Our home may be on the extremes of this, but all of the furniture within could be used in a less dramatic setting, sideboards, for example, have become hugely popular in recent years, they’re stylish and useful. WE LOVE YOUR PHRASE: “I don't believe in owning something ordinary, only extraordinary.” WHAT SMALL STEPS CAN WE MAKE TO A MORE AESTHETIC PLEASING (AND POTENTIALLY LESS WASTEFUL?) LIFESTYLE? Some structural work was carried out, making the dining room smaller, the kitchen a little bigger, new windows, plastering and landscaping outside. But beyond that, this house is all about decor and interior design. I know. That is stating the obvious somewhat. From a sustainability point of view, you are saving furniture from landfill and if more people did this there would be less need for manufacturing of cheap shoddy furniture which doesn’t last and wastes precious resources. Don’t shy away from chairs or sofas, your friendly local upholsterer can help you create something beautiful that is bespoke to you. By supporting vintage dealers and craftspeople you’re also supporting a small, local business, most of us do a happy dance when we make a sale (I know I do) and that personal touch when buying something is much more heart-warming than a soulless transaction in a multinational store, some of my closest friends I’ve met through vintage furniture. Finally, the thrill of the chase can be addictive, beware! So, you may be wondering how I came to be on the ol’ telebox? Honestly, I ask myself this question sometimes, as it all seems a bit of a whirlwind of how I became one of the new dealers on series 2 which first aired in January 2021.

1970s interiors are back in style–here are the 10 key

Natasha is based in London and previously worked in the fashion industry. Her experience of working with top fashion brands helped her to combine handmade historical items into contemporary living. Estelle Bilson is an antiques dealer, interior designer, author, 70s expert and television presenter. She is a dealer on BBC One’s daytime hit, The Bidding Room, hosted by Nigel Havers. She is the founder of 70s House Manchester, a unique, luxury British interiors brand, which prides itself on creating authentic retro designs. The only thing in my house that I really hate is the TV, because it doesn’t fit with the decor. We have a modern TV – my husband, Nigel, insisted. It is nice to watch old movies on a decent screen, though. William Morris said that you should have nothing in your house that you don’t know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. Everything in my house is beautiful to me, apart from my telly – which is useful!The tension between fantasy and reality can serve another purpose for retromaniacs, says Sims. “If they think about it, most people don’t want to live the social conditions, or hardships of the 1950s,” she says. “Immersion in history can be a way of realising how much we have to be thankful for in the here and now.” Whiteside has assiduously converted his suburban semi into a prewar home. Photographs: Richard Saker Part interiors guide, part manual for living, this loud-and-proud book will bring not only 70s colour and kitsch to the modern day, but also the rebellious spirit, pure joy and freewheeling energy epitomised by the era. Apart from the fun, Estelle also believes there is a serious point to make about sustainability. ‘People talk about “fast fashion”, but 23 million tonnes of furniture goes into landfill in this country each year so we should also be looking at “fast furniture” with new eyes. It’s the community that I like,” says Estelle Bilson, 41, a technical designer who shares her love of 1970s living with Stephen De Sarasola and their son, and bases her style on a Good Life -era Penelope Keith. “A woman in the States recently sent me a frosted Christmas bauble because she knows it’s the era I’m into, but we’ve never met.”

Women We Watch: Estelle Bilson – Tatty Devine Women We Watch: Estelle Bilson – Tatty Devine

If we’re talking a real-life scenario I’ve always had an urge to buy the 1950s chalet we stayed in as children on holiday park in Lincolnshire; by the 80’s it was looking decidedly shabby as it hadn’t been decorated in 30 years (there was even a tiki bar next door) and everything was meant to reflect sophisticated and glamorous 50s Miami (to be fair, for a small resort outside Skegness it was punching way above its weight with this notion) nevertheless I loved it and its faded glamour…. I don’t wish I lived in the 50s. I love vintage style, not vintage values. When I’m reading magazines from that period, some of the adverts are so archaic. It’s all about buying the woman in your life a vacuum cleaner for Christmas. But I couldn’t live in modern surroundings, either. This trend for grey at the moment – I can’t bear it. Everything is grey. People are even painting the exterior of their houses grey! I need colour in my life. Much better quality restored and curated items for sale resulting in higher prices but still cheaper than specialist shops. Say cheese My house is a mish-mash of items I have bought over the 30 years since I started collecting. My space age-looking Keracolor TV was designed in 1968 (going on sale in 1970). Our sofa, despite being incredibly modern-looking, is in fact from 1975. The modular Ladderax units date from the mid-70s; the marble dining table from the late 70s – but somehow, they work. We currently hire our home and contents as a retro styled location for television, video and photographic shoots and many of the retro wall coverings and accessories are part of our own designed collection, which is made in the UK using traditional craftspeople and independent businesses, you can shop our full collection HERE, including our best-selling tea towels which are made entirely in our home county of Lancashire, the traditional centre for cotton production in the UK.

'KITSCH MAGPIE'

When it comes to a yearning for the social mores of times gone by, there’s an obvious rub. Stern speaks of the dark side of nostalgia – its tendency to naturalise colonialism and the (supposedly vanished) days of male supremacy, and “make domination appear innocent and pure”. Social psychologist Dr Sandra Wheatley speaks of the problematic elisions in the idea of a “retreat to the comforts of grandma’s apron”. She asks: “Where’s grandma’s lived experience in all this? What if her life was actually quite grim, cooking meals from scratch in a cold kitchen…? What if she’d have killed for a microwave?” Jesting aside I design and make upholstered furniture and soft furnishings, but in truth, my design process is pretty much always the above. OK, FOR ANYONE WHO’S NOT AU FAIT WITH THE MID-CENTURY MODERN MOVEMENT, WHERE’S THE BEST PLACE TO START?

Inside the home of 70s style guru Estelle Bilson | Great

The house used to be a corner shop and so many people stop to talk to you about their memories of buying sweets or lollies before going to the park.’ Unfortunately, a lot of original features were ripped out when it was converted from a shop to a house in the 80s, so it was a pretty blank canvas from that respect.’ (image credit: Estelle Bilson) But then she fell in love with the 70s. ‘It’s just a fun time. I love the music, the fashion and the furniture, and the 70s is definitely coming into vogue.’ Our living room lights and Ladderax unit were both shipped from Italy, so don’t limit yourself to local items. Fancy doing something similar with your home? Estelle offers up a bit of advice. (image credit: Estelle Bilson)Keep your eye out for future blog posts about my favourite items I have bought (and regret not buying). She is based near Holt in North Norfolk where she works as a specialist at Bayfield Hall Antiques & Interiors. Indeed, as Estelle points out, this is still a ‘homely’ house rather than some kind of museum of the decade and a house that ‘really make me happy’. Which is pretty much the point.