With nearly two decades of experience as an arbiter of style and as the author of the hit book Why Social Media is Ruining Your Life, fashion journalist and author Katherine Ormerod has a knack for blending style and substance. 

In her latest book, Your Not Forever Home, she tackles the realities of renting, bringing together inspiring décor ideas with practical DIY solutions, and offering advice on transforming rented spaces into stylish sanctuaries.

Here, she shares her current obsessions, from skincare to her new Sicilian fixation.

I’m reading Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo just like everyone else. I take most of my reading tips from my girlfriend Pandora Sykes – her substack Books & Bits is so robust and extensive when it comes to recommendations, and I always love what she suggests. 

I don’t read as much as I’d like, simply because I write at such a volume. After a week of 10,000 words and more, I find myself saturated with thoughts and ideas, so I do try to clear my mind rather than fill it further.

The last thing I bought and cherished was this beautiful Medusa head from Ortigia island on the southeastern coast of Sicily. I bought it directly from ceramicist Agusta Domenica at her studio on via Largo. I lost one serpentine loop getting her home but wielded the Gorilla Glue pretty deftly. Fortunately, I love imperfections; to me, they make everything more charming.

My fridge is never without old-fashioned butter. I cannot get enough.

My non-negotiable indulgence is my nails. They are my Roman Empire and I get a Biosculpture manicure every two weeks. I wear my nails long and vampy or else with a micro French tip and oval-shaped. Long nails are like marmite: lots of people find them naff, but I’ve always erred on the flashier side of glamour. Plus, they’re my real nails these days, not even a hint of acrylic.

I loved watching Kaos with Jeff Goldblum as Zeus on Netflix. Charlie Covell’s writing is just so clever and the retelling of the classic Greek tales so pertinent for the contemporary context. Like everyone, I’ve watched some bilge while bingeing Netflix, but this felt like a lightning bolt to the grey matter – no pun intended.

When no one is around, I like to work. I’m actually alone a lot, for most hours of every weekday, but I rarely stop working – whether that’s writing or more tangible hands-on creative work. ‘Barely paused for breath’ will be chipped onto my tombstone.

The beauty staple I can’t live without is Dr Anita Sturnham’s Decree skincare. It’s my absolute lifeline. I’ve been working with her for the past few years, and I now have reliably stable skin. I particularly rate her weekly acid peels, the light cleanser and PM serum. 

My mental health would suffer without yoga and pilates. I’m addicted. When I was younger, exercise was all about beasting myself at HIIT classes and a heavy running schedule but it was really the last thing I needed. Cortisol is not my friend – for most women multitasking several significant jobs at once, it’s not the tonic you might hope it to be. 

I hate to sound like a cliché, but reconnecting with myself through meditation and physical practice totally shifted the way I live my life.

I’m mostly thinking about getting married just outside Palm Springs in two weeks. All those Mad Men episodes filmed out in the Californian desert, Slim Aarons, The Parker Hotel you get the gist. 

My go-to wellbeing resource is stoicism. It has helped me overcome many of my anxieties – or at least given me mantras to go toe to toe with them. I spent my twenties fighting to control things that were entirely out of my hands, then my thirties struggling to cope with the fact that most of life isn’t open to influence. 

I hope that my forties and beyond will be marked by an acceptance of my own insignificance in many of the things that happen to me. We all want to be the captain of our own ship, but to a large extent it’s the tides and winds which take you whichever way you’re heading. 

I’m dreaming about Juju Vera jewellery. Last February, while I was in New York for fashion week, my girlfriend Maddy and I popped into Celine and met Julia Ferentinos, who was just about to launch her jewellery brand, Juju Vera. Her taste is just flawless, and her jewellery manages to encompass the simplicity of the classic world with a deco sensibility. 

Otherwise, I’m mostly dreaming of Sicily. Next year, I’d love to visit Tonnara di Scopello, a beautiful old pink tuna factory located in Scopello surrounded by craggy rock beaches and ludicrously clear water. I absolutely caught the bug this summer.

The beauty staple I always have in stock is my liquid eyeliner. I quite literally never leave the house without it. It’s called Glam’Eyes Professional Liquid Eyeliner by Rimmel, is a long-term beauty editor favourite and only costs £6.99. You can only buy it online now, so I stock up, buying ten at a time in the deep fear it will be discontinued. 

I’ve been painting a cat eye every day for twenty-five years, so when I say I’ve tried them all, I really have. This is the best liquid eyeliner on the planet.

The place in Chelsea that means a lot to me is the Chelsea Old Town Hall. I’m in Chelsea at least twice a week as my pilates studio, MAD Lagree, is on the Kings Road. But earlier this summer, my husband and I did the legal part of the wedding shebang at the Old Town Hall. 

I was so shocked by how powerful the ceremony was. Because we have this big wedding planned in California, I’d mentally relegated the ‘paperwork’ bit to a formality. Turns out it was incredibly poignant and tender. I’ll never forget pulling up in a black taxi wearing my white satin suit and seeing my sons’ faces as I walked into the Rossetti Room.