and it felt perfectly at home in this project. The form is almost alien, a piece of angular brass slicing up through the earth. The triangular form echoes the angles of the architectural beams and provides a counterpoint to the voluptuous and curvaceous nature of the upholstered furniture. The earthy stone base provides the piece a sense of permanence and solidity and makes the light feel equal parts luminaire and sculpture.“ – Nickolas Gurtler

Elysium House displays the elegant intersection between soft, amorphous furnishings with unrefined and raw materials. Its playful softness is counterbalanced by its sharper textural layers and actively blurs modern and contemporary to create an inviting, perennial space.

Photography: Timothy Kaye