Meet the self-acclaimed ‘obsessed’ 70s lover who has decorated his new house the old groovy style in just 25 days.
Ryan Nicholson, 31, knew from the moment that he was handed his keys that he would want to make his first home personal and individualised to his style. Making sure that his plan would be a reality, soon after moving in to his new place in Yorkshire, he spent 25 days to make his 70s fantasy living room come to life, something he had been dreaming about since he was a young boy.
Ryan said: “When I became a homeowner for the first time, it meant that I could finally go a bit wild in designing my house – primarily the living room.
“I decided to do something unique with the living room and create a homage to the 1970s.
“Most of the furniture was sourced very inexpensively.
An empty canvas for Ryan to build his 70s living room dream
“My 1969 vinyl G-Plan sofa was probably the best find a £50 collection from Bridlington, while the coffee table was a steal at just £5 from my local Salvation Army.
“The Nathan Squares corner unit came from Facebook Marketplace for £50, and the sideboard was a £25 auction win. One of my favourite finds was the orange floor lamp which I bought for only £2 at North Cave car boot sale.
“The house was decorated and finished from an empty shell without blinds or flooring in about 25 days to how it looks right now.”
Despite only buying the house in November, Ryan already has big plans for the rest of the house but has a different theme in mind.
He said: “I do think other than the office space, the rest of the house is quite tame.
70s style fan Ryan Nicholson
(Image: Ryan Nicholson)
“At the minute, the kitchen is all modern, but when funds allow in the coming years, I might go vintage in there as well.
“I do like the look of an English Rose Kitchen.
“I am also bit of a Land Rover fan too, so I do have quite a bit of memorabilia to the green oval and of course my daily car is also a classic Defender 90 County Station Wagon.”
Ryan’s passion hasn’t come out of nowhere but stemmed from his childhood and family members who helped him find his identity. He recalls growing up that he was always ‘drawn’ to old electronics and audio equipment.
“My love for vintage stuff began when I was just 8 or 9 years old, starting with a wind-up gramophone,” Ryan, who has a job as an IT expert in the power generation industry, said “That fascination grew over the years, and by around 2010, I had moved on to 1970s Hi-Fi equipment.
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“One of my first treasures was a Toshiba Music Centre that I found on eBay for collection at Pickering. I remember the trip well going to pick it up with my dad.
“I guess you could say it was a bit of a milestone moment which really began my growing passion for vintage audio.”
Ryan is thankful that he didn’t have to start from the beginning to decorate house as he was able to bring everything he hoarded since he was younger. He was also grateful most things he wanted were easy to find.
He said: “During the early 2010s, collecting LPs and tapes was incredibly easy.
“Many people were simply giving them away.
“It was a time when vinyl and cassettes were seen as outdated clutter rather than collectible gems what we see nowadays.
“I do miss that era, as it offered so many great finds for pennies or nothing. Since then, I’ve been hooked.”
Ryan’s 70s inspired living room
As well as looking back in to the past, Ryan looked to modern technology for inspiration which has allowed him to further explore his identity and style.
He said: “A big inspiration for me has been Techmoan, a fantastic YouTuber who explores obscure vintage audio formats.
“His content has fuelled my interest and really helped me expand my collection.
Reel to Reel and TV
“It now includes everything from a Pioneer 8-track player and a Teac Reel-to-Reel deck to a rare Sony EL-5 Elcaset deck.
“The Elcaset format, an ambitious but short-lived creation by Sony, lasted only about four years on the market, so it’s very difficult to find tapes and equipment nowadays.
“My passion also extends to vintage video equipment too, which I know is more a 1980s thing for those of us in the UK.
“I’m fortunate to own a Sanyo Betamax, Panasonic VHS, and even a Philips V2000 VCR. The latter, being a short-lived and somewhat unreliable format even when brand new so it’s particularly special to have a working unit in my collection with tapes to play on it.”
Processed with VSCO with ke1 preset in office
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