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Woman spends £20K transforming home into a 1970s time capsule

A Lincolnshire woman has spent £20K transforming her three-bedroom home into a 1970s time capsule.

Simone Radley, 38, said her passion for the era began with a love of its fashion before she started to collect a few pieces of ‘70s-style furniture for their old home.

Radley, who lives with her husband Jonathan, also 38, and their two daughters, saw an “opportunity” when the family moved into their new £250K semi-detached home in Welton, Lincolnshire, last September.

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“In my previous property, I started collecting a few pieces of furniture from that era,” Radley explains.

Simone Radley stands in her modern house which has been transformed into a 1970s home. (SWNS)
Simone Radley has transformed her modern house into a 1970s home. (SWNS)

“The love grew from there, and as soon as we moved into this property a year ago, I seized the opportunity to do the whole house exactly how I wanted.”

She says the decor gives her a “feeling of comfort”, and that she particularly loves her bathroom in which she swapped out the existing all white look for an avocado and mustard-hued look.

Radley has been able to acquire most items on a budget, with the bathroom suite costing just 99p on eBay, but the majority of the £20K budget for renovations has gone towards plumbing, tiling and carpet-fitting.

A before and after picture that shows a white modern bathroom on the left and a mustard and avocado 1970s-style bathroom on the right. (SWNS)
Simone Radley transformed her all-white bathroom with a mustard and avocado suite. (SWNS)

To kit the place out, Radley scours antique stores and sites such as Facebook Marketplace for deals like a free retro sofa and old school bedding for £2.

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Radley’s living room now has orange walls with a tiger print-covered sofa, a red fireplace lined with '70s vinyl, and flying ducks on the walls.

“I don't think I do have a favourite item, as I just love it all. I've got a load of stuff, so it's just really hard to pick,” Radley says.

A before an after picture of the living room which shows a modern living room on the left and a living room with 1970s decor on the right. (SWNS)
The living room before and after. Simone said she like things 'that are quite bold and stripey'. (SWNS)

“The striped chair and footstool are true, authentic '70s so I really like that. I just like the colours and the prints because I like things that are quite bold and stripey.

“I spend so long trawling sites like eBay and Facebook Marketplace. There's an amazing local antiques centre down the road so I go there whenever I can and I just love going around charity shops.”

One place where her husband drew the line was when Radley suggested getting a vintage television.

“Unfortunately we've got an absolute monstrosity of a modern TV which is one of the compromises I've had to make,” she laughs.

Simone Radley sits in her bedroom which is decorated with 1970s wallpaper and a retro duvet. (SWNS)
Simone Radley bought her duvet cover for 99p. (SWNS)

“I wanted a 1960s or 1970s TV, but my husband drew the line at that point. So I've got a massive 55-inch TV in my living room.”

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Her bedroom is covered with pink floral wallpaper, and while her daughters' bedrooms have been kept modern, Radley said she’s “snuck” some retro decor into their rooms like a 1960s-inspired mural on the wall and a vintage light shade.

A composite image with a 1950s-style kitchen on the left and a 1970s-style arm chair on the right. (SWNS)
Simone says her kitchen is more 50s-inspired (left) compared to her lounge (right). (SWNS)

“[My daughter] does often say, 'Mummy I don't like our vintage house, I want a normal house like other people' but I don't think they think it's too bad,” Radley explains.

“For me, it is normal as it's what I love and I think that people should be free to do what they love.”

Additional reporting by SWNS