Gallery House by Alicia Racovolis Design
Fashion maverick Elliot Garnaut makes a graceful pivot to timeless interiors, styling a serene, art-filled sanctuary in collaboration with Mitchell Zurek and Andy Kelly of Oigåll Projects, as well as Alicia Racovolis Design – who served as the home’s interior designer.
Garnaut’s discerning eye is well-known in the fashion world, but behind the scenes, he has been quietly channelling his creative energy into a deeply personal project: the renovation of his St Kilda Road penthouse. Dubbed Gallery House, this sprawling, artfully composed abode marks his evolution from sartorial trendsetter to curator and champion of timeless, deeply expressive spaces.
Stepping into his new home – nestled among curated textiles, furnishings, sunlit surfaces and an enviable collection of artefacts – one immediately senses a shift from the fast-paced world of fashion to a more grounded, enduring aesthetic. One that, importantly, does not compromise on self-expression. “Homes aren’t seasonal in the way fashion is,” explains Garnaut. “It’s like a marriage as opposed to a one night stand. For me, it was really important to create a space that I would be comfortable with in five, 10 years and not to look at something and feel like it needed to be changed.”
The two-year renovation was, as Garnaut describes it, “a true labour of love”. Delays from public works and unexpected challenges were plentiful, but despite the hurdles and unfamiliar terrain, he held a clear vision and found great value in the collaborative process. “I worked with a dear friend of mine who I’ve known since high school, Alicia Racovolis, for the interiors. I also had the boys from Oigåll Projects, Mitchell and Andy, consult across art and styling.”
“I work a lot with colour and vibrancy, and I just wanted a space that was very peaceful.”
Art plays both a thematic and foundational role in Gallery House. Garnaut’s journey into collecting began serendipitously, with a recommendation for a piece from Oigåll Projects. “I quickly reconnected with Andy because he was an old friend from another chapter of our lives. Then I just kind of got bitten by the art bug. I started to learn a lot more, and the boys also developed a deeper understanding of what I was looking for and my aesthetic. The relationship built really holistically from that point.”
For someone so attuned to the power of personal style, the home became the ultimate canvas. While Garnaut describes his fashion eye as “very flippant”, embracing the frivolity, joy and pleasure of dressing up, his interior aesthetic is “much more solidified and grounded”, leaning toward something more defined and mature. Inspired by California-based designers like Kathleen Clements of Clements Design and Jake Arnold, his aim was to infuse the space with a sense of neutrality and peace. “I work a lot with colour and vibrancy,” he notes, “and I just wanted a space that was very peaceful. I also love to entertain, and I wanted to create moments for relaxation and tranquillity, as well as celebration. The goal was for it to feel like you could sink into the space, that you could sit down and talk for hours until the sun came up. I wanted it to feel like an extension of their home, too.”
Despite its underlying sense of Zen, the space sparks with personal narrative. It reflects Garnaut’s love of travel and time spent living abroad, drawing on references as far-flung as Hong Kong, Tibet and Château Voltaire in Paris, along with touches of English chintz, preppy London cool, Nordic brutalism and Japanese minimalism. Nostalgic threads run deep, too – the dining table is a cherished heirloom from his childhood home in Toorak. This interplay between old and new, local and international, creates moments of rich dialogue, where contemporary Australian artworks sit alongside antique artefacts. “We actually went up against Axel Vervoordt at an auction for this amazing Tibetan bust from 1767,” says Garnaut. “Anyway, I got it … It was just one of those moments.
However, the starting point for this ambitious undertaking wasn’t a specific object or artwork, but the property itself – and what it could represent. This connection to the existing architecture set the stage for a renovation that would both redefine the penthouse and articulate Garnaut’s personal expression of home. For him, Gallery House is more than just a beautifully realised project or celebration of art and creativity; it’s a deeply intimate expression of self – a space he intends to inhabit for life. “For me, home and authenticity go hand-in-hand,” he says. “Home is the place where you can truly be yourself with family and friends. It is my reprieve from the world. It’s where I feel comforted and safe. It signifies fun, laughter, warmth and creating beautiful memories with loved ones. Everything that is important in my life is in my home.”
Interior design by Alicia Racovolis. Build by The Melbourne Builder & Co.
