The house numbers of artist Julia deVille's home and studio are literally nailed into her worn timber front door. The rusty nails are the first sign that this is no ordinary jewellery workshop.

DeVille is known for her taxidermy, contemporary jewellery and objets d'art. Her infamous mouse brooch, comprising the taxidermied head of a mouse with diamond eyes mounted on a jet plaque, caused ripples in jewellery circles when it was released in 2002.

Fast forward 14 years and deVille is revered for her distinctive work, most recently winning the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize from the South Australian Museum for her piece Neapolitan Bonbonaparte – three taxidermied chicks coloured strawberry, chocolate and vanilla set in an antique silver spoon.

For deVille, more is definitely more in her home and studio in Collingwood, Melbourne. The rustic warehouse, thought to have been built at the turn of the 20th century, was originally used as a button factory. DeVille, who moved to Australia from New Zealand in 2001, bought it in 2007.

The place was partially renovated, with walls painted white to display her extraordinary collection of taxidermy. Deer heads, flying crows and antelope cast a watchful eye over the jewellers working in the studio.

"I've found a lot of these pieces from markets, through dealers and on the web," says deVille, whose penchant is for a Victorian aesthetic, with the emphasis on the unusual, ornate and highly decorative. A sculpture by Melbourne-based artist Ali Aitken inspired by Edvard Munch's The Scream takes the form of a writhing leather-clad creature with outstretched tongue. Taxidermy ducklings are perched on edges of computer screens.

Self-confessed workaholic

DeVille admits to being a workaholic. Between 2013 and 2014, she worked seven days a week well into the night, holding eight exhibitions around Australia. And because her bedroom was just behind her studio, she would get up and work straight into the late afternoon without even venturing as far as the kitchen to get something to eat.

Eventually her mother, Janette Okkerse, suggested she needed to "break the cycle and convert my bedroom into a showroom", deVille says.

So she moved her bedroom upstairs and turned the space into a showroom. "Separating work from home (upstairs is a kitchen, living and dining area, two bedrooms and a bathroom) means that I can discipline myself a little more with more reasonable hours," she says.

The showroom, like the studio, has dark timber polished floorboards and white painted walls, a neutral backdrop for deVille's fascinating collection of jewellery, taxidermy and personal items including her grandmother's wedding photo.

A couple of taxidermy ravens suspended in mid-flight and ivy twisting around a column create an outdoor feel, as do the skylights.

"Nature has always been a big inspiration in my work. I need to be surrounded by greenery and things that have a history," says deVille.  

Artful arrangements

The Victorian dining table central to the showroom is artfully arranged with engagement rings set with precious stones. Jewellery and taxidermy are protected under glass bell jars.

"When I'm setting up for an exhibition in a gallery or museum, I am confined by the space and endeavouring to convey a theme. Here, it's simply the way I see things and want them arranged," says deVille, who has included a funeral wreath with black ribbons on the same wall as an albino fruit bat, wings stretched out to the edge of the glass cabinet. 

DeVille's private space on the first floor is shrouded in mystique. A late 19th-century pendant light, thought to have come from Holland, casts a shadowy light over a Victorian dining table. There's a silver candelabra and a taxidermy display of a baby deer. And as with the showroom, there's ivy trailing through the kitchen, dining and living areas along walls, ceilings and the balustrade.

"I rarely plan when it comes to designing a room. I'm always adding and subtracting as I discover new things," says deVille. "You could say my approach to design is quite organic."

Asked how she finds room to eat on her dining table, she says she "prefers eating cross-legged on the floor. It's much better for your back".