Style Notes
My Stylish Thinking with Journalist Katherine Ormerod
13 December 2024
In our latest series, we’re speaking to inspiring women about living stylishly. Discovering their personal style that goes beyond their wardrobe. And of course, the importance of having a great bag.
We spent the day with journalist and author of Your Not Forever Home, Katherine Ormerod, sipping coffee in her beautiful West London home. Here Katherine shares more about her style philosophy and how that comes to life though her love for interiors.
Describe your personal style ethos
“I'd say puritan by day and vixen by night. But really, I like timeless elegance, just with a little bit of a twist.”
“True style doesn't have a label, and you can find the most wonderful things in the most unusual of places.”
Whose wardrobe do you most covet?
“It’s really the energy behind certain wardrobes that I love. So obviously Carrie from Sex and the City is the classic, but it’s not really what she’s wearing. It's doing your own thing, not thinking about anyone else. Being guided by your own sense of taste and getting excited about fashion is what really inspires me.”
For more of what inspires Katherine, watch our Q&A:
The best piece of style advice you’ve been given?
“It's something that I stick to to this day, that true style doesn't have a label, and you can find the most wonderful things in the most unusual of places.”
And your most treasured item of clothing or jewellery?
“Probably my wedding rings. That sounds so corny, but I did only just get married, so they’re at the front of my mind.”
Where do you love to get dressed up for in London?
“In truth, I love getting dressed up for any occasion, even if it's just a Tuesday at a pizza restaurant. But the thing that I most like getting dressed up for is going into the West End, having a glass of champagne at a hotel bar, and then you're off for dinner and who knows where the night will take you. I love pulling out all the stops.”
Where will you be taking your Radley bag this festive season?
“Definitely on my annual girls’ night out. Every year we put that date in the diary, it's the number one night of the whole Christmas party season.”
How would you describe your workspace, and how have you made it your own?
“I don't really have a designated workspace. I'm a massive hopper, so sometimes I sit at a table in my kitchen or in the dining room. Occasionally I sit in bed, don't judge me. But really all I need to do my job is my laptop, my phone and a charger.”
What’s your creative outlet?
“I'm into doing a manifold of different crafts, but I would say DIY in the home is probably the number one thing that I do to tick that box.”
We can see you love to travel, what inspires you most when visiting a new place?
“I’ve travelled since I was a baby. I was actually born in Munich, Germany and my mum's lived in Cape Town, she's now in Southwest France. My dad's still in Munich. And I’ve always continued to travel, I've just recently come back from Palm Springs where I had my wedding. And the thing that inspires me the most on my travels is always food, I eat very well when I’m away.”
“Perfection is absolutely overrated. It's better to give something a go.”
How would you describe your interior style?
“I would say that it's Victorian sensibilities without the mahogany. So I love really beautiful heritage prints, patterns, texture, colour, but with a slightly more stripped back attitude which makes it feel more modern.”
Where are your favourite places to shop for interiors?
“I love rummaging in markets. We've got an amazing street market once a month here in Chiswick, and I love Kempton too. Any charity shop, any opportunity that I have to rifle through past treasures, that's where I find my favourite things.”
Can you share your top tips for making a house a home?
“Perfection is absolutely overrated. It's better to give something a go and make it more cosy and more personal than have this idea of a perfect polished home that’s not that comfortable to live in anyway.”
Thank you, Katherine, we loved spending the day with you.
For even more from Katherine, head to Instagram.
