Member Stories
Katherine Ormerod
Katherine Ormerod is a woman of myriad talents and an inspiration to many. Equally skilled with words or a power drill, she’s a heroine of family life and high glamour, gracefully juggled with wit and candour. We joined her during a recent art appointment in her West London home, discussing her aesthetic inspiration, approach to sourcing art and transformation of a rented house…
“Well I’m certainly not a minimalist! My home is like a scrapbook of moments of aesthetic connection. It’s definitely not a neat, or easily explained look and there is a lot of stuff. Victorian without the mahogany? Layered, but not claustrophobic?
“I grew up partly in Munich and partly in London’s suburbs and my mum, who really struggled financially as a single parent took my brother and I to art galleries most weekends because they were free. I love Kirchner colour, Magritte wit, Rosetti romance and Twombly energy and art is the root of every single room in my house. I hate blandness or anything pedestrian – though I’m not a snob. Beauty can be found everywhere and that is so exciting to me.”
Katherine casually calls her curated aesthetic ‘stuff’ which belies her sophisticated eye. Considering selections of art for her has not only been a pleasure, but because of her clear interior style it has felt more like placing the satisfying final pieces of a jigsaw than starting with a blank sheet of paper. Like most great homes, it oozes personality and liveability, rather than the sterility of a fanciful magazine-ready ‘space’.
“I think that lack of snobbery but constant curiosity is key here too. I’ve purchased investment artworks from reputable art fairs and online galleries. But I’ve also framed posters picked up for free at fashion parties. I’ve made artworks myself out of blankets, I’ve also snapped up prints from exhibitions abroad and boot sales and vintage markets. At the same time, the Aline Gaiad piece which I discovered via Interrupted Art (pictured) now hangs permanently in my sitting room and is one of my most prized treasures.”
Curating in an already art-filled house has been less about educating or leading, and more about exchanging ideas. Having filled a prime sitting room slot, we’ve also experimented with original works by David Horgan and Megan Burmeister in the bedroom (pictured below). “The try before you buy concept has, let’s just say, been a little dangerous for me!”
“I feel very fortunate to have a very clear idea of what I like. I’m never confused nor do I care what a single other person thinks. Good taste to me is simply conviction.”
As someone who is famously renting, Katherine has become a standout voice in a world of home owning influencers. Not only has she grown quite the following on Instagram and Substack, she’s written her own book about embracing ‘your not forever home’. She comes equipped with advice for those who wrongly see renting as a brake on their interior ambitions:
“Renting and art can often be a real challenge because of the dreaded holes. I have run the full gamut: drilled two inch screws in, then filled, sanded and repainted at the end of my tenancy to a full-on frame cluster stuck on with temporary command strips. These days, I would negotiate at least two beautifully finished wall fixings per room right upfront as part of the rental agreement. Usually landlords are happy to have a mirror and an artwork hanging in a room if you do it properly.”
What I will say is that acceptance is part of the deal and compromise is king. I make larger scale tapestries because you can lean them against a wall. I appreciate furniture design because it is moveable. Creating a home in property you don’t own can be frustrating but limitations can also create incredible creative opportunities.”
