5 minutes with Karen Koshoni

When I placed a call to her, I was not sure what to expect, I had mixed feelings, would she be receptive, turn me down or simply make the interview difficult? But then I received the warmest welcome ever, and here I was a few days later sitting in front of Karen Koshoni, all ready for this interview. The ambience was nothing short of what I expected and she made me very comfortable. Karen is an interior decorator and the brain behind Urban Living, Since inception, she has definitely brought a whole new dimension to this line of business. Ever so stylish, charming and warm, Karen Koshoni lets Style Correspondent Ruky Salako into her world, discussing her journey so far. Tell me about yourself

First and foremost, I am a mother; I have four beautiful daughters who are my everything. Then I am a business woman that has gone into Interior Decorating. I call it interior decorating because interior design is more of a qualification, but ultimately I am passionate about interiors and I have loved everything about decorating interiors from a very young age. I studied Business Administration in university and that has definitely helped turn my love for interiors into a viable business endeavor.

I am also a Christian, it is very important for me to say that. I am passionate about God the way I am passionate about interiors. I also strongly believe in encouraging women to do something. There is just something about our knack for multi-tasking and paying attention to details. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, we all as women, have the power to get up and make something of our lives.

Why Interior Decoration?

I have just always loved decorating interiors, I don’t know why, I have been like this since I was a little girl. I was always very particular about my room, it always had to be a certain way, I would arrange the sofas in the living room, I made sure we changed the curtains; I think it’s just a natural flair. When I graduated, I worked for a while, I got married, had a baby and in that period, being a housewife and mother, I wanted to do something. The first thing that came to me was interiors, it was only natural and so I went for an interior show and that was the beginning for me.

Tell us about Urban Living

Urban living started about 13-14 years ago in England. We were first called‘Window Style Blinds’because we started out supplying blinds; it was our core business apart from soft furnishing. When I moved back to Nigeria, I decided to bring the blinds business along with me and incorporate more furniture. It was an interesting start; I think we came in at a good time because blinds were not as popular as they are now. I made the best effort to supply world-class furniture at prices that didn’t differ to what you would find in other countries and I think that stood us out.

Urban Living has been around for 10 years, what has kept you?

The passion I would say, because we have had ups and downs, challenges with workers, shipping, trying to get people to trust you and so on. We started out with blinds and accessories which was simple enough, but then we went into manufacturing furniture and this was where the challenges came. At the end of the day, I think my love of the craft and the positive feedback from happy clients keeps me pushing forward despite the challenges.

What is the difference between Interior Decoration and Interior Design?

Most of us are interior decorators, I know few interior designers. The difference is an interior designer will design your home from scratch; they will work with the architect in the building of your home or maybe come in towards the finishing and bespoke everything, so it is even down to your switches, the right dimensions etc. Whereas interior decorators just come in and decorate your home with furnishings. Interior design is technical, it almost on borders on architecture, it is deeper and more detailed than decorating.

Who are your ideal clients?

Everyone is an ideal client if you are ready to pay. An ideal client is one who knows what they want and is willing to trust me to deliver their expectations.

There are so many Interior Decorators today, what stands you out?

Products, I think my products make me stand out and my attention to the details of the furniture I manufacture. I am extremely particular and my clients that know me know that I am not happy to deliver just anything. If you are not happy with it, I am ready to go the extra mile, to use my own money, just so that everything is done excellently. People are also attracted to our style, it is easy, contemporary and you can mix it with anything.

How lucrative is the business and would you encourage people to tow this line?

Well, if you are ready to invest, then yes. There is no business that is profitable from day one. I believe that anyone who is ready to invest and do the business properly will surely reap whatever time and investment they put into it. I keep on emphasizing my passion because everything you do well in life is ultimately fuelled by passion. Take for instance my sister who is a qualified lawyer but she is into fashion. A lot of people who are doctors or engineers, end up doing something else and being successful at it because they are following their passion. With any business, if you are passionate, wellresearched and determined to succeed you can succeed.

What are the challenges you face in the industry generally?

There are two aspects to my business; one is manufacturing which I am really focusing on. In this line of focus, we do not have or I am yet to discover proper factories that can help small to medium scale business, so we tend to invest ourselves in medium range tools and machines that can limit us. Another challenge is the workers, I mean we are gifted in this country but then the training is not really there. Most craftsmen are not professional in their dealings. Also material is another challenge, we have so much here but it is exported. We need to develop our materials for our businesses here, because it brings down costs and makes things easier for developing businesses. The process of shipping is another huge challenge.

Is there anything you think the government can do to support the your industry?

For me, because I am going into manufacturing full scale, it will be interesting to see what is out there in terms of the funds being made available and advice given to people. I hear there is a lot going on and I am interested to see what the government is doing in this regard. I’ve heard of a lot of manufacturing companies closing down and I know this should not be happening, so I am keen to see government initiatives that address this issue.

What plans do you have to take Urban Living to the next level?

In terms of manufacturing and because of the investments that we have made as a company, we are hoping to be able to supply other companies asides Urban Living; develop a range that can be sold and also do maybe bigger turnkey projects, go into boutique hotels, bigger offices and things like that. Ideally I will like to open a store in Surulere, Abuja, maybe Ikeja. We have two shops at the moment, so we will basically be expanding.

What advice do you have for people who want to go into this business?

Try to get yourself trained to really understand what the core business is about, and then research, you can not rule that out. It is always good to have some kind of knowledge that distinguishes you, even if you are not qualified per-se. Be determined that you are going to deliver. You need to know that it is a business and there are some fundamental rules that go with a business.