Quick Takes With: Matilda Goad

It all started, as most success stories do, with a scallop-edged rattan lampshade.

That was British designer Matilda Goad‘s very first release, and its virality propelled her homewares brand MG&Co. to become a household name. Eight years later, she continues to expand her line with products that combine timeless utility and a playful aesthetic. Or, as she says: “Joyfully elevating the everyday, each item has an important role to play in the daily motions of the home.”

Matilda’s colorful, spirited style is informed by her bucolic upbringing in West Sussex, where she lived in an 18th-century cottage that her mother decorated in “gently eccentric fashion,” as well as her early adulthood as an art student and a stylist for Russian Vogue and Wonderland magazines. By the time she began to design home goods in 2017, Matilda had cemented her distinctive look, now evident in her lighting, tabletop, hardware, and accessories. 

Today, Matilda writes in from London with the hardware upgrade that packs a punch, the calm but unexpected paint color she loves for the bedroom, and a sunny kitchen must-have…

Above: Portrait of Matilda by Gabby Sweet.

You’re invited to dinner. What’s your go-to gift?

I recently discovered these delicious stuffed dates that have a little gold leaf on the top that are so delicious and always a great addition to whatever the host is serving for dessert.

What’s on your bedside table?

A Båge & Söner clock. I was staying at the Ett Hem in Stockholm last year and discovered the brand. Their alarm clocks are so beautiful and a great reason to never bring my phone into the bedroom. Usually, I also have a few different books, magnesium supplements, and a beautiful water glass.

Above: Matilda’s bedside table, complete with a Båge & Söner alarm clock and a MG&Co. Rattan Shelf.

What has been your best house upgrade?

Hardware! Our products at MG&Co. all derive from a personal need. Whether you are changing up your wardrobe handles, adding a new decorative backplate to a sourced unit, or considering them at the scheming stage of a new project, hardware is the most tactile element of the home and makes the biggest impact! I’ve just added the cast brass knobs paired with a clover backplate to a side table in my bedroom and they’ve brought it a new lease of life.

Above: MG&Co.’s Bird Backplates and Cast Brass Knobs.

My favorite paint color for the bedroom is…

I love a calm and clear bedroom—waking up every day to soft, slightly lilac walls makes me so happy. I used Plaster III from the Paint & Paper Library.

Above: Matilda paired her pale purple bedroom walls with a MG&Co. Cane Lampshade with pink trim.

My unpopular design opinion is…

I don’t like dark-colored bed linens. My bed is my favorite place on earth, and something about crisp white sheets feels so clean and alluring.

My go-to kitchen utensil is…

The citrus squeezers from David Mellor are amazing and they look great, too!

Above: A selection of MG&Co. knobs.

Something you’re coveting?

Getting dressed up for the day plays such a part in how I feel, and I’m always drawn to bold accessories. Sunglasses, handbags, and great boots pull my look together. I’ve been eyeing up the Bottega Veneta Sardine bag for a while.

Thanks so much, Matilda! Follow her work at @matildagoad and www.us.matildagoad.com. Fans who are hungry for even more Matilda can subscribe to her monthly newsletter, The Dispatch.