Homing Podcast: Matilda Goad on Balance, Joy, and Playful Homeware Design

Host: Matt Gibberd
Guest: Matilda Goad, designer and founder of MG & Company
Release Date: January 12, 2026
Location: Matilda Goad’s Victorian terrace house, London

Episode Overview

In this episode of Homing, host Matt Gibberd welcomes homeware designer Matilda Goad to talk about creativity, entrepreneurship, wellbeing, and the emotional forces that shape our homes. Matilda opens up about her unique upbringing on a National Trust estate, the roots of her creative drive, the steady (and sometimes chaotic) path to building her business MG & Company, and how she balances motherhood with maintaining a joyful and evolving home. The conversation weaves candid insights on self-care, money, and the realities behind a seemingly “Instagrammable” life, while celebrating the role of home as a source of love and renewal.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Upbringing and Early Creative Influences

• Growing up on a National Trust estate ([02:42]–[09:39])

  • Childhood in a cottage at Uppark, surrounded by nature and pre-digital boredom.
  • Creativity was encouraged: “I kind of was probably a bit of a loner in a way of constantly just kind of being a bit bored and finding ways to fill that.” ([03:54] MG)
  • Family influences: grandfather was an artist; mother ran a children’s clothing shop (“Emma Goad”).
  • “The fancy dress box...piles of fabric...constantly playing around and being creative in lots of different guises.” ([04:30] MG)

• Early signs of entrepreneurship ([11:24]–[13:32])

  • “I set up a jewelry business selling Bacardi Breezer caps and making them into earrings. I sold those three pounds a pop.” ([12:29] MG)
  • Holidays spent handing out flyers, seeking financial independence early.

2. Career Path: From Fashion to Homeware

• The fashion years ([14:27]–[18:26])

  • “...by the time I was in my early 20s, I’d already decided I didn’t want to go to university, I wanted to start working.”
  • Camberwell Art School foundation, skipped degree for work experience.
  • Positions at Russian Vogue, Wonderland magazine, and as assistant to Venetia Scott shaped a rigorous work ethic.

• Pivot to homeware and launching MG & Company ([27:43]–[34:00])

  • Discovery moment in prop houses: “Something inside me just clicked. I realized this creativity that I have doesn’t just have to be in art or fashion.” ([28:15] MG)
  • Accidentally started making “scallop lampshades” after seeking to inject personality into her boyfriend’s bachelor pad.
  • Persistence in production: “I called every single supplier and got to page three and a half and came across what is still our lampshade supplier today...” ([32:06] MG)
  • Organic business growth: “I probably ordered 20 of those lampshades. I sold them to friends, put the money back in and ordered 60...” ([33:14] MG)
  • The importance of Instagram for early brand growth, but noting her sharing there is evolving: “I’ve noticed recently...that I’m a bit more reluctant to share as much as I used to.” ([36:56] MG)

3. Wellbeing, Rituals, and Self-Care

• Managing stress and anxiety ([21:23]–[24:16])

  • Practices breathwork, silent retreats, acupuncture, careful nutrition.
  • “It is possible to worry about everything and it can take over your life. It’s all in your mindset and you can reset yourself quite easily.” ([21:49] MG)
  • Describes “box breathing” and monthly 1:1 breathwork sessions with a coach.
  • “You feel so free...Once you’ve done that sort of breath work, you can just hold your breath...and it’s this – you feel so free.” ([24:10] MG)

• On optimism: ([20:09]–[20:41])

  • “You can have a bad day and go to bed, and you can wake up and, you know, the sun still comes up every morning...each day as a new, fresh opportunity to do something.” ([19:07] MG)

4. Business Realities and Money Talk

• Profitability and growth ([37:23]–[42:16])
  • Matilda opens up about money: “We’ve been profitable since day one and I take a salary...I like to think that all my team are on healthy salaries that can support them.” ([37:23]–[39:55] MG)
  • Philosophy of “slow and steady” organic growth: “We sort of use the analogy of the tree putting down the roots...building a clear foundation.” ([41:08] MG)
  • Advocates more openness in discussing fees and salaries: “It should be more upfront, I think.” ([40:32] MG)

5. Home, Design, and Balancing Family Life

• Origin story of her Victorian terrace ([42:56]–[45:31])

  • Bought after knocking on the door and being shown around by the owner in a dressing gown.
  • The importance of “feeling” in choosing a home: “I really believe in the feel of a space. I walked in and it just felt kind of interesting, and it had a good feeling.” ([43:58] MG)

• Approach to interiors ([45:31]–[53:13])

