"We did it step by step when it needed to be done or we could afford it or it became a health hazard!" she continues. "It takes time to create a home, especially when money is tight at times; it can’t always be achieved in six months, and that is perfectly normal." Bilson also designs retro-inspired home products like wallpaper,floor vinyl, and art, fabric, and more. Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
"I would say the most unique thing is our style, and the fact that 98% of the items are pre loved," Bilson admits. Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
"There are so many different elements I love, everything from my £20 brown '70s bathroom suite, to my unusual room divider, which I bought on series 2 of 'The Bidding Room,' it is my most talked about item in the house when I post about it, I wish I knew more about its history, but sadly I don’t," Bilson writes. Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
The 1973 G-Plan vintage sofa was found on Facebook Marketplace for £100, the Beaver and Tapley wall units were found on Facebook Marketplace for £120. The 1970s Rya rug was purchased from eBay for £450. The 1970s Murano pendant lights were bought on eBay for £200. The pillows are by 70s House Manchester.
The orange on the living room accent wall and the inner door arch is a Valspar custom color. The dining room is painted in Valspar's "Chocolate Bon Bon."
"Another popular piece is my original Keracolor 70s TV, which I picked up on Facebook Marketplace [for £100]; it needs a service at the moment but it will work!" Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
Bilson says one of her best design tips is using paint color tester pots. "I’ve created loads of retro murals inside and outside by purchasing inexpensive tester pots; it means you can get a huge amount of colors really cheaply for projects." Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
In the dining room is a vintage marble dining table and chrome chairs found on eBay for £50 and the vintage Ladderax unit is from eBay for £280. The Danish unit was found on Facebook Marketplace for £100. and all the accessories are either thrifted or from car boot sales. Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
Bilson says she would love an original '70s kitchen and is still on the hunt for one, but "in the meantime I decided to make the existing one a little more ‘us’ by painting the existing units, which although dated where perfectly usable and covered the worksurface with contact vinyl, which has held up remarkably well in three years." (It's the Yootha Ocean Design by 70s House Manchester available from 70's House Manchester – Faye Jennifer Vinyl Design.) Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
"I love using color and think it is incredibly important when working on a scheme, the correct colors can really lift your mood and create a feeling of happiness, and well being," she writes. The "old Kutchenhouse units from the '00s" are painted with Annie Sloan's "Old White" and "Tilton." And the kitchen contact vinyl is 70s House Manchester x Faye Jennifer Vinyl Design. Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
"I’m the biggest fan of paint; it completely transforms a space, quickly, and it is budget friendly, whether that is painting whole rooms, feature walls, or retro super graphic designs," Bilson advises. Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
The Esmonde wallpaper in raspberry is by 70s House Manchester and the paint is Valspar's "Neon Apple" in the primary bedroom. The vintage space age James Seacomb bed was found on Facebook Marketplace for £180 and the units are from eBay. Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
"I don’t want our home to be a pastiche and it certainly isn’t what British homes looked like mostly in the '70s, to us it is a fantasy, an escape into a cozy world of color, not a junk shop," Bilson writes. "I like to be considered in my purchases and how I style things." Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
"My favorite transformation has to be the bathroom, which we gutted from a modern white shell and it became the disco bathroom, inspired by Studio 54 and Big Biba, it is full of mirror mosaic tiles, gold accents, disco balls, and an original French 1970s brown ombre suite, which I found on eBay for £20," she writes. Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
"I'm most proud of the bathroom, buying the vintage French suite for £20 saved us so much money!" Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
"Our garden was the biggest challenge, it is a TINY backyard full of concrete, which used to be parking for the old shop," she writes. "I wanted to make it bright and colorful and full of plants, a really fun space to be in. We sourced everything secondhand from the breeze blocks, which were bought from builders who were demolishing walls, to the table and Panton replica S chairs that we use in the undercover seating area." Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
"We worked on it for over two years to get it to a stage where we could really enjoy it. It is a real sun trap (when the famous Manchester rain stops) and I really wanted a Palm Springs meets Butlins (a UK holiday resort most famous in the '50s '60s and '70s) vibe." Thanks Estelle and Stephen! Credit: Estelle BilsonCredit: Estelle Bilson
Designer and ’70s decor expertEstelle Bilson says that it’s not so much that she chose this home, but that the house (and the husband!) chose her. “My husband, Stephen, has lived here for 22 years; it was his first house purchase,” she begins. In 2015, Bilson moved in when they decided to sell her house.
Bilson describes the Edwardian end terrace as a “reasonably modest-sized, period property, which is incredibly commonplace in the U.K., especially in the North of England.” But there’s something fun in the structure’s history: “It used to be a corner shop from the early 1900s to the 1980s, when it was turned into a dwelling.”
But it’s not just the home’s past that’s fun; it’s present is quite exciting! Bilson and her husband’s home is also known as the “’70s House Manchester,” thanks to its incredibly bold, colorful, and retro-themed decor in every room.
“I have always loved vintage clothes and accessories, which led me to a 20-year career in the fashion industry working for luxury brands such as Burberry and as Head of Technical Design for Gieves & Hawkes, the royal tailors on Savile Row,” Bilson begins.
“My interest in furniture and design came from my parents, especially my father, who was a cabinet maker and antiques dealer who used to take me along to auctions as a child. I started buying items from the ’50s to the ’70s in the early ’90s when nobody much really wanted them, and by my teens and early 20s I had started to amass a lot of furniture; these were the days when you could pull amazing mid-century pieces from a skip or off the side of the road.”
“I already had a house filled with my collection of furniture and accessories by the time I met my now-husband, Stephen, and I had to downsize when we moved in together; thankfully he also loves retro-style furniture, so it wasn’t a shock to him,” she continues.
“I started renovating the house and turning it into my dream home when our child was born in 2016. Faced with long days staring at walls during that first cold winter, I started to inject some color into the home. I started with our living and dining room and slowly worked my way through the whole house, taking inspiration from vintage ’70s magazines and interior design books.”
Kansas City Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub said kicker Harrison Butker may be removed from kickoffs. But not because of Butker's recent controversial remarks.
Chicago White Sox outfielder Tommy Pham told reporters he's always prepared to fight after an on-field confrontation with Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras.
Sanctions are hurting Russia's economy more than President Vladimir Putin wants anybody to think. Keeping the pressure on might ultimately help Ukraine win.
All five of these hitters were drafted highly in fantasy baseball leagues. So far, they have not lived up to their ADPs — and that's an understatement. Scott Pianowski analyzes.
