'Moderne' Living Brought to Life.
Welcome to 'Moonbria'
Crafted in 1941
Timeless Design
It was a new way of thinking for a new way of living. A vision that made Sir Roy Grounds a defiant force In simple moderne* living.
Roy Grounds' building broke the mould with 'Moonbria' in 1941 and it continues to influence it's peers today.
Exciting curvaceous and downright bold, the Guggenheim like curves shocked Melbourne into a new way seeing things, a new way of seeing living as sculpted shaped art that wrapped around your senses. Set over three levels (including ground floor) Moonbria contains just 21 residences. Five One Bedroom apartments. One two bedroom apartment Mr. Grounds designed for his mother and
15 studio apartments.
'Moonbria' is located between the leafy streets of Toorak & Malvern roads, Melbourne Victoria Australia.
(*Moderne Of or relating to an architectural and decorative style popular from the 1930s to the 1940s and characterized by streamlined and curved surfaces, strong horizontal lines, and minimal surface ornament)
Roy Grounds' building broke the mould with 'Moonbria' in 1941 and it continues to influence it's peers today.
Exciting curvaceous and downright bold, the Guggenheim like curves shocked Melbourne into a new way seeing things, a new way of seeing living as sculpted shaped art that wrapped around your senses. Set over three levels (including ground floor) Moonbria contains just 21 residences. Five One Bedroom apartments. One two bedroom apartment Mr. Grounds designed for his mother and
15 studio apartments.
'Moonbria' is located between the leafy streets of Toorak & Malvern roads, Melbourne Victoria Australia.
(*Moderne Of or relating to an architectural and decorative style popular from the 1930s to the 1940s and characterized by streamlined and curved surfaces, strong horizontal lines, and minimal surface ornament)
Art Deco Clean Lines. Toorak's Iconic Moonbria. Take a moment, grab your Tardis and lets go back in time to 1941. World War Two is underway, (quite literally) and Australia is undergoing a massive change in how it thinks about funding new developments. Along comes Mr. Roy Grounds and offers one solution. A building that employs many new building practices, whilst offering its residents 'eye-candy-curves' at every bend. Moonbria was born, and in time it was to earn Mr. Grounds a host of accolades from the glitter-atte of architectural design. 
Fab. Foyer. Feature.
Everywhere you look the residents at Moonbria are spoilt with eye-catching perfect views over the central framed courtyard. Mr Grounds was insistent that the 'big old tree' be kept and that his design 'would simply have to work in harmony with it.' Today this type of harmonious natural thinking is common place, but in 1941 it was radical. The fabulous planter set in the main foyer area glimpses the garden and works harmoniously within the buildings overall design ethos. Very nice indeed Mr. Grounds. |
21 Residences 3 Levels of Style. Moonbria contains just 21 residences all arranged around a central courtyard containing the most beautiful elm tree. Grounds held strongly to the idea of creating large common walkways, that add a sense of occasion and space to the structure. Mr Grounds was also a considerate man creating an unique two bedroom courtyard apartment at ground level for his mother who adored gardening. The most prized apartments within the Moonbria community are set at the front of the building with private balconies over-looking tree lined Mathoura Road located central to Toorak & Hawksburn Villages 
R U thinking
Guggenheim? If you've ever been to the Guggenheim Museum in NYC you'll know exactly what we mean. Moonbria's concrete-curves swell echo and play to all your visual senses. The top floors ceiling height is lowered slightly and then lined from east to west with wood paneling that echoes the ocean liners design cues that were so prominent and influential in the Art Deco/Moderne era. Roy Grounds, caught this influential bug from his time in London, came back to Australia and had fun. The rest is history. |
Grounds does Round.
Heritage listed Round lift. The entire design is based around two circular towers. The highly visible (from street level) first tower on Mathoura Road contains the sensational wooden lined circular elevator with its concertina sliding door. He used this unique circular lift design as a proto-type for his work at the National Gallery Of Victoria. The very top of the tower contains the lift machinery, and although providing perfect views over Toorak, is sadly not the look-out-tower most people perceive it to be. The second tower (located at the back of the property) was designed as a furnace for disposing of waste, 
Toorak. Rebel.
Roy Grounds had a select group of forward thinking well-heeled avant-garde clients, and in 1939 one of them asked him to build 'something good' on a vacant bit of land they owned at 68 Mathoura Road in Toorak. The brief was simple; It had to leave the past behind, welcome in the future and be a jolly good place to rest your head at night. Its radical design wasn't an instant hit with the Toorak gentry, but then again it wasn't meant to be. In the 1960's along with Howard Lawson's Beverley Hills in South Yarra hoards of artists fringe dwellers and musicians alike called Moonbria their creative sanctuary. The Jazz pianist Tony Gould along with the Myer's family personal butler were some of the buildings more in-famous occupants. |