still life

I'm looking to buy myself a few bits and pieces to use indoors to create a black background to shoot still-life, portraits etc.. I've done a search of the forum and found a couple of threads, which proved helpful but prompted a few more questions. I've also done searches online for suppliers...

A few years ago, I was left tied to the house as a full-time carer to my parents... This basically put a lid on my love of landscape and outdoors photography and left me with a need to do something that was indoor, and controllable, and - lets not beat about the bush - fairly unobtrusive. I...