Jon Mikulic is the the principal of Melbourne-based architecture firm, Newline Design. The architect, who has worked on hundreds of commercial and residential projects around Melbourne, recently completed the design of his own home. The 52-year-old talked to ArchitectureNow about his career to date and designing his own family house.

ArchitectureNow: Why did you decide to pursue a career in architecture?

Jon Mikulic: I decided early that working in a family construction business was just not going to keep me happy. I really wanted to drive the outcome rather than the process.

ArchitectureNow: Tell us about your firm, Newline Design.

JM: Newline Design was established a lifetime ago (1986) while still studying and is, I believe, now a true design firm – working in the realms of architecture, urban design, interiors and now furniture and industrial design. We have worked on retail, commercial, healthcare and hospitality projects but cut our teeth on residential projects.

It is quite liberating to be able to work on a large scale urban project (in the macro) and then be able to zoom right down on what is the micro of detail in a furniture design.

ArchitectureNow: What are you working on at the moment?

JM: We are currently working on an array of residential projects, an Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Centre, a variety of hospitality venues and expanding on the furniture design aspect to launch a range this year.

ArchitectureNow: Tell us about your newly-completed Melbourne home.

JM: Working on your own home is always a struggle – the options are ever evolving as you keep striving for what you perceive to be the best result. But as with any residential project the real clients (my wife and two daughters) kept me honest. The house was a rundown, simple Victorian weatherboard home, with tack on after tack on to deal with. I couldn’t bear to knock it down, so I preserved what I could and dealt with the nightmare that is, trying to resuscitate an old building.

The goal was to end up with a contemporary space that opened itself up vertically and horizontally as you moved through the building. The result is a clean, light and inviting space – we never get sick of it.

ArchitectureNow: What is your most prized project to date?

JM: My most prized projects are the residential projects – the joy that comes from a well-considered and executed design lives with the occupants for many years. It’s not unusual for us to speak to a client years after the job is complete to hear them still talk glowingly of their home. But I do love working in hospitality – it’s an enormous amount of fun, but it’s the residential work that keeps you honest.

ArchitectureNow: How would you describe your design aesthetic?

JM: My design aesthetic has been moulded over the years by the people I have worked with, travelling, the clients themselves and the buildings that we need to work within. I still think that’s the case.

My underlying aesthetic is generally a simple, clean, open and light with simple forms that can, none-the-less speak for themselves and not get lost in the white noise that at times consumes us and our surroundings.