A vintage 70s sofa. A secondhand boat bar. A growing selection of schnauzer memorabilia in homage to their dog Pepper. There’s something to look at in every corner of producer Dan Spencer and content creator and “queen of cocktails” Pip Jolley’s home in east London.
It’s preloved homeware that adds a distinct charm to their mid-century maximalist space. The newlyweds go to great lengths to source items – and to get them home – a case in point is the vintage sofa that the pair had to painstakingly squeeze up 26 flights of stairs to their 13th-floor flat after a little mishap with measurement. “Carrying it up those 26 flights was definitely a Ross from Friends pivot moment,” says Spencer, laughing at the memory.
Jolley adds: “We’d been looking for a vintage 70s sofa for a while and we wanted something that was big and cosy. This one popped up on eBay for about £200; it was the perfect William Morris print for us, and totally worth the effort.” She even managed to find the exact fabric on eBay and reupholstered a footstool to match.
Sustainable style is part of Jolley’s design DNA. From hunting out 60s and 70s fashion at nearby Brick Lane market to endlessly scrolling eBay using her favourite search term “70s orange”, she’s a magpie for all things patterned and colourful. Spencer is no stranger to collectibles either, boasting more than 300 pairs of trainers and a vast record collection that feeds into his YouTube channel Diamond in the Rough.
Spencer moved into the three-bed maisonette back in 2006 and – after swiping right in 2017 – Jolley joined him there, bringing with her a collection of trinkets, inherited furniture and enough vintage fashion to convert the third bedroom into a shared walk-in wardrobe. The bachelor pad was no more, and today it’s a culmination of the newlyweds’ love of music, fashion, cocktails and all things vintage.
The open-plan living room and kitchen is where this design cross-pollination shines through most. “It’s where we spend most of our time. It’s our happy place,” says Spencer.
The loft-like room is where the much-loved vintage sofa lives, surrounded by other finds such as the industrial lighting above the island and the boat bar where Jolley films her weekly Bar-Barella videos for her 40k+ followers. “I think every home should have a bar,” she says. “They’re just so fun.”
Jolley’s favourite piece of furniture is a retro fringed-lamp, given to her grandma as a retirement present in 1981. “It reminds me of going to my grandma’s house,” she says. “It was the only thing I wanted when she passed away.”
Function over form is not a phrase you hear often in the Jolley and Spencer household, but the effects of 2020 and the changing working landscape did encourage them to prioritise storage solutions and become more considered with how spaces were zoned.
“Everything has to be really organised. It all has to be in its place or the flat looks really messy,” says Jolley. “We bought storage units for all of my bar props and the records, painting the wall behind them black so that they blended in.”
Next, an injection of colour was on the cards, with Jolley giving a new lease of life to the tired stairs and hallway with a vibrant pop of yellow. “They were dull and dark spaces,” she says. “Now they bring me loads of joy, even though I’m just going to another room.”
When asked how they approach decorating decisions, it’s clear that the couple are on the same page. “We have quite similar tastes,” says Spencer. “Or rather, Pip has similar taste to my mum, which is obviously what I’ve grown up with.” He concedes that Jolley often takes the lead, but it’s usually his input that brings a sense of playfulness to the space – such as the nostalgic smiley face rug and Pac-Man machine located in the office.
The master bedroom started out with a simple brief of “it must be pink”, Spencer’s favourite colour, before Jolley brought the vision to life with a palmprint wallpaper that she paired with vintage floral bed linen, all set off by a scalloped velvet bedhead in blue.
A vintage dressing table – also from eBay – provides an area for Jolley to store her beauty products and collection of vintage hair clips. The room is a little bit of both of them, providing the perfect place for the couple’s favourite part of the day: a morning coffee and social media scroll.
“Each room is like a little bit of our personalities,” says Jolley. “They all have a different vibe because there are lots of different fun elements to us. They’re filled with loads of different things we love: records, plants, fun objects relating to cocktails and trainers. Shopping secondhand allows us to find those unique pieces that we wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else.”
The couple are now ready for a new phase of married life, and they’re looking to take their love of all things pink and orange to an abode by the sea. Their prized knick-knacks and that ever-growing trainer collection will most certainly be coming with them, but they’ve yet to decide whether they’re up to facing the stairs to get the sofa out, or will simply hit up eBay for dopamine dream settee number two.
Pip’s eBay shopping tips
Keep your searches broad
Some of the best vintage items can be listed quite vaguely, so you need to do a bit of digging to find them. Try experimenting with search terms, and don’t always be too specific. You’ll find the really special items by being patient and spending a lot of time scrolling through the app.
Use the filters
Pip always sets the condition to “used” when searching for vintage items. You can also search for “Buy It Now” items this way if you don’t want to wait around for an auction to end.
Don’t be put off by location
There are plenty of amazing courier services that can help to deliver your items, including eBay’s approved courier marketplace Shiply. Cast your net wide and even consider overseas listings.
Get Pip and Dan’s look
1970s stylings abound on eBay, so add some print to your pad. Some items may have sold, but there’s always more to find
Preloved sugar jar
Get your own piece of The Good Life with an iconic 1978 Bronte sugar jar from Hornsea Pottery. Search Hornsea to find this plus its coffee, salt and flour pals for £10-£20
Handmade cushion
Handcrafted in Dorset, the retro cushion from BrightRevival comes in eminently strokable velvet and Sanderson William Morris golden lily print. Buy one now for £27.50
Refurbed sofa
A good-as-new, mid century, modern-style sofa, made in Denmark from mustard wool and teak, and lovingly refurbished by eBay seller modernistiks. Buy it now for £1,395
Shop Home on eBay for more statement 70s pieces
