By Amanda Fuller

Kate & Kate is run by Kate, and well, Kate. Not only do the two share a name, they are also business partners, sisters-in-law and best friends and they share a passion for blankets!

Launched almost one year ago, Kate & Kate offers beautiful blankets knitted from super-soft, breathable cotton. The business is run from the Kates’ homes in Melbourne and Sydney.

Recently, I had the privilege to visit Kate Pascoe Squires in her Sydney home studio which was formerly an architects office. The space, which Kate shares with her husband, is filled with light and has a lovely view over the rooftops of her Bondi neighbourhood. She shares more with us below.

What is your background? How did you arrive at Kate & Kate?

I studied public relations at RMIT University in Melbourne and jumped straight into the industry. I focused on all the fun stuff - food, restaurants, providores, wine, spirits. You get the idea. It wasn’t until I had my second child that I realised the PR lifestyle was just too much of a juggle for me. I was definitely ready for change. I wanted to do something creative, something tangible. I just can’t believe that blankets were my calling!

(The other) Kate’s background is fashion. She has worked across all sectors of the industry - retail, production, design and wardrobe, she did it all. Like me, she realised once her first son was born, that working in wardrobe was not going to work. The hours were ridiculous.

We were both looking into separate individual pursuits when we came across our manufacturers. Within half an hour, it was decided – we would go into business together and blankets would be our thing.

What do you think makes for a creative working space?

Both of us do most of our work from our home offices. Our work and personal lives are so intertwined and our work spaces really reflect this. We have to work to keep creative, but that’s what makes this whole thing so amazing.

We do find that getting away together really boosts our creativity. We don’t get to do it as much as we’d like, but we take what we can get! Our trip to India at the start of the year was incredibly inspiring – we are still working on designs based on the inspiration we pulled from that trip. Where to next? I’m saying New York… but we’ll see.

Describe a typical day for you.

Wake up or get woken. Serious Instagram scrolling. Emails. Mental plan for the day ahead. Corral the kids downstairs. Husband too. Shower. Vortex of getting kids dressed, serving breakfast, school lunches, packing bag, screaming for everyone to get out of the house and school drop offs. More emails. Design. Inspiration. Liaison with our manufacturers, retailers, stylists, media. Phone calls. Emails. Pilates. Kids, food, wine.  And repeat!

You have just launched the Kate & Kate baby range - what lead to this?

We had customers and retailers asking for them! The fact that Kate was pregnant at the time we were designing didn’t have anything to do with it - ha ha ha!  We like to design with flexibility in mind, so our baby range still has a fairly adult aesthetic and is slightly oversized, so the blanket can be used as a throw over a chair or basket down the track.  We don’t want anyone purchasing a Kate & Kate item and it becoming redundant.

What are your favourite Kate & Kate products right now?

I’m totally mad for neutrals right now - actually, always. The Sea Tangle blanket in snow white and silver birch is my favourite from the current collection. Kate is loving The Kiss baby blanket in the blue grotto… but it sold out before she could get her hands on one!

What inspires the Kate & Kate aesthetic?

We find inspiration everywhere.  For colour, we seek inspiration from the catwalks.  Style.com really gets our creativity flowing. We can trawl for days searching for that perfect colour combination. For design, we seek inspiration in the everyday. The shape of a building, the fold of an envelope, a bunch of shadows… these are all things that have inspired our recent designs. We love getting a peek into other people’s everyday via Instagram too – if that doesn’t get you inspired, I don’t know what will.

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Thank you Kate for welcoming me into your space to get a peek behind-the-scenes of Kate & Kate and where your inspiration comes from. Thank you also for sharing with us about yourself, your partner-in-design and your utterly gorgeous blankets! Discover the on-trend, luxurious range for yourself at the Kate & Kate website.

Amanda Fuller is a passionate blogger, avid graphic designer and social media aficionado who has been designing since 2004 and just celebrated her 5th year blogging. Her blog Kaleidoscope is a place of inspiration and beautiful resources for women bloggers and creative business owners. Amanda offers design services such as logo design, blog design and eBook design, helping other women present their passion with style. You can find her on Facebook, Google+ and Instagram @AmandaFuller.

{All images by Amanda}