“I wanted a nice place in a nice area, which would have been a real stretch in London,” says Stuart Eminson. He’s a 44-year-old clarinettist, who’s played with various professional symphony and chamber orchestras – as well as in musicals including Wicked, Cats and Phantom of the Opera. Having rented for 20 years in Primrose Hill and then Camberwell, he was in a quandary. “I was disappointed with the flats I viewed in London,” he says, “so decided to look on the outskirts towards Hertfordshire. But realised I wasn’t ready for the quiet life yet.”
Originally from Nottinghamshire, Stuart fell into London life after studying at the Royal Academy of Music, but discovered Manchester’s charms while touring with Wicked in 2013. “I was staying with friends in the area and just made a snap decision,” he says. “They suggested I rented first, but I just wanted to go the whole hog and buy somewhere. I figured I could always sell it or rent it out if things didn’t work out.”
After 25 viewings, Stuart made an offer on a one-bedroom apartment in the young, central suburb of Chorlton-cum-Hardy. But then a friend steered him towards a two-bedroom converted Victorian loft apartment in the same area.
“I first viewed it on a dark and miserable, rainy evening,” says Stuart. “The place was untidy and the measurements were wrong on the details, so I was expecting it to be bigger and I was a bit disappointed.” His second daytime viewing was completely different. “It was a sunny day and the tenants had tidied up and put some funky music on, which changed the whole feel of the place,” he says. “I loved its quirkiness, with the mezzanine floor, old beams and curved wall in the hallway.”
Stuart spent £3,000 replacing the windows, adding metro tiles to the kitchen and redecorating. He wanted a neutral backdrop for his treasured collection of vintage retro furniture and accessories which had been in storage for two years. “It was a bit like Christmas when the van arrived and I could finally unbox everything,” he says. “I’m naturally drawn to the more colourful aspects of the 60s and 70s. However I like a mishmash of things, otherwise it becomes too stylised.”
In the living room, his tiled 70s coffee table, orange Rya rug and teal G-plan sofa from John Lewis provided the starting point for the colour scheme. Lampshades created by Snygg and Fox Originals, alongside cushions fashioned from vintage Liberty fabric by Retro68, add to the vibrant mix. The room was also given a new focal point – a 1970s fireplace that many homeowners would toss on the skip, but which Stuart bagged for £15 online.
Artwork is a mixture of Tretchikoff and JH Lynch originals, and prints by Manchester-based artist Stanley Chow depicting icons such as Elvis, Dolly Parton, Freddie Mercury, Grace Jones and Starsky & Hutch.
Some pieces are relatively hard to find in the UK – like the ceramic cat and bird by Bitossi, and a smoked glass wave lamp by Koch & Lowy for Peill and Putzler. “I bought it from German eBay where you sometimes find more obscure midcentury things,” he says.
Other pieces weren’t even intended for sale, such as the large orange Scheurich West German vase spotted in the window of a Stockport café called Pokusevskis, which he begged the owners for. His best tips for retro finds include Cream and Chrome, Kirk Modern and Pineapple Retro.
The mezzanine deck above the living room that helped clinch the sale is now a chill-out area which Austin Powers would be proud of, and where Stuart listens to music. It’s adorned with shag pile rugs, a limited edition 1960s psychedelic silk screen print called Jezebel by Linnet Gotch and a kitsch Tom Selleck corner.
Although the open-plan living room and kitchen lends itself to light walls, Stuart has chosen to go darker in the master bedroom and paint the walls in Farrow & Ball’s Stiffkey Blue. “It gives it a cocoon-like, cosy feel,” he says. “I started painting one wall, but couldn’t stop. I’ll probably do the ceiling and skirting boards, too, and then I might experiment with different wall colours in the living room as there are so many corners and shapes in there.”
The guest bedroom has an ethnic vibe, influenced by his time working for the Symphony Orchestra of India in Mumbai 10 years ago. Dominating the space is a bed made from sleepers which belonged to artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman. “I bought it on Ebay from a friend of his,” he explains. “It was made for his London apartment by ‘Andy the carpenter’ as mentioned in his biography, and has a letter ‘A’ carved inside.”
Two years on and Stuart has no regrets about moving. He’s made new friends, expanded his work opportunities in the north while keeping London commitments, and has no trouble renting his place via Airbnb or Theatre Digs when on tour.
“Manchester is much quieter and cheaper, and there’s an abundance of nice, independent cafés and restaurants on my doorstep,” he says. “I sometimes miss the hustle and bustle of London, but I’m still there a lot because of my work. I also see my London friends more than I used to because I stay with them whenever I visit. It was a spur of the moment decision, but it’s really paid off.”
