5 MINUTES WITH… Habitat Head of Design Kate Butler
Kate talks to us about her childhood spent redecorating and the inspirations behind her first collection for the cherished British brand
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO ENTER THE WORLD OF INTERIOR DESIGN? My upbringing played a huge part. I grew up in Zimbabwe in a big colonial house filled with antique English furniture. The decor never made sense to me, so when I got my own room at 12, it was life changing! Suddenly I had a blank canvas and I spent all my spare time redecorating it. I didn’t have much, but I had some paint and I would draw and print things on the walls, and constantly rearrange my furniture. My aunt created heavily carved ethnic headboards and furniture for big hotels. She was such an inspiration – I longed to have my own home so I could fill it with her designs.
THE NEW HABITAT COLLECTION IS YOUR FIRST AS THE HEAD OF DESIGN. WHAT WERE YOUR AIMS FOR IT?
I wanted it to embody the essence of Habitat – individual contemporary design that’s accessible to all. One area we’ve updated this season is the colour palette. Habitat used to be dominated by primary colours and, while that will never go away, the tones are becoming noticeably earthier and more grown up. I was also keen to continue developing the hugely successful Scandi aesthetic. With the Tokyo Olympics coming next year,
I’ve been reading more and more about Japan and Japanese
design – the minimal, unfussy, pale woods that are a big part of this aesthetic are very inspiring. I didn’t want our take on it to feel too literal though – it’s more of a nod to this beautiful style.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR HOPES FOR HABITAT AS
A HIGH STREET BRAND
I believe we need to be at the forefront, setting trends for everyday life. The very nature of the contemporary is that you have to keep moving with the times, and that’s what Habitat will do. But it’s not easy for high street brands in an age when the digital world is exploding – the emphasis used to be on our physical spaces, but now a strong online presence is just as important, if not more so.
GIVE US A GLIMPSE INTO YOUR OWN HOME…
After I moved to the UK, I felt displaced for a really long time.
I’ve surrounded myself with sentimental pieces, such as African sculptures and souvenirs from my travels, so I feel more at home – I’m definitely not a minimalist! My house has a neutral base and I’ve layered in lots of colour. The shelves in my kitchen are piled high with mix-and-match plates – nothing’s hidden away in cupboards. We’ve also got a big garden, so I had black Crittall doors (about six metres’ worth) installed to frame the view and bring the outside in.