Patterned cushions with scalloped edges form part of the collection
(Picture: Matilda Goad & Co. x Anthropologie)British interior designer Matilda Goad has collaborated with fashion and lifestyle brand Anthropologie on a colourful new collection of homewares. Available now, the eclectic range spans lighting, soft furnishings, barware and even occasional furniture – a first for the London-based designer.
“The collection is really an extension of my brand,” says Goad. “I love to reinvent traditional objects, repackaging them in an unexpected way for the modern home.”
This approach of injecting a sense of fun into functional items led to the addition of various objets d’art within the range, including a ceramic swan bottle holder and an oversized cherry ice bucket in silver.
“There were a few key vintage pieces that I used as the starting point for the collection,” the designer reveals.
“The ice bucket took inspiration from a 1950s pear ice bucket I have at home. I love it when a design can be surprising as well as functional.”
And of course, there are scallops – lots of them. Goad’s frivolous lampshades are somewhat iconic on Instagram, and have been since she launched her eponymous housewares line in 2016.
“When I designed the scallop lampshade over five years ago, there wasn’t much variation in the styles of shades on the market,” Goad tells us.
“They all had straight hems, so it felt new and refreshing to tweak the design of the frame with the soft scallop.”
Now, this whimsical curved trim can be found on candy-striped cushions, curtains, and a tufted plaid rug (another design debut) plus a glass pendant lamp, complete with rattan edges.
The designer’s first foray into furniture is just as jolly: a marble-topped bistro table with a bulbous woven base, and a charming heart-shaped rattan chair – inspired by a piece spotted by Goad at a Paris flea market years ago.
“It’s super-versatile, whether used at a kitchen table or piled with books in a bathroom,” she explains.
“So much happens around our kitchen table at home, so it was great fun being able to design our own take.
“Rattan and marble are such timeless materials, so I wanted them to be pretty adaptable pieces that can fit into many different styles of the home.”
Other practical-yet-playful pieces include a bold bar-cart design in pillarbox red and a gingham serving tray, plus hand-crafted glassware and a sweet set of cotton napkins.
Goad’s signature colourful ‘cottagecore’ aesthetic is a style she attributes to a bucolic childhood spent in West Sussex, in an 18th-century cottage, decorated in a gently eccentric fashion by her mother.
But what are her tips for mixing patterns and prints without things looking like a hot mess?
“If I’m working with a bold print, I like to pull a colour out of it and take it into other pieces or fabrics in the room. If pieces have a colour or texture connection of some sort, I think they’re more likely not to feel jarring.
“Generally, I think warm and cold colours often unexpectedly feel harmonious together. For example, pale pink and dark green, pale blue and red.”
And does Goad have any intention of waving goodbye to wavy edges any time soon?
“The scalloped lampshade remains our bestseller today and really sums up our design aesthetic: taking everyday interior products and adding a contemporary British twist.
“I don’t think the scallop is going anywhere but it’s certainly one of our challenges to keep products fresh and original.”
