Contemporary gallery and art consultancy Otomys relocated from Richmond to a new space in Malvern, Melbourne, in the last months of 2022 after a mostly digital-only presence in the previous pandemic years. Gallery directors Megan Dicks and Hannah Abbott worked with interior designer Georgina Jeffries to reimagine an existing space that forms part of a residential development by architect John Wardle. Otomys had often collaborated with Georgina Jeffries through their art consultancy service, placing art in the homes of the designers’ clients.

Established in 2010 in Melbourne’s inner-city north, Otomys represents emerging to mid-career artists working in oils, sculpture, photography and works on paper. Megan and Hannah had already been looking to move premises after two years of working online locally, in London, and in peoples’ homes. “We didn’t want it to be just a white wall gallery, particularly after being at home consulting online for two years,” Megan says.

The space was a 90 square metre shell on the ground floor of a multi-residential development, with a substantial glass and steel door that opens almost the entire front to the street. Georgina began by installing a terrazzo floor, then tiled an existing structure that covers a water metre, creating space for artwork to be displayed. Linen curtains were added to cover a hallway to the stock room, with a taupe USM sideboard added to differentiate the space. Furniture includes a desk table and a set of restored Knoll Cesca chairs as well as a distinctive 1970s red marble table designed by Mario Bellini for Cassina, used as an informal meeting table with a set of Adam Goodrum Nau Molloy chairs. “There’s a calm that transcends our space,” Hannah says. “We want it to feel like a home when people come here.”