But, having been writing about art and interiors for 10 years, and art and fashion for 10 years before that, I can assure you that most people are only too aware of the existence of smoke and mirrors in the creative industries – and if you like them and you want to invite them to your house, then perhaps it’s time to close a gap that, in any case, might only exist in your imagination. As for the rest – well, you know the rules of tablescaping and flower arranging, to which I can only add that Nicky Haslam gathers foliage on the day from his local environs, puts it ‘anywhere it’s going to improve the general look of things’, and, in the evening, believes in lamplight and ‘masses of candles… the aim is to make it look slightly mystical’.