  • Slow evolution; layering neutrals with color: “Homes constantly evolve...even in this room, I’ve just had that ottoman in here...the acid yellow – suddenly, that’s what’s missing.” ([46:44] MG)
  • Emphasis on waiting for the right piece: “While I’m a very impatient person in the home, I’m quite happy to wait to find the perfect piece.” ([49:11] MG)
  • Respect for lived-in imperfection: “If you’re gonna have a nice fabric on a sofa and they spill orange juice on it, like, so be it.” ([49:12] MG)
  • On clutter and organization: “I love a lot of things, but I don’t like a lot of stuff. Pieces have to have a purpose.” ([50:57] MG)

• Partnership and parenting ([53:19]–[58:01])

  • Husband Tom is supportive; their dynamic: “He really lets me be who I am…He’s much more chilled than me and much more calm.” ([54:04] MG)
  • Balancing work and motherhood: “I think I need one to complement the other. I think I’m a better mother when I’ve been stimulated and I’ve had a really productive day at work...” ([57:22] MG)
  • Both children born at home: “The home is such a safe place for me...it felt like the place that I wanted to welcome in my kids.” ([58:26] MG)

6. Sensitivity to Space and Identity

• Environments that trigger or soothe ([60:04]–[63:31])

  • Home and comfort with familiar rituals; aversion to clinical, impersonal spaces: “If I go for a checkup or a doctor’s appointment...I’m sort of needing to do my breath work and instantly it kind of throws me.” ([60:04] MG)
  • Finds airports and supermarkets overwhelming due to sensory overload.

• Home and self-identity ([63:54]–[65:12])

  • “It’s my visual identity...styling a room in the same way as getting dressed. I lean on basics...but it’s the layers, and that’s what I feel like in the home is within my home...” ([64:01] MG)

• Reality vs. perception ([65:12]–[69:40])

  • Not always “glamorous”: “Probably a good handful of times a week there are some big problems at work, most specifically with production...so much disappointment.” ([65:53] MG)
  • Value in having a strong, complementary team.

7. The Meaning of Home

• Home as love and renewal ([72:18]–[73:50])
  • “What really comes to mind is love. You know, it’s a space that is warming. It’s a space that brings people together. It loves throughout, in a way. It sees every emotion. It sees everything.” ([72:21] MG)
  • Replicates “home” wherever she goes: “If I’m going away somewhere, more than a night or two, I’ll try to bring certain elements of home to where I am...I'll put my jewelry in a dish. I’ll manage to make [it] my space quite quickly.” ([73:15] MG)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On new beginnings and optimism:

  • “You can have a bad day, go to bed, the sun still comes up every morning...each day as a new, fresh opportunity to do something.” — Matilda Goad ([00:00], [19:07])

• On business:

  • “We’ve been profitable since day one...I like to think that all my team are on healthy salaries...” — Matilda Goad ([37:57])
  • “It should be more upfront, I think.” (on fees/salary transparency) — Matilda Goad ([40:32])

• On design evolution:

  • “I do think homes constantly evolve...lean into what you love and it will come together.” — Matilda Goad ([48:14])

• On perfection and family:

  • “You can’t be precious about things and the home, you know, I’m never going to have really plump cushions in this house.” — Matilda Goad ([49:12])

• On the core meaning of home:

  • “It’s a space that is warming. It’s a space that brings people together. It loves throughout, in a way. It sees every emotion. It sees everything.” — Matilda Goad ([72:21])

Key Timestamps

• Childhood and Early Family Life: [02:42]–[09:39]
• Entrepreneurial Spirit as a Child: [11:24]–[13:32]
• Breaking into Fashion & Professional Journey: [14:27]–[18:26]
• Morning Rituals & Optimism: [18:29]–[20:41]
• Coping Mechanisms & Wellbeing: [21:23]–[24:16]
• The MG & Co Story: [27:43]–[34:00]
• Instagram and Brand Building: [34:00]–[36:56]
• Business Realities & Money: [37:23]–[42:16]
• Home & Design Philosophy: [42:56]–[53:13]
• Family, Motherhood, and Work-Life Blend: [53:19]–[58:01]
• Homebirth & the Role of Home in Life Transitions: [58:26]–[60:04]
• On Sensitivity to Space: [60:36]–[63:31]
• Home as Identity: [63:54]–[65:12]
• The Imperfect, Behind-the-Scenes Reality: [65:12]–[69:40]
• The Future, Moving, and What Home Means: [69:40]–[73:50]

Tone and Language

• Reflective, candid, gently humorous, often philosophical but always accessible.
• Matilda is direct yet warm, sometimes self-deprecating, optimistic, and focused on practical joy and balance.

Takeaways

This episode offers an inspiring journey through the intersections of creativity, home, business, and personal wellbeing. It pulls back the Instagram curtain to reveal the improvisation, experimentation, and real-life challenges behind a thriving creative business, while celebrating the emotional heartbeat of home—love, acceptance, and the courage to keep evolving.