Harkaway Residence
Art Nouveau Homes is a Melbourne-based builder with more than 30 years’ experience crafting architecturally designed custom and mid-century modern residences, as well as restoring period and Art Deco properties.
Over three decades, Art Nouveau Homes has created an enduring presence in Melbourne’s residential landscape. Working across the city’s inner east, bayside area and through to the outer eastern suburbs such as Harkaway, the award-winning builder is known for creating custom residences led by refined architecture and its work on bringing period and Art Deco properties back to life.
While Art Nouveau – a previous winner of the Victorian HIA Home of the Year award – has extensive experience across all vernaculars, it has particular expertise in the nuances and challenges of constructing mid-century-modern-style projects. No matter the style of architecture, the small team create homes that highlight clean lines, natural materials and a seamless integration with the surrounding landscape. The company’s portfolio also includes multi-residential developments and complex custom builds, each executed with the same commitment to quality and design integrity.
Zack Tepic founded Art Nouveau Homes motivated by a passion for distinctive and architecturally ambitious design. His building career began as a part-time venture, renovating and flipping small inner-Melbourne apartments before progressing to Art Deco and period homes. These heritage properties, often more than 60 years old, demanded exceptional craftsmanship and a deep respect for original architectural detail. Over time, Tepic transitioned to building and renovating new homes for clients and, through this work, his appreciation for mid-century design flourished.
Offering a highly personalised service, Tepic oversees each project and maintains contact with the client throughout the process. From the initial introduction to architects through to early design collaboration, Art Nouveau provides guidance on constructability, cost expectations and practical solutions that ensure design integrity. Supported by a loyal team of skilled tradespeople who have been part of the company since its early days, Art Nouveau Homes continues to deliver projects on time and on budget, and with care and consistency.
The company ethos is reflected in Tepic’s own home, located in the semi-rural Melbourne suburb of Harkaway and designed by award-winning, Melbourne-based WJFA Architects. Having worked on many projects together, Tepic and WJFA founder Warren J. Foster’s long-standing collaboration is reflected in a design that creates a sanctuary of light, water and landscape. Tepic had envisioned the floor plan years earlier but Foster brought the unique concept to life, reflecting his practice’s gift for creating visually stunning residences grounded in functionality.
Set on two hectares, the single-level residence sits calmly within its environment and offers a gentle nod to the Australian Modernist homes of the 1960s and ’70s. The design draws inspiration from Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House as well as the Case Study Houses, built between 1945 and 1966. The vision was to create a floating home – a structure that appears to hover above the ground – with expanses of glass, refined geometry and natural materials that anchor it to its landscape while maintaining an ethereal lightness.
Composed of three distinct pavilions connected by glass bridge walkways, the home seems to drift above a gently flowing stream that culminates in a tranquil rock pool. Sheer floor-to-ceiling glass walls – some up to four metres high – flood the interiors with natural light and offer uninterrupted views into the courtyards and surrounding bushland.
The heavily treed site shaped the home’s footprint: mature trees were preserved to enhance privacy and maintain a deep connection to nature. Drawing on experience with modular and transportable housing concepts, WJFA integrated subtle pod-like elements, designing floor lines that extend beyond the glass walls and curve upward to form the roof, with eaves that mirror the deck’s fluid contours.
Inside, the palette celebrates natural and reclaimed materials: recycled timber wall cladding pairs with aged carbonised European oak flooring, earthy-patterned terrazzo tiles, rusted patina feature walls and multi-coloured commercial-grade carpets.
Working across a range of architectural styles, Art Nouveau Homes continues to deliver residences that balance architectural precision with a refined appreciation for form and function.
Architecture by WJFA Architects. Interior design and build by Art Nouveau Homes. Landscape design by Boab Landscapes. Engineering by 3M Structural Solution.
