Advice from Some of Our Tête-à-Tats Over the Years, Part One
Many receive advice, only the wise profit from it, Harper Lee
I have now done Tete at Tat's for four years. It has acted as a Trojan Horse to pester those whom I admire. What better question to ask them than their advice on life? With spring around the corner, life begins to look a little more hopeful, and with that hope, perhaps a sprinkling of advice would set you on course for the next phase of the year.
The article is rather long, so click on it to read the entire piece.
Emily Tobin - Editor of The World of Interiors
This too shall pass. Given to me by your mother, the wonderful, elegant and endlessly kind Liz Elliot. I am very lucky to have her in my life. - Emily Tobin
worldofinteriors.com / @emily.k.tobin
Sarah Watson - Founder of Balineum.
Aim for underwhelm. I am getting better at being more realistic at what I can do in a day, but I still need to do less. I know when I have less on my plate, I am happier and I make better decisions.
Have a prudent reserve. Someone suggested having 1-2 months of savings in my personal and business accounts as a buffer. It’s taken many years to get to point where I can actually have this – but since I have, it’s been the best thing I have ever done for my stress levels. And right now I am really grateful for it because it’s given me a buffer to deal with Corona interruptions that I did not have before. Corona probably would have killed my business a few years ago. — Sarah Watson
balineum.co.uk / @sarah_balineum
Wayne Pate - Artist
Once again a little corniness here, with all we do and as much as we can, passion and conviction. Without them, one’s actions are just consolations for lack of trying. I believe everyone has an obligation to leave a mark on humanity in their own way. Humanity and civility are privileges that has been built on the backs of some many great selfless people. A life of materialism is not enough I’m afraid. - Wayne Pate
Ros Byam Shaw - Writer & Founder of Perfect English Stuff
This is not advice that was given to me, rather it was shown to me, by my grandfather, the theatre and opera director, Glen Byam Shaw. As a child I adored him, and one of the things I loved about him, was the way he was not just polite, but also warm, and apparently genuinely interested in pretty much everyone he met - the man at the petrol station, the lady in the shop, me, even when very young and probably annoying. I also noticed that people were nice in return. And I guess it was an early lesson that ‘what goes round comes round’ and that you should ‘do as you would be done by’. - Ros Byam Shaw
Gabby Deeming - Founder of Daydress
My mum told me that I didn't have to do anything I didn't want to do which felt very liberating. I'm actually twerpishly obedient, but sometimes it's good to remember that there's a choice. - Gabby Deeming
Gavin Houghton - Designer & Artist
Treat every day as it’s your last! A great Scottish lady called Maggie who lives in Tangier has a fantastic outlook on life, I try and channel what she would do when one needs guidance. - Gavin Houghton
gavinhoughton.co.uk / @gavin1966
Camilla Guinness - Designer
When Sue Crewe was Editor of House & Garden I asked her if she worried and she said ' No not really there is rarely a problem I haven't dealt with before', I always remember that. It immediately diminishes the problem. - Camilla Guinness
camillaguinness.com / @camillaguinness
Rachel Chudley - Designer
Only dead fish go with the flow - my friend Cassie Beadle - Rachel Chudley
rachelchudley.com / @rachelchudley
Christopher Howe - Founder of Howe
“Write it but don’t send it”, an old mate Ian Spencer. There’s one my dad told which it turns out was Aristotle “There is only one way to avoid criticism: Do Nothing, Say Nothing and Be Nothing.” - Christopher Howe
howelondon.com / 36bournestreet.com / @howelondon
Bridie Hall - Co-Founder of Pentreath & Hall & Designer
I wish I had the memory to retain and requote the countless pieces of good advice I’ve been given over the years and I hope I’m continuing to apply them whatever they might be. Actually, one that does stick in my mind is when I went through the briefest spell of waking up in the middle of the night to worry’. “Worry is your imagination making up things that don’t exist yet,” I think I heard it on the radio and it seemed to immediately calm all that down for me. - Bridie Hall
bridiehall.com / pentreath-hall.com / @bridierhall
Melissa Wyndham used to say no solution to any problem is further than a few phone calls away. Having taken a leaf out of her book, I rarely take no for an answer! - Flora Soames
florasoames.com / @florasoames
Duncan comes out with this occasionally: ‘Navigate by the stars, not by other ships.’ It’s a lovely phrase, and it reminds us to follow our own hearts, our own visions. - Luke Edward Hall
lukeedwardhall.com / @lukeedwardhall
''One should never be the oldest thing in one’s house'', Patsy Stone from Absolutely Fabulous. I used it in my book, and it seems to really resonate with people! - Beata Heuman
beataheuman.com / @beataheuman
"Mind your manners” from my mother. And “Personal style is accepting who you are” from DVF. - Amanda Brooks
cutterbrooks.com / @cutterbrooksshop
“Always make that call” “always go out” both from my mama and she’s never been wrong. “You never regret a run” which is my own and therefore wildly narcissistic to say that but I have to tell myself it every day. And variations on “not all thoughts mean anything” when I’m feeling really anxious. I think I got that one off Reddit. - Bella Mackie
Merlin Wright - Design Director at Plain English
Before becoming a designer, I studied boatbuilding where an old instructor would chide us for our mistakes with the phrase 'measure twice, cut once' which is to say that we should plan and check things carefully before committing ourselves. In contrast to this cautious principle I also like the saying 'time and tide wait for no man' which is by Chaucer, apparently although I first saw it on a clock at the V & A by CFA Voysey. - Merlin Wright
Follow your instinct no matter what and stick to it. ( as per Anna Wintour in one of her master classes) - Carolina Irving
ci-daughters.com / @carolinairving_and_daughters / @carolinairving
Try things out…my mother also used to say, tell me what they boast of, and I will tell you what they are afraid of; it works every time. Scarily telling. - Lucinda Chambers
collagerie.com / colvilleofficial.com / @lucindachambers
'There is no such thing as good luck; there is just hearing opportunity and taking it,’ my uncle Roger. - Simon Upton
simonupton.com / @simonuptonphotos
‘Drive for show, putt for dough’ – an accountant told me this as a maxim to run a business by. It basically means that although turnover is important, more important is the profit. - Max Rollitt
I love so many of these! “Worry is your imagination making up things that don’t exist yet” is relatable!
What a lovely collection of sentiments! "Navigate by the stars, not by other ships" is quite something.