I believe in yesterday

FROM psychedelic sofas to ’60s ceramics, Carol Taylor’s Sheffield semi reflects her love of retro. Sharon Dale turns back the clock to have a look round. Pictures by Chris Lawton.

You could accuse Carol Taylor of being stuck in a moment when it comes to interiors – but you cannot fault her choice of era.

Who wouldn’t want to be reminded of a time when design burst out of its straitjacket in a riot of colour, pattern and fabulous new shapes to be serenaded by Elvis, Dylan, The Beatles and The Stones?

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From the Bernard Rooke pottery to the Verner Panton chair, the inside of Carol’s Sheffield semi is a shrine to the very best of retro style spanning the 50s through to the 1970s.

It’s packed with little trips down memory lane and some eye-popping pieces, including a Lurashell sofa and chairs in furry bright orange.

The fabulous fibreglass suite is centre stage in the sitting room, which also boasts a set of ’60s Carn Pottery, a Panton light and a Peter Blake print along with some vintage copies of Vogue.

“I love anything a bit quirky and I love the ’60s and ’70s. It was a magical time,” says Carol, whose shop The Pad is has become a Mecca for those who love authentic retro design.

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Her impressive collection began out of necessity when she and husband Ken bought their first house in 1968 and furnished it on a budget.

“It was needs must and I got everything from second hand shops and jumble sales.

“In fact our first house looked very similar to this one,” she explains. “Bright orange was fashionable back then and it’s such a bright, happy colour.”

A self-confessed hoarder, she didn’t throw anything out and when she and Ken bought their 1920s property in 1983, she decided on a retro revamp.

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The house, which boasts fantastic views and a huge garden, needed refurbishing, but Ken, a former lorry driver, is a gifted handyman and he tackled most of the work.

They decided to reconfigure the rooms downstairs to create more space and make the most of the fabulous rural outlook.

What was a sitting room overlooking the road at the front is now a light-filled dining kitchen.

The former galley kitchen and dining room at the rear were knocked together to create a large sitting room with floor-to-ceiling windows and a conservatory to make the most of the far-reaching views over woodland.

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The kitchen, which now features an internal window to bring light into the hall, has modern units in Carol’s favourite bright orange, while the table and chairs are an Arkana set from the 60s

The room is also home to many of her treasures, including a Felix the cat clock with a ticking tail, her new Alessi kettle and a collection of vintage Villeroy and Boch Acapulco tableware, most of which she found in France, where she stood markets and went on buying trips to stock her shop.

Good quality retro pieces are getting harder to find in Britain, which is why Carol and Ken head to Europe.

“We go to France, Germany, Holland and Scandinavia, but a lot of the markets and shops we used to buy from have gone.

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“Their demise is down to the internet,” she says. “A lot of people trade online now.”

Fortunately, she has good connections and enjoys visiting antique fairs at Newark and Swinderby.

Her main obsession, she admits is fabric and her cupboards are stacked full of amazing material by designers including Tibor Reich and Vasarely

She also has some original Biba make up and clothes and an army of gonks and gollies.

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“I have always been a magpie but textiles are my real passion,” she says.

“The designs and the quality of the fabric, the dyes and the screen printing are amazing. There is no comparison with modern textiles. They are works of art and an addiction for me. I get a real high when I see something I love.”

She has used some of her favourites to create sliding fabric panels for the windows in the sitting room and blinds for the bedrooms.

“I like anything that catches my eye and I love to research and discover where things come from,” she says.

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Some of her finds remain a mystery like the Alvar Aalto-style chair in the conservatory. It was covered in mustard-coloured paint and khaki canvas but Carol recognised the quality.

“It’s post war and made from aluminium and it could well be an Aalto because he made a lot of chairs for airmen recovering in sanatariums. It is beautifully made with real precision.

“It’s Ken’s comfy chair. I always make sure he has one, though he had a lot of over the years.

“He used to work long hours as a lorry driver and he’d come back from a trip and there was always something new. Either that or I’d changed everything round.”

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Ken, and their sons Sean, 39, and Craig, 42, encouraged Carol to leave her job in a department store to devote her time to buying and selling first in an antiques centre and later in her own shop.

Her retro retailing has made her a well-known personality who even has a 60s-style Nissan Figaro car to suit her love of the past. The Pad, meanwhile, is now destination outlet for retro lovers who know where to look. Carol doesn’t have a website and she doesn’t trade on the internet.

“I’m a bit old fashioned really but I think you have to look at something before you buy it and I like the personal touch,” she says. “I love to see people come in and watch their faces light up and smile. That’s the fun of it for me. Pieces from the 60s and 70s have that effect. They’re bright and cheerful.”

The Pad, 363 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield, is open Wednesday-Saturday 10.30am – 5pm tel: 07977 373189.

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