The power and potential of interior design is limitless.
And perhaps nothing proves this to be true more than what is hidden behind the doors of this unassuming three-bedroom Victorian home in Stretford, which has been completely transformed into a vision of the 1970s by one retro-obsessed mum.
Known aptly as the 70s House Manchester, walking inside this characterful home is truly like taking a step back in time, and it’s absolutely brilliant.
70s House Manchester is a lifelong passion of Founder and Creative Director, Estelle Bilson.
Estelle, 43 – the daughter of an Antiques Dealer, who has bought and sold vintage for over 25 years and attended auctions with her father from the age of four, before starting to collect for herself at the tender age of 13 – moved from London to Manchester in 2015.
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She set about curating a seventies-style home and managed to revamp the entire property for just £1,500, as she bought nearly all the bits and bobs secondhand.
This then inspired the concept behind the ever-growing brand.
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70s House Manchester
70s House Manchester
Starting humbly as an Instagram page, before turning into a ‘Location Home’ and then a thriving, multi-faceted business selling luxury, British wallpaper, fabrics and various other lifestyle boutique items, the 70s House Manchester specialises in recreating the era that spawned everything from disco, to Biba, glam rock and Studio 54, by taking influence from mid-century design, more than a dash of 70’s funk, and “the love of fun, bold, graphic style”.
The home itself – which is filled with the collection of seventies furniture and object d’art that Estelle has spent hours tracking down from auctions, eBay, and charity shops – actually had a previous life as the local corner shop and even once appeared on Coronation Street.
Each room inside the home is described as being “a constant evolution in design, depending on which amazing vintage finds inspire Estelle”.
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But it has to be said, the family doesn’t actually live like they’re in the 70s.
70s House Manchester70s House Manchester
“We don’t live like it is 1974, but we appreciate the styling, design and quality of build of the furniture.” Estelle insists.
“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, [and] it’s also very budget friendly [too], if you know where to find the bargains.
“Second hand doesn’t have to be second rate and although our home is filled with vintage treasure it still looks relevant, stylish and homely and not too much like a junk shop, which can be the danger when you buy too many second hand things.
“Some have compared it to a shrine or a museum – it’s neither.
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“It’s simply our home, which we chose to furnish with things that make us happy.”
70s House Manchester
Not only has 70s House Manchester enjoyed success as a ‘Location Home’, a popular Instagram page with over 43K followers, and a growing interiors brand, but Estelle also markets the house and its contents to hire for photoshoots, film and TV sets and events.
And after a successful 20 year career in Technical Design and Product Development for some of the UK’s most luxurious fashion brands and with a qualification in Interior Design, she was perfectly poised to be able to use her skills and expertise on the esteemed panel of dealers on the popular BBC One show The Bidding Room last year too.
70s House Manchester prides itself on “looking back to move forward” – and that’s exactly what it does.
You can find more information about 70s House Manchester, and shop from the styling boutique via the website here, and follow along for updates and inspiration on Instagram too.
Bolton Wanderers sign young Celtic striker on loan
Danny Jones
Bolton Wanderers have signed young Celtic forward Johnny Kenny on loan for the rest of the season, rounding off a busy January transfer window with a final bit of business on deadline day.
All told, that’s seven new arrivals brought in this month as the League One side looks to continue their promotion push.
The Republic of Ireland international Johnny Kenny is just the latest among a number of offensive reinforcements, with Steven Schumacher looking to both increase his side’s goal output and further shore up the defence.
Still just 22, Kenny has already shown plenty of potential back in the Scottish Premiership, and now the fans will see how he takes to life in the English third tier.
Already scoring six times and registering a couple of assists in 22 appearances across all competitions so far this campaign, the Sligo-born striker is just a couple of contributions away from chipping in with his best overall tally in the league over a full term.
His best senior spell overall came on loan in the Republic of Ireland, where he scored a baker’s dozen of goals and assisted three times for Shamrock Rovers.
