70s House: A bold homage to the most daring decade in design

Product Information

Our living room lights and Ladderax unit were both shipped from Italy, so don’t limit yourself to local items. Good design is good design. But I drew the line at mattresses. I wouldn't go second-hand there. A good night's sleep is essential! Player Neil flashed a smirk as he offered up the word "fapped" which, for the uninitiated, is the past tense of fap - to masturbate. We have a modern TV - it's a necessity really with a child. We have smartphones and laptops too. We don't live in the 70s, we just like the styling.

Estelle Bilson | Hachette UK

I loved the 70s – and that’s both the 1970s and the 1870s. There’s obviously always something about a decade that starts with a seven that means the design dial is turned to 11; colours get bolder, shapes get badder and style flies its freak flag. So, thank goodness resplendent 70s temptress Estelle Bilson has committed pen to paper so that the world can enjoy her take on the era of soft squares, teak, shag and Artex.”– Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

'MODERN ANTIQUES'

I have a Decca TV from the 70s that I found on Facebook Marketplace, three miles down the road. It’s ridiculous. The same model is on display in the Science Museum. It does turn on, but unfortunately the analogue signal was switched off in 2012, so I’m sending it to someone who specialises in making old appliances work on new systems. He’s going to make it compatible with Netflix and digital TV. I absolutely love kitsch. I'm a bit like a kitsch magpie; anything really random, gold, shiny, multi coloured and the weirder the better. That's why I've got the tiger and Flamingo sculptures. Our research shows that loneliness and social isolation trigger nostalgia. Nostalgia, in turn, increases perceived social connectedness and support. Viewed in this way, nostalgia offsets the negative effects of loneliness.” Living history offers a dual pay-off, forming our self-hood as it swaddles us in the psychological comfort blanket of an imagined past. Britons have long enjoyed vintage dress-up: 50s teddy boys based their style on Edwardian street gangs; men born long after D-Day still gather to reenact the battles of both world wars. What’s new are people who, like Koropisz, commit to living their lives as if the intervening 40, 50 or 130 years never happened – as well as the communities that have grown around vintage lifestyles. The latter include online interest groups, such as the #tradwife movement; weekends themed for everything from 50s dancing to the lifestyle of the world wars and subsequent years (the War and Peace Revival attracted 50,000 attendees for its fourth outing in 2019); and the grand Victorian balls that are the highlight of Koropisz’s year. We don't live slavishly like it is 1974 but we appreciate the styling, design and quality of build of the furniture. It's more exciting, diverse and colourful - not to mention sustainable, value for money and better built than most things you can buy in the shops today.

Estelle Bilson Dealer Wikipedia: The Bidding Room Alum Estelle Bilson Dealer Wikipedia: The Bidding Room Alum

The artwork is all from the era too. We have a Tretchikoff in our bedroom and a J H Lynch in the living room.Everything from the disco balls in the toilet, to the original magazines near her space-inspired TV set - are all from the 70s (Image: Alex Cousins / SWNS) The 1970s is one of the most stylistically diverse decades,’ says design guru Estelle Bilson (Picture: Ilex Press) Our WowHaus, United Kingdom Estelle Bilson’s 1970s house in Manchester Estelle Bilson’s 1970s house in Manchester (image credit: Estelle Bilson) Estelle Bilson is married to Stephen De Sarasola, a sound engineer. Bilson’s husband is Stretford, Greater Manchester born and bred. Estelle Bilson Bidding Room

Retro-obsessed mum transforms her Stretford home into a

The artwork is all from the era too. We have a Tretchikoff in our bedroom and a J H Lynch in the living room. 'MODERN ANTIQUES' Everything in my house is 40s-style – or if it isn’t, it’s hidden away. I have three children, so there’s no way in the world I could get away without having modern things such as a TV and a washing machine. But the washing machine is covered with a curtain and the toaster is in a cupboard under the worktop. I have a real 40s toaster on the counter: I daren’t turn it on, even though it does have a plug fitted. My kids are always complaining about the toaster. They go: “Mum, why is the toaster in the cupboard?” I say: “Because that’s the way I like it!” But they don’t mind, really, because they know it makes me happy. I love the simplicity of the era Mostly I stumble upon things when I’m not even looking for them, like my dining table and chairs and my space-age bed. Keep your eye out for future blog posts about my favourite items I have bought (and regret not buying). When people ask me what to look out for, I only ever advocate buying things you love, as at the end of the day you have to live with these pieces,’ says Estelle.

Cheese plants

It’s the community that I like’: Estelle Bilson and Stephen De Sarasola, reviving the 1970s. Photograph: Alex Telfer/The Observer