This Oakleigh Apartment Is A Time Portal To The 1970s
Homes
Custom sofa and timber cabinet made by the original owner in the 1970s. Bookshelf by Early Settler. Lamp stand by Kmart with thrifted pleated lampshade. Circular rug by IKEA.
Sarah Ruhullah and her cat Winchy in their Oakleigh home.
Wavy lamp purchased form Facebook Marketplace. Thrifted Théophile Steinlen poster, matchstick boxes, and 1980s Pictionary. Side table found in hard rubbish and upcycled. Custom dining booth and chairs built by the original owner.
Cowboy artwork purchased off Etsy. Painting of Winchy by Courtney Laird. Custom sofa made by the original owner. Wavy lamp purchased from Facebook Marketplace. Side table found in hard rubbish and upcycled. Mirror by Kmart.
Custom dining booth and chairs made by the original owner. Yellow lamp purchased from Facebook Marketplace. Corner lamp base by IKEA with thrifted lampshade. All cutlery and dishes thrifted from various op-shops. Framed vintage travel print. Thrifted maple syrup jar.
‘The two small paintings were gifted to me by my close friend Dan,’ says Sarah. ‘They were both painted by a man in Mexico on separate occasions who does the mini paintings very quickly on the side of the road.’
Custom dining booth and chairs made by the original owner. Yellow lamp purchased from Facebook Marketplace.
The original built-in can opener is complemented by thrifted vintage appliances.
All original tiling and curtains by the original owner. Vintage hairdryer and 1970s light-up mirror from various op-shops.
Original curtains and green carpet.
Photographer Sarah Ruhullah was inspecting this Oakleigh apartment ‘just for fun’ when she unexpectedly discovered her dream rental.
According to the landlord, the apartment was designed and built in the 1970s by a cabinetmaker owner. Many of the large furniture pieces, including the sofa, timber cabinets, dining nook, and bed frames were made specifically crafted for the home, and have been meticulously looked after ever since. There’s even an original, functioning sauna!
‘We were genuinely blown away,’ says Sarah, when viewing the apartment with her former partner. ‘The sunlight falling into the living room, the intricate detail of the curtains, the tiling of the bathroom and kitchen, the sauna — all of it… It was like a portal to another time. We just knew we had to apply for the place that day. There was no doubt.’
Sarah says she ‘wouldn’t change a single thing’ about the property, which was strategically designed with angular walls to perfectly capture natural light throughout the day.
The custom furniture came with the apartment — ideal to suit the home’s spacious but unorthodox dimensions, and to avoid lifting heavy pieces up the spiral staircase entry.
Sarah has styled the space with mostly secondhand pieces to enhance the green carpet, timber panelling, and wallpapered feature walls. A retro hairdryer and circa 1970s light-up mirror look right at home in the tiled bathroom, as do the matchstick boxes and board games on display in the lounge room.
‘I had so much fun styling this space but honestly, it didn’t need much!’ Sarah says. ‘Its cinematic, ‘70s, fun, cosy vibe is exactly what I am all about.’
Living in Oakleigh is a bit of a drive from Sarah’s friends, who mostly reside on Melbourne’s north side, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She loves the proximity of central Oakleigh for Greek food, Dandenong for Middle Eastern, and Springvale for Vietnamese, plus several op-shops to browse and add to her time capsule home. ‘There are very few reasons that I would give up living here for, and there is no way I’d be living in a place as good as mine without any housemates if I was living in the north side,’ she says.
The home is Sarah’s safe space and workplace in one — a place she can invite loved ones over for homemade meals, dance alone in the living room, and find creative inspiration.
‘It accurately reflects my lifestyle and personality in every way,’ Sarah says. ‘I am so grateful for it every single day that I get to live here alone with the love of my life: my cat Winchy!’