As you might expect, it’s also a notable house in the area. ‘It is definitely an oddity, from the exterior colour alone, people often comment on it, in a positive light, that it is a jolly house, which is nice.’ If you’ve stumbled upon this blog, I am assuming that you may have watched an episode of the hit BBC afternoon antiques show, hosted by Nigel Havers, entitled The Bidding Room (week days 4.30pm, BBC1). Player Neil flashed a smirk as he offered up the word "fapped" which, for the uninitiated, is the past tense of fap - to masturbate.

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

Our WowHaus, United Kingdom Estelle Bilson’s 1970s house in Manchester Estelle Bilson’s 1970s house in Manchester (image credit: Estelle Bilson) She has painted her house in Stretford, Greater Manchester, with hues of orange and greens and hasn't bought anything modern - apart from a hoover and mattress. Every Saturday evening, a suburban street in Greater Manchester bears witness to a peculiar sight: at the first-floor bay window of a 1930s semi, top-hatted heads bow over a platter of Victoria sponge slices, silhouetted against the sepia light of a gasoline lamp. Eavesdroppers might even catch the strains of Gilbert and Sullivan issuing from an 1890s gramophone as Michael Koropisz, a 24-year-old portrait artist who goes about his daily life as if he’s a well-to-do Briton of the 1890s, stages a tea party for fellow Victorian enthusiasts. I do love anything old, from art deco onwards, but there's something about the 70s that's so evocative to me.

Surrounded by mainly Georgian and Victorian furniture all my life, by the age of 13 I guess I rebelled somewhat, fascinated by anything from the art deco period of the 20s and 30s, to post war atomic design, through the post-modernist 60s and 70s. Over the past 30 odd years I bought and sold to enhance my own collections, and to upgrade the furniture in our home.

Estelle Bilson | Hachette UK

After collecting dozens of 1970s-style pieces over the years, Estelle decided to transform the family home into a shrine to the decade when her family moved in 2015. Read More Related Articles 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.” He works for Morgan Evans & Co (where was his first job as a salesroom assistant) and he is now the senior auctioneer and a director of the firm.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! Her knowledge of the period and its furnishing trends are so good she is now one of the experts on BBC One’s daytime hit, The Bidding Room, hosted by 1970s heartthrob Nigel Havers. Much better quality restored and curated items for sale resulting in higher prices but still cheaper than specialist shops. Say cheese

The Bidding Room: Meet the dealers from BBC show - James

Estelle said: "When we moved in five years ago I wanted to add some detail to bare walls and started with our kitchen. It then went from there. Estelle hails from the Midlands but worked in London before meeting Stephen, a sound engineer. ‘He’s Stretford born and bred so we decided to move here. I love Manchester and I’m proud to live in the city.’ It is fair to say that I am not a classic dealer in the respect of having an antiques shop, however over the three decades of buying, sourcing for private clients and selling, as well as interior & set design and styling I have a vast knowledge of an array of subjects within the field.

Our living room lights and Ladderax unit were both shipped from Italy, so don’t limit yourself to local items. Steve, my partner already owned it and I kinda moved in. However, I did love the house at first sight. It has a lovely warm feeling to it and it is in a lovely neighbourhood. We overlook a park and it feels very village-like for Manchester.’ (image credit: Estelle Bilson)