In any one week, a stylist can be a builder, artist, upholsterer, framer, cook, seamstress, narrator, calligrapher, carpenter, photographer's assistant – even a model. Every shoot I do sends me down the path of a new trade and every theme I embark on opens a field of expertise. When it comes to your own interior decorating, it pays to do the same, as these skills, too, are the foundations of styling. Here are some extra basics you should master to keep your styling game sharp:
Stay curious
Read books, search the internet, interrogate tradesmen and talented friends.
Up skill
Learn to hang a picture, thread a sewing machine, patch a wall, make paper fancies.
Delight in the details
Discover the nuances of different paint finishes and adhesives, perfect stain removal for second-hand fabrics, have a few different sewing stitches up your sleeve, and train your eye to spot the difference between quarter-strength and half-strength paint tones.
Spend wisely
When you master the basics you'll be able to keep you won't have to splash out on having others come in to master the finishing touches. The more adept you are with a hammer, nails and paintbrush, the more you'll have to spend on the things you love.