Home of the week

A passion for mid-20th-century decor, and especially the artwork of late Russian artist Vladimir Tretchikoff, has inspired the warm and welcoming West Footscray home of schoolteacher Anita Storti, her partner, computer engineer Jason Ljubas, and their children, Iola, 8, Otis, 6, and Sunny Marigold, 2.

What is now their five-bedroom home has been completely transformed since they bought it seven years ago. "It was previously owned by the one family for almost 80 years and, apart from a couple of geraniums, there wasn't a plant or a period feature to be seen," remembers Storti. "The exterior was clad in fake bricks and the windows were aluminium – it was pretty hideous!"

An extensive renovation saw the addition of three upstairs bedrooms, as well as a large, concrete-floored, open-plan kitchen, dining and living room. "I love that we have the space to hang out together now," says Storti.

Her favourite feature is the large wall mural in the en suite bathroom. "I'm nuts about Tretchikoff, and I was lying in bed one night and it came to me – I knew I had to do a whole wall of his work," says Storti. "I tried to do it in tiles but it didn't work, so I ordered the wallpaper online, and it's perfect."

Storti is also passionate about their immediate surroundings. "We live opposite the freight line, and often see The Ghan tootling by, and there's a view of the old red-brick Watswool factory."

From Sunday Life

Photography: Armelle Habib.