You’ll find anything in prop stylist Sherin Awad’s stunning sets – from eggs and playdough to balloons full of cream

As creative jobs go, prop styling is a pretty niche one. Many roles like graphic designer, cinematographer and photographer have quite obvious pathways, with degrees, courses and hobbies that naturally lead to a career in them. But prop styling, not so much. So how does someone become one? For prop stylist, set designer and still life artist Sherin Awad it all began in 2016, when she opened a vintage shop alongside her sister.

Growing up in Hungary, Sherin’s mum and grandma would often source unique clothes for her and her sister, and it was this that inspired them to start their own fashion venture – “keeping the tradition alive and making a business out of it”, says Sherin. And when it came to window displays, Sherin liked to get inventive: putting a pair of shoes on a pottery wheel or hanging a bra on a Bauhaus lamp she found in a charity shop. “I was always obsessed with collecting and finding interestingly designed objects at antique markets, but I had no idea this was a job people were paid for,” she says.

It was only when the stylist was randomly messaged by photographer (and now close friend) Karolina Burlikowska about shooting together that she realised there might be another use for her talents. In preparation, Sherin gathered up everything she collected over the years, as well as stocking up on some other random bits from local corner shops – like colourful playdough and custard creams – before lugging it all over to the photographers studio. After experimenting with Karolina on still lifes of eggs stuck in playdough and balloons filled with cream, the pair submitted the work to the platform Bound Inside, and these images still remain as some Sherin’s favourites to this day.

When it comes to sourcing inspiration for prop styling, which is now her full-time job, Sherin often finds herself returning to 80s Hungarian food ads, mining them for their textures and compositions, or Habitat magazines from the 1990s for their colour combinations. She’s also drawn to little details in architecture, especially in the modernist style, like hooks, colours of walls and tiles that adorn them. It makes sense that Sherin gravitates toward quotidian ephemera and visual cues you can find walking down the street – her work is all about taking everyday items out of their typical habitats and turning them into something beautiful, maybe even otherworldly. You only need to compare the hectic BTS, ‘before’ scenes Sherin posts online with the final image to understand how much of a keen eye and attention to detail it all takes.

While Sherin has her own defined vision and style, the early stages of commissioned projects involve a clear brief from the creative director of the props they see best fitting the shoot’s overall concept. Once this has been translated to Sherin, she has what’s described as a ‘prep day’, “which is basically a day of shopping and running round nice shops in central London,” she says. “It’s basically being paid to shop, I love it!” When at charity shops and markets, Sherin is often on the hunt for objects with interesting shapes and block colours, the formats she feels most comfortable and attracted to working with. Sometimes, however, the perfect object can’t be found and Sherin has to get crafty, armed with a trusty hot glue gun.

Of course, the key to Sherin’s work going well is a smooth and successful collaboration with the photographer, working with people who trust her eye for detail, colours and composition. Sherin recently enjoyed working with photographer Barbora Lundgren and her team on a commission for Burberry Beauty. In typical Burberry style, it incorporated iconic British everyday staples, and Sherin spent the day matching eyeshadow shades with different strengths of tea, toast and eggs.

The stylist is now keen to work on projects that involve her love of interiors, as fuelled by the many catalogues she’s collected, as well as collaborating with her creative friends: “you create the best work with friends, it’s all about creative trust and communication,” she says. But the big dream is to work on something that goes back to where it all began: her Hungarian and Arabic heritage; and returning to the spots of her childhood and styling the toys, games and wrappers of the sweets she couldn’t get enough of as a kid.