Nina Provan grew up in Melbourne and was a city girl her whole life until she met her partner Ryan who was based in Blairgowrie. Once they were expecting their first child the commute no longer suited their lifestyle, so Mt Martha became the ideal compromise between the two locations. Ryan is an architect and a builder working in a well known local family business, and Nina is a very well respected interior designer, and both Ryan and Nina were keen to maintain their professional identities in their respective domains.

“We decided to make the move and we haven’t looked back to be honest. I love living on the Peninsula. Mt Martha was our choice based on location, and when we started looking in the area I was so enamoured with the greenery and with the quiet environment. It’s such a family friendly area with good schools, and we particularly love old Mt Martha which is so warm and welcoming. It didn’t feel like too much of an adjustment like it would have been if we’d chosen a big rural property with no neighbours. It was a nice change from the city actually and we now live in such a lovely community."

"We looked for a home for around five months and found some beautiful properties that were ready to move in to, but with both of us being in the industry we couldn’t see ourselves living somewhere that someone else had created. We wanted to put our own stamp on our home. So the property we discovered in Hawker Street was perfect. It had great bones and all the character we wanted and we love mid century architecture which is quite rare to find in Mt Martha. Sam Danckert actually found the property for us and when he showed us through we made a decision within 15 minutes. He has been great. We didn’t know anyone in the area when we first moved in and he made such an effort to make us feel welcome, touching base with us to make sure we were comfortable. He’s such a nice guy, so genuine, and there’s nothing ‘salesy’ about him. We still bump into him occasionally and it’s always easy to chat."

Nina Provan’s business is Interior Design and Styling, offering her service to clients who are building a new home or moving into a new house, or who just want to refresh their current home. She offers a full furniture specification and sourcing package and she is particularly passionate about furniture selection. Whilst Nina of course tailors her design advice and offering to suit her client’s requirements, she is often approached because they like her contemporary aesthetic with fun splashes of colour.

Nina has been immersed in construction and architecture since she was three-years-old, so it was a natural and inevitable progression for her to move into the design industry. Since completing a Bachelor of Design (Interior Design) at RMIT in 2007 Nina has worked with several architectural practices as an Interior Designer as well as for design conscious developers Neometro. Her work ranges from retail and hospitality to commercial and high-end residential.

Passionate about interiors and furniture, Nina has an all encompassing interior approach that aims to not only create beautiful and unique spaces but also to highlight local design. She loves working with both emerging and established designers.

Nina and Ryan and their two young children recently extended their Mt Martha home, changing it from a two bedroom to a three bedroom house with a study nook that is Nina’s home office. They also built a studio/bedsit in the back garden with a garage at the front to accommodate guests. Juggling renovations, a successful business and two little ones is of course a challenge.

“I don’t always handle it all very glamorously! However because both Ryan and I are in the industry, renovating, building and designing does come naturally. It’s the type of work we do every day so it’s not like it was a foreign environment for us. Whilst I work from home, Ryan is still based in Blairgowrie with his family business, Seaspray Homes by Moody Builders. They have been in the area for around 50 years and they offer building design services as well as doing the actual build. So we are very lucky, and very happy with the life we have created on the Mornington Peninsula for us individually, professionally and as a family.”

www.ninaprovan.co