Yahoo Lifestyle Designer Matilda Goad on why she’s launched her own hardware store and the joys of DIY
As a society, we’ve long had ingrained ideas about who does what around the house. Women do the cooking, men do the bins. Or something like that. But that extends to the very bones of the home, too. The interior decor, like the choice of natty hand-painted wallpaper in the downstairs loo, or the decision over whether or not to have a pelmet over your curtain rail, is very much seen as within the female domain. Meanwhile, laying down decking, putting up said curtain rail or repainting the ceiling – those are all jobs for the boys. And it’s borne out in the stats, too, with 96 per cent of tradesmen being men. But hold on – isn’t it 2024? Aren’t women just as capable of operating a power tool as a man?
The answer, of course, is yes, and it’s why more and more women are embracing DIY as a hobby. Whether that’s because they fell into an Instagram wormhole or they simply can’t afford to pay someone else to do up their house thanks to skyrocketing mortgages and a cost of living crisis, there are growing numbers of women picking up a hammer themselves, with more than 162,000 posts on Instagram using the hashtag #GirlsWhoBuild. Influencers like The Female Carpenter (90k followers on TikTok) and Lex the Electrician (1 million followers on TikTok) are proving that when it comes to hitting a nail into a wall, we’re more than capable, while the journalist Katherine Ormerod recently released a book, Your Not Forever Home, about how she’s channelled her own talent for DIY into transforming rental properties.
Now, the designer Matilda Goad is getting in on the DIY hype too, with the opening of her first Hardware Store in Notting Hill this week. “Our hardware line has grown significantly since we first launched in autumn 2022 and after hosting a workshop to press earlier in the year we felt like it was the right time to open the doors to a world of hardware reimagined,” shares Goad. “I wanted the shop to be playful and approachable but also practical and a place to come and get inspired.”
The ethos of Goad’s brand is one of infusing the home with both personality and practicality, so it was a natural progression for her to move from scallop-edged lampshades and shell dishes to star-shaped brass backplates and pastel-pink door knobs. The store will be a window into the world of DIY, not only stocking Goad’s popular hardware, including her brass backplates, coloured knobs and bamboo handles, including several exclusives, but also running workshops with experts in the field.
“We wanted the shop to come alive over the month with both in-store events such as the lamp surgery and engraving, along with the workshops appealing to a wide audience of all ages,” explains Goad. “The DIY fundamental workshop is something you often are never officially taught, yet it’s a real-life skill, so it felt imperative we offered this again – there will be multiple workshops over the course of the shop. [Hand-made tool experts] Niwaki is a brand we admire, and knife-sharpening felt like another useful skill to really master from the best. For parents who want to have a moment to browse, we have a kids craft tool workshop with a forest school educator, and we are very excited to be able to show the amazing work of Are You Mad, a company repurposing plastic waste. Decorating at home is also something so many of us are familiar with but it’s often never as straightforward as it seems, so [natural paint specialists] Edward Bulmer will be on hand to share their top skills for the perfect finish.”
So, why does Goad think more and more women are trying their hand at DIY? “We are part of a generation used to outsourcing,” says Goad. “Not only can this financially add up but it also means we rely on other people. There is something deeply rewarding and satisfying about fixing something yourself and getting the job done.”
And is there a particular DIY project she’d like to get stuck into? “I've always thought tiling looks so satisfying so maybe I’ll need to redecorate my bathroom and give it a go!”
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