Molly Meets Tim Young
Molly Meets is a little bit of fun. A chance to chat to the people that we meet along our Secret Linen Store journey. I love talking and I am a bit nosy too, so i'm always happy to dig and nose a little into our friends bedtimes and mornings.
Tim Young is our photographer, and has been since the very beginning of our Secret Linen Store. Without Tim we just don't know where we would be! Tim is professional, very very hard working, will never moan when things don't go to plan (and I ask us to start again), makes a very good spaghetti bolognese and to top is all off is a great friend. Shoot days are stressful for me, a million paints, floors, flowers and pillowcases to coordinate. Tim puts on his french radio (strangely, why do we listen to french radio on shoots Tim?) and all is well in the shoot world. We work hard but we always have fun, and the photo's are always very special. Thank you Tim, for being you, for making us laugh and for the pictures of our bed linen that make our website world.
I chatted to Tim, here's what he had to say.
Describe what you do in 3 words
Light, Compose, Photograph
What’s the best thing about what you do?
It’s great working with creative people, whether they are designers, stylists or art directors. It’s also good to be in at the start of something, which is why I enjoy SecretLinen shoots. I’ve been there from day one and have seen your business grow. It’s rewarding to be a part of that.
What makes you get out of bed in the morning?
I’m a light sleeper and tend to wake up early. I enjoy the time before the rest of the house awakes and try to work through any problems or plan an approach to upcoming jobs.
What's the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
No one pearl of wisdom springs to mind. I’ve always gained a lot from observing and understanding what other people offer to a situation, especially when I was an assistant. In a way its ‘absorbing’ advice I guess.
What does a typical Monday morning look like for you?
If I’m not shooting I’ll make the packed lunches and do the school run before spending the day in the office or out for a meeting or two. If it’s a shoot day I’m out early while the rest of the house sleeps, the van full of gear. I tend to get to locations way before call time. I hate being late!
What’s the next big interior challenge in your home?
We desperately need more space. In an ideal world we’d make it twice the size! At some point we’ll probably build a studio in the garden. The current work in progress is turning the bathroom into a darkroom. The transformation is for a personal project I’m working on. It’s an attempt to return to the hands on craft of the medium.
Are you all about long lie-ins or up with the lark?
Up with the lark except Sundays when we have a bit of a lie in and a spot of brunch.
Instagram or Twitter? Why?
Instagram as it’s more relevant to my work. I don’t have a twitter account.
What are your 3 favourite Instagram accounts?
It changes all the time. This week its @Lordlowe @andydixfurniture @sophierobinsoninteriors
What's on your bed today?
It's tiny stripe graphite grey with graphite grey relaxed denim pillowcases.
What do you wear to bed?
I’m in the nip in the warmer months, then a T-shirt and PJ bottoms when the cold sets in.
If you had to have the same thing for breakfast every morning what would it be?
I haven’t found my perfect breakfast. It’s usually a rushed meal for me so I don’t tend to enjoy it. In the summer when I was a kid Mum would pick raspberries and loganberries fresh from the garden and drop them straight on our corn flakes with full fat milk and a sprinkle of sugar. That was pretty special.
Who would you invite to your dream midnight feast? Dead/alive/animal?
I’d invite Audrey Hepburn, Robin Williams and Peter Sellers from the dead camp. Living legends, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Valentino Rossi and Tom Cruise, plus a Golden Eagle. I’d make Coq-au-vin with fresh bread rolls and offer lots of Beaujolais.
Tea or Coffee? How do you take yours?
A cup of tea with a dark pantone reference. What’s the point of a weak brew?
What’s your favourite thing in your home?
That would be my son’s. Without them it wouldn’t be home.
What is your worst interior nightmare?
Anything fake. Panelling in a room that doesn’t have the scale to pull it off, Dado and picture rails where there shouldn’t be any. Anything distressed. Fake aging of furniture. Old-fashioned wear and tear is where it’s at.
Clean sheet Friday or clean sheet Sunday? (Harriet and I disagree)
I don’t want to take sides. I love you both the same.
Do you have a bedtime ritual, can you share it with us?
I wish I had one I couldn't share. It’s a mix of reading, catching up on the news or watching an episode of a box set. Box sets rule.
Flat sheet or fitted sheet?
I love a fitted, as long as they don’t ping off the corners.
What is on your bedside table?
Generally it’s a book and glass of water. Perhaps a DVD, we sometimes watch a movie in bed on the laptop.
You’re off for a weekend camping… What one luxury would you take from your bedroom?
The en-suite. I’ve never been that big on camping. When I camped with friends during college days I’d always end up sleeping in my Ford Capri rather than my friends tiny tent. A fair amount of beer was consumed during these trips and the results the following day in a confined space were to be avoided.
Tell us a secret?
I’ve already told you I sleep in the nip! I do hanker after a skirt. I wore a kilt to a friends wedding once (Cornish tartan obviously) and loved the feel of fresh air circulating.
Who should Molly meet next?
Tracy Emin. Molly could give her some pointers for a tidier bedroom.
