If you are reading this then I am so excited as it means I have launched my brand new business and you are one of the first to visit!
Welcome to Get Kooky, I am Lauren, the face behind the brand. I am 30 years young, I’m happily engaged to my partner Rich and together we have two little ones, Sienna whose five and a half and Otis who is one and a half.
At the beginning of this year, we left London, where we had met, lived and worked for ten years, to relocate our family ‘up North’ to Hessle to be exact, which is on the outskirts of Hull, East Yorkshire. We were ready to buy our first home, which let’s be honest was never going to be a possibility for us in London with its extortionate house prices. Our decision of where to move to wasn’t as dramatic as it may sound; although a big change of scene for me, Rich was born and raised in the area, so we knew we’d have a good support network here, with friends and lots of help and family around for the tots, so that's what we did! And this is where the journey to starting the brand begins.
So, to set the scene, it's January 2020 and we are settling in to our gorgeous new build house. Life was busy, I am the Events Manager for an up-market hotel/pub in Central London, travelling down there when necessary, but mainly working from home. Spending so much time there, I soon realise I can't stand the bland expanses of magnolia walls everywhere I turn - I need a livelier, more stimulating environment and am desperate for some colour around me!
Fast forward a few months and I’m furloughed from my events job as a result of this wonderful pandemic we are experiencing (please add sarcasm here (!). So, although I’m as worried about that as so many of us are, an upside is that I find myself with the gift of available time; not loads of it as I’m doing my best to home-school Sienna and had Otis claiming it and getting more mobile week on week, but without the stress of work etc. I seize the opportunity and start to decorate.
I have always been creative, but having spent the last 10 years in a variety of rented properties, had always been limited in what I could do in them. Now in a house of our own, I finally have the freedom to express myself and develop my own ideas and style, so that's where this journey began.
I started a 'home' Instagram account initially to track my own progress and to show off my efforts to family and friends who couldn't visit. After a few changes of name, I settled eventually on @colourfulquirkyinteriors - now to be changed to @homeofgetkooky to link in with the new business, as I will very much use my own home for inspo using my own products.
It's now March 2020, I've started the Instagram and I am beginning to decorate our home and it turns out there are so many other 'interior' accounts. Not only that, but it is in fact an incredible community of (mainly women) supporting each other, sharing their homes for inspiration, useful tips and making incredible friendships. It was better than I ever imagined, not only did I have friends and family following my account but new followers by the 100's and lots of support for my colourful home!
I hadn’t realised my love for colour until I started shopping for paint and found myself steering well away from anything 'safe'. We were mid-pandemic of course and could you get paint anywhere? Absolutely not! Bog roll and paint were top of everyone's lists it would seem! So, this proved a little harder than I thought, and slowly but surely I started to add lots of colour - perhaps a little more pink than Rich would have liked (OK - a lot more pink) but he can have more of a say when we re-decorate... which probably won’t be too far in the future, as I do have a habit of getting bored very quickly!
So now I was developing my style, honing my painting skills and adding lots of prints to the walls, but although it was starting to come together, I felt I was missing out on texture and funky designs. I had no idea how to hang wallpaper and frankly, no time or patience to learn with two young kids claiming my attention. Then one amazing day I discovered the wonders of self-adhesive vinyl! I loved it from the start and knew it just what I was looking for – it delivers the funkiness I was craving, it's (convenient), super quick & easy to apply, and the more I used it the more I realised how just versatile it is; it can transform walls, furniture and so much more in the blink of an eye, and without the need for any great skill or messy paste.
My love for vinyl has continued to grow from here, as has my quirkiness and alongside them, so has my interior account following; I can hardly believe I now have 3,000 wonderful followers. Without doubt, the uplifting boost of this support definitely helped me survive the blow of being made redundant, and more than that, it motivated me to start my own business supplying products of my own design.
So that brings me to now, where I’m finally doing something for myself, following my passion, expressing my creativity and seizing an opportunity. And let's be honest, what better year to take a chance but 2020...?! Drum roll the start of 'Get Kooky'!
Each design has been individually created and from a range offering stylish retro 90s vibes through to bright neon animal prints, I hope to have you covered.
Whether you’re looking to spruce-up to enhance a makeshift 'working-from-home' space or looking to jazz up that drinks cabinet impulse-bought from the local charity shop, clever use of vinyl can help you achieve stunning and stylish results quickly and easily. The possibilities are as limitless as your imagination.
In addition, if you are looking for a ready-done stand out piece of furniture, you might find something to interest you on the website. I’ll be offering for sale one-off pieces revamped using my very own 'Get Kooky' product combined with top of the range paints.
There is so much to come, so please stick around and join me on the journey!