While perhaps not the most competitive league, he’s certainly taken some of that form back to his parent club in 2025/26, and now Celtic will get an even better sense of where his level is at right now – as will Bolton Wanderers.
Addressing the supporters deal in a club statement, Schumacher said: “We’re delighted to have signed Johnny to continue a really strong month. He is a player who we rate very highly and is someone we identified last summer as someone who would really strengthen our attacking options.
“He’s since played regularly and scored goals at a high level, so [he] will be a big addition for us. We didn’t think he would be available during this window, but once we were made aware Celtic would allow him to leave on loan, we acted really quickly to get the deal done.”
With other acquisitions such as attacking midfielder Ruben Rodrigues and winger Corey Blackett-Taylor, who has already scored on his debut, there’s suddenly some real squad depth to draw from.
As for Kenny, the promising youngster has every intention of quickly becoming the main man at the Toughsheet Stadium, taking on the number nine shirt.
Speaking in his first full interview as a Trotter, Kenny admitted that the interest has been there for some time and that the deal has been a longer process than the eleventh-hour nature might suggest, but reiterated that Bolton “reached out to [him] a lot during the summer.”
He’s made it clear that his aim is not only to increase his regular first-team minutes but also to make sure he is well and truly in the final national team picture.
Ireland are yet to find out if they qualify for the 2026 World Cup – pending a tricky playoff tie this March – but Kenny clearly wants to make sure there’s no doubt in terms of selection should they make it through the challenge.
Elsewhere in the EFL, another big attacking loan deal was done by local promotion rivals Stockport County, who have managed re-sign Louie Barry for a third spell.
Louie Barry returns to Stockport County for a third loan spell
Danny Jones
One of the most popular Stockport County stars, whether that be a permanent player or a loan signing, has returned to the club by popular demand: Hatters, rejoice, because Louie Barry is back at Edgeley Park.
In one of the most heavily rumoured January transfer deals of this window, Aston Villa youngster academy product Louie Barry has been confirmed for a third County stint, getting reacquainted with Stockport on deadline day.
Having come through not only Barcelona’s famous ‘La Masia’ system, but West Brom’s youth setup and then Aston Villa, his most successful spells of senior football have come at the Greater Manchester club.
Parent club Villa recalled him only to send the youth prospect back out on two other lacklustre loans (much to the disappointment of County supporters), but now he’s going back to well, and is hopefully set for a return to form. Unveiled in a dramatic video at the local Plaza Theatre, fans are already buzzing.
Who doesn’t love a bit of old-fashioned paegantry, eh?
Still just 22 years old, Louie Barry remains highly rated by his foremost employers, but has had few opportunities to try and impress his parent club.
Barring a handful of cup appearances, the Sutton-born attacking midfielder – often deployed as a winger during his two previous terms – the majority of his professional minutes have been with County.
His second visit to the then-League Two side was even better than his first, and all told, he scored 25 goals in 45 games, not to mention more than a dozen assists across his appearances off the bench and an increasing number of starts as he became an increasing talisman in the team.
Unfortunately, one thing that has been consistent throughout his professional career thus far is struggles with injuries, which have certainly derailed his last two loan deals to Hull City and Sheffield United.
It remains to be seen whether he is at the level of the Championship or beyond, but with the now third-tier outfit currently chasing promotion, this may prove to be the perfect test.
Should be able to stay fit, it goes without saying that he’ll quickly knit back into the first-team squad, and with fellow fan favourite Isaac ‘Tanto’ Olaofe having also been re-signed on a half-season loan deal, it’s been a popular period of recruitment overall.
Pair these deals with the signing of Adama Sidibeh, and suddenly, manager Dave Challinor has some real strength in depth when it comes to offensive options.
What do you make of the acquisition, Hatters? Will three prove to be the magic number, and could another promising visit to SK3 be the start of a potential permanent deal somewhere down the line?
You can see Louie Barry’s first full interview back as a Stockport County player down below.
Barry is aiming to be back fit soon, though it’s unclear if there is an option to buy in the contract.
Emily Sergeant -
26th January 2021 
