Happy days – terrace transformed to groovy 1970s home

Using a riot of vivacious colours, swirling patterns and retro furnishings, Estelle Bilson has transformed a terraced house in Manchester from a bachelor pad into a home fit for a disco queen

Introduced at a young age by her cabinetmaker and antiques dealer father to the delights of hunting for old treasures at car-boot sales and jumble sales, Estelle Bilson’s first auction experience, at the tender age of four, set her on a lifelong quest for nostalgia. ‘I loved the experience and remember being told to sit on my hands and not move my head in case I accidentally bid on something!’ she recalls. While she grew up surrounded by the classical styles of the Georgian and Victorian eras, it was the contrast – and perhaps a dash of rebellion – of brightly coloured plastics and kitsch of the 1960s and 70s that piqued Estelle’s curiosity.

Delving first into vintage fashion, her hobbies developed around sourcing boldly designed second-hand pieces for her teen bedroom, fashioning the space into what she describes as ‘a Biba-cum-Jimi-Hendrix hippie den’. Reading A to Biba: The Autobiography of Barbara Hulanicki inspired Estelle to study fashion design, and after a 20-year career working in luxury fashion, alongside running a side-hustle selling retro wallpaper and accessories, she is now author of the book 70s House, a bold homage to the most daring decade in design, a TV personality and retro expert.

Her home, branded ‘70s House Manchester’, is a modest terraced house, once a corner shop, in a suburb south of the city. It serves as the base for both her family and work life. Swerving its Edwardian character and fast-forwarding to the groovy 1970s, Estelle has created an all-embracing period-style interior using a riot of sunny colours, swirling patterns, design icons, kitsch furnishings and cool art.

Potted Swiss cheese and hanging plants and a record player spinning old disco tunes help to capture the vibe of yesteryear. Tucking into a fondue, one might just believe it was the set of Mike Leigh’s 1977 film Abigail’s Party.

Moving in during 2016, the house had already belonged to Estelle’s husband Steve for 20 years. ‘From the moment I walked in, I felt it was a lovely, warm, welcoming space, albeit aesthetically very different from how it looks now,’ says Estelle, who moved from a post-war ex-council house in Bedfordshire, previously living in a flat she styled to mirror Del Boy’s flat in Only Fools and Horses.

‘When Steve bought the house it needed a lot of work. Since I’ve lived here we’ve added French doors to the dining room, fitted a 1970s bathroom, decorated throughout and completely renovated the back and front gardens.’