Welcome to In Da House, a series of blog posts celebrating the launch of our new UO furniture, lighting and homely tidbits.

The excitement surrounding our new homewares prompted much discussion on how we live in our homes, what inspires our decor and the hobbies we keep when the working day is done. It was agreed we must investigate, picking upon our favourite UO team members and inviting ourselves to their pads. Let’s peer through the keyhole, who lives in a house like this? (Dodgy Loyd Grossman impression)



First up, the home of UO lady Kate Blower. Sip some wine, wipe your feet, compliment the host and ready yourself for an intimiate exploration into this ever so decorative lady crib.

Kate, tell us what you do for a living?
I’m a District Visual Merchandising Manager for Urban Outfitters.

And what does that mean?
I oversee eight of our stores in terms of the visual aesthetic / product presentation, and help create an exciting experience in each of our spaces from the customers point of view.

Do you have loads of hobbies on the side?
Jewellery making, drawing (mainly portraits), I’m a professional hoarder and collect lots of random things.



How could somebody get to do the job you do?
Gaining experience within a (retail) VM team is invaluable; working alongside them gives you the skills and vision to deliver the brand concept within any store space. I started as a part time sales assistant in our flagship store.

Your house looks like it’s stuffed with awesome bits and pieces – did you make a lot of it yourself?
Yeah, from all the junk I’ve collected over the last ten years living in London. I love making something from nothing or finding bits in the street and polishing them up.



What’s your proudest possession?
My vintage kimono, it took me ages to save up and buy it.

And the one thing you’d save from a burning house?
My Grandma’s silver dancing shoes.



If you had to sum up your interior style in three words, what would they be?
Eclectic. Underground. Car-Park.

Do you have any decorating tips or rules?
Start with the walls and the bigger furniture pieces, then fill it!



The jewellery you make is amazing – how did you get started?
My favourite museum is the V&A; they have the most amazing jewellery exhibits, in particular large statement pieces. I also love mixing old with new but could never find anything like that, so I decided to make my own. A trip to Paris got me started in collecting the right style of bead, they have an enormous beading district, I spent a fortune!



We love your collection of old books! Where did you find them?
I’ve collected them from my travels, everywhere from hackney charity shops to Ebay.



Are the prints on the walls your own work?
Some of them, the yellow parrot print is from a good friend who has designed for well known London designers (Peter Pilotto, Mary Katronzou and Jonathan Saunders), she gave me this one as a thank you for getting her work exhibited in our flag ship store. The pencil portraits are by me; I enjoy drawing people’s faces that have character.



We spy a shiny guitar – are you musical?
No, not in the slightest, it’s my boyfriends.

Are you a big collector?
Yes! Of everything, I had to edit my stock pile recently as it was out of control so ended up giving my vintage hat collection to charity as a start.



What’s your dream home?
A 3 story Victorian terrace with original features or an old iron works (industrial space) turned studio/living space. Very specific…



Well thank you Kate! What a lovely home…

Need inspiration to decorate your humble abode? Check our new furniture photoshoot as well all our homewares online…

(Selected Items UK Only)