Milo House was designed by the Brisbane based architect Robin Dods for Lewis Jarvis Harvey. L. J. Harvey was an important practitioner and teacher in the arts and crafts movement in Queensland and a figure of national significance. Harvey was an accomplished artist, carver, ceramist and sculptor. Milo House was a hub for the artistic community when Harvey hosted regular soirees in the huge dining and sitting room. In those times, a grand piano stood where the partner’s desk now sits.

Built in 1911, it was occupied by the Harvey family for nearly 60 years. The home remains a typical Queenslander with northeast verandahs and a bush-house that provides privacy and beauty to the eastern verandah. The finer details of the house, such as the Siberian oak panelling, pressed metal ceilings and stained glass were a later addition to the house, estimated to have been added just after the first world-war.

The present owners have occupied this beautiful family home for the past 44 years and have respected its heritage and its unique place in Brisbane’s history.

The house was designed by Dods with 3 bedrooms and an internal bathroom. A toilet, which was external, was brought into the bathroom much later. Silky oak was used extensively throughout the house. The present owners incorporated silky oak when they extended the house to add another bedroom, internal laundry, bathroom and a large back deck. This was to preserve the integrity of the original house. Harvey’s studio was extensively renovated by the present owners and is now a granny flat above the garage area. Around this area, the owners would regularly find discarded and broken pieces of Harvey’s work in the earth when they were gardening.

A Venus de Milo statue crafted by Harvey, hence the name of the house, once graced the front lawn, however was left to a son as a legacy. The house name plate on the veranda wall, and the letterbox were also made by Harvey.

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