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Sandra Eterovic

Sandra Eterovic is an artist, an illustrator, a talented maker of all kinds of things… and as is clearly evident when admiring these mind-boggling shots of her eclectic Richmond home, she’s also a committed collector!

This is the home of someone who is surrounded by inventory – mountains of cushions, paper ephemera, paintings and textiles and stacks of greetings cards. These treasures tell the story of Sandra’s colourful and creative world!

Written

Lucy Feagins

Supported by Dulux

Front room book shelf details. Painted mirror and wooden mushroom by Sandra Eterovic, vintage Japanese wooden animals, tiny round blue fabric ornament by Evie Barrow from Etsy. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

The eclectic home of Melbourne artist and maker Sandra Eterovic. Living room details. Danish couch from Modern Times, cushion covered in Svenskt Tenn fabric, and a selection of cushions and painted wooden figures made by Sandra. Vintage stuffed duck from Etsy. Large painting on the wall also by Sandra. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Sandra Eterovic at home! Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files

1930’s illustrations of Slavic costumes framed by Michael Cleary. Wooden clock hand, stuffed dinosaur, tiny face painting and Village Head by Sandra Eterovic. Watercolour of two ladies by British artist Lizzy Stewart. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Sandra in her home study nook. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

In the kitchen, a selection of vintage items, gifts from friends and Sandra’s own work. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Kitchen details, including an artwork by Jo Grant and a collection of mostly vintage items pinned onto a Melway’s map glued. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Kitchen and living room. Tin Mexican bird from Market Import was a gift from a friend, woollen oven gloves from Cottage Industry, vintage Danish couch from Modern Times, knitted cushion was made by Sandra Eterovic, and large cushion from Svenskt Tenn fabric. The boxed clock on the back wall was made by Sandra’s brother. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

A selection of vintage items, Marimekko, Cornish Ware and Ritzenhoff crockery, two painted wooden eggs that Sandra designed for Seed, cups handed down from Sandra’s mother and grandmother, and a selection of vintage wooden spools that belonged to her friend David’s mother. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Kitchen details. Copper cake tin that was given to Sandra’s mother by her father when she first arrived in Australia, a philodendron that was propagated from her friend Anna Parry, a curtain that was embroidered by one of Sandra’s father’s four sisters, hand painted mirror by Sandra Eterovic, a dinosaur planter made by Jason Parkinson, and a Chinese stencilled bowl from Cottage Industry. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Bathroom details including a collection of packaging and pharmaceutical products from Chinese supermarkets, Job Warehouse, Italian and Croatian pharmacies, gifts from friends, and vintage items. Sandra built the shelf with the help of her brother, and painted the succulents below. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Bedroom details. Sandra Eterovic ‘Wheel of Fortune’ artwork, two versions of her painted wooden Apple Man, striped African bowl from Hut 13, a selection of vintage items from Sandra’s childhood home, The Chapel Street Bazaar, and various antique and op shops. Vintage Moomin fabric from Stockholm. The folded patchwork is Sandra’s home made yoga mat, the rag rug was her grandmother’s. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Bedroom details. Colour coded knitting yarn storage, a framed collage of roller skaters made by Sandra when she was a child, a selection of Sandra’s cushions and painted Veins and Arteries clock. The teddy bear was made for her brother Nick in the 1970’s by an old lady in Adelaide. Les Olivades fabric serves as a curtain and the checked green blanket was a prop on Winners and Losers. The stool was hand made by Sandra’s brother in the early 1990’s. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Bedroom details. Vintage Ravensburger ‘Mix Max’ game pieces from Etsy (on the wall), Sandra’s artwork ‘The Severing of Relations Between East and West’ on the bedside table, and her embroidered pillowcases ‘Stay’ and ‘Go’ on the bed. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Sandra’s backyard with many plants and succulents which she has propagated herself from borrowed clippings from friends. Photo – Eve Wilson. Production – Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Sandra Eterovic has lived in her tiny two bedroom cottage in Richmond for almost twenty years. She was encouraged to buy the place when still in her twenties by an ex-boyfriend. ‘I was looking for an apartment in St Kilda, when my boyfriend pointed out that on the other side of the river I would be able to afford a house!’ says Sandra. ‘I consider myself incredibly lucky. How things have changed in this city.’

The first and most wonderful thing that Sandra invested in after taking possession of her home was hydronic heating! She also pulled up what she describes as ‘filthy cream coloured carpet’ and had the floorboards polished, whilst most of the walls were painted white by her helpful dad.

Granite benches were installed in the kitchen, and a dark green marble top in the bathroom (also thanks to Sandra’s father, who used to be a stonemason). An enormous custom bookshelf was installed in the front bedroom, which doubles as Sandra’s study / workspace. A big white shed which took up a quarter of the backyard was replaced with a smaller (and cuter) one, and silver birches were planted on either side.

Sandra loves the sweet Ikea daybed in her front room / study, which is piled high with her favourite colourful painted cushions and soft sculptures. ‘This daybed took me over two days to assemble, and I shed many a tear of frustration in the process. Now when I rest on it, I feel that it is thoroughly deserved’ she says. She’s also very fond of her many vintage treasures, amongst them a 1940’s Italian Alimentari map, and a 1960’s German light-up globe, both of which were found at The Chapel Street Bazaar many years ago.

Of course, what’s most distinctive about this home is quite simply, all Sandra’s amazing collected STUFF. As you’ll note if you’ve taken a moment to read through the epic captioning effort above, Sandra’s home is a living museum of sketches, paintings, embroideries, artworks and other collected ephemera kept, in some cases, since childhood! Amongst these treasured items are a copper cake tin her Father gave to her Mother when the family first arrived in Australia, fabrics handed down from her Grandmother, and collages made by Sandra when she was a child, alongside more recent acquisitions made by friends and fellow local creatives.

‘This is the home of someone who loves odd and somewhat childish vintage items, textiles, books, maps, plants and the colour RED’ explains Sandra! ‘It is also the home of someone who is surrounded by inventory: hence the mountains of cushions, wooden artwork and stacks of greetings cards. After writing the captions to the photos, I have realised that it is also the home of someone who spends WAY WAY too much time buying vintage tchotchkes on Etsy’.