One Day : Tiffany Grant-Riley - Interior Stylist
Location: Chatham, Kent
Profession / passion: Interior stylist & photographer
Website: www.curateanddisplay.co.uk
Instagram: @curatedisplay
One Day is an ongoing project sparked by the Covid-19. In the days of isolation we would like to focus on what we do best; bringing people together.
We will continue to post One Day every Wednesday going forward. See our instagram stories to experience these peoples One Day in action.
A text, song or film that everyone should experience.
What’s Going On - Marvyn Gaye, the full album, preferably on vinyl.
It’s exquisitely, painfully beautiful and unfortunately still so very relevant today.
What’s the story behind your profession/passion?
A lot of blood, sweat and far too much self-doubt led to this point. I’m not exactly where I thought I’d be as my younger self but I think interiors have always played their part in my life. Growing up watching my mum decorating our home, making things, rearranging the furniture - I loved the excitement of how it felt to transform a space without huge amounts of money.
Theatre was the first love though I landed backstage, graduating from Rose Bruford College with a BA (Hons) in Stage Management and intended to go into theatre production after I graduated. For a long time, I wanted to call runway shows for some of the major fashion brands but after working for a short while in rep theatre I eventually moved over into events and wedding planning. For the next five years, I built up a vintage-inspired wedding planning company and styled inspiration shoots for bridal blogs.
It was really becoming a parent that pushed me to reevaluate things and how I didn’t want the weight of all the logistical wedding stress on my shoulders any more, so I side-stepped into interior styling. It was incredibly daunting to begin with to start again in an unfamiliar industry but I learnt a lot from assisting on editorial features with magazines such as LivingETC to gain a foothold in the interiors world. Having founded my blog, Curate and Display, in 2014, I can add writing and photography to my skill set and it’s only really now that I feel I’ve found what I love to do. Like coming full circle.
What is the most inspiring text you read recently?
Homecoming: Voices of the Windrush Generation by Colin Grant. I have Guyanese heritage and I found it painful to read the personal accounts of the trauma, exclusion and discrimination this generation faced for coming to live, work and enrich our country. Such an important (and extremely timely read) that should be included in the school curriculum.
Your greatest achievement?
The fact that my work is multi-disciplinary means I can vary how I work from day to day or combine everything into one project. There’s a huge amount of freedom in that and its afforded me some incredible experiences, opportunities to travel, meeting and collaborating with other like-minded creatives, some of whom have become great friends. To work flexibly from home and be there to spend time with my children, satisfy my creativity and do it on my own terms - that’s quite an achievement.
Define what beauty means to you.
Beauty is about a connection. If something speaks to me, creates a reaction and I want to interact with it? That’s beauty.
Analogue or digital?
To quote one of my absolute all-time favourite singers and artists, Erykah Badu, I’d say I’m an “analogue girl in a digital world”. I prefer to write things down in a physical diary over using one on my phone (though I do). I love listening to records. I prefer physical books and the smell of the pages. But then, 80% of what I do wouldn’t be possible without the internet. So...I’d say it’s a good balance of both.
Describe a smell that brings back memories for you.
It’s very specific. The strap of my mum’s dark brown leather handbag she had in the 90s mixed in with her perfume, Chanel 19. Leather and perfume. I’m forever trying to recreate that smell but haven’t managed it yet.
Your best trait?
Dogged determination.
What traits do you treasure in other people?
The ability to really listen and a filthy sense of humour.
Your most treasured possession?
A deep red terracotta pitcher made by the British potter Ian McIntyre for Another Country. The rich, earthy colour and modern shape just makes my heart sing.
Have you actively chosen to live in the town you live in?
We’ve lived in the Medway area for over 7 years and Kent for 15. There’s such a rich history here and we like that it’s still a little rough around the edges. We just love being close enough to London, living in a large town but 5 minutes away from the countryside. There’s a thriving creative scene here and my husband is a musician so before lockdown, he’d spend most weekends playing local gigs.
How do you relax?
I love to sit in the sunroom and watch the sky moving across the windows. I’ll put some music on and lose myself in thought looking out at the garden.
If you were forced to sit still for an entire month straight without pursuing your current profession, how would you spend your time?
I’m pretty skilled at the art of doing nothing, I love it. I’m completely obsessed with family history, be it my own or the people who previously lived in our Edwardian house. Over the last decade, I’ve been doing a lot of research into my father’s side and our Guyanese heritage as well as digging into the history of our home. So, I’d happily sit and dedicate some serious hours to trawling through various ancestry sites for more clues.
How has the current situation affected how you work?
I was feeling extremely stuck and creatively blocked before lockdown so it actually felt really freeing to know everyone else was in the same boat, with the same limitations. That phrase “stop the world, I want to get off” actually happened and I think having that pause for breath was a total gift. I think some of my most creative moments came from it eventually, I let go of the pursuit of perfection and just played for the sake of it.
Normal location shoots were cancelled...and I had the kids at home ALL the time with home-schooling thrown in for good measure.
I did my first shoot outside of the house a few weeks ago and it was a strange experience - everyone was extremely cautious wearing PPE, over-thinking every move made to comply with social distancing. And I tried to blow out candles several times wearing a visor...
Lastly, how do you wish to see this current situation have a positive impact on our lives?
I would love for this to be an opportunity for everyone to reflect and take stock of how we’ve been living up to this point. We can’t go on the way we have been. Room needs to be made for more mindfulness and self-reflection, kindness to each other, respect for the environment. Quite idealistic, but one can dream, right?
