Those with big budgets have always
bought things second-hand but called them
antiques. Sourcing vintage furniture on
websites such as 1stDibs and Vinterior is
the height of fashion. But all-weather
treasure-hunters like Goad, who look to
the second-hand market no matter their
budget, are rarer. For most students and
twentysomethings shopping on a
shoestring, it’s flatpacks and mass-produced
high street crockery all the way, even among
eco-conscious consumers who wouldn’t
dream of buying fast fashion.
Goad’s terraced house in northwest
London is testament to the hours spent
trawling for treasures, big and small. In
the kitchen is a large dresser found at
Ardingly Antiques Fair in West Sussex.
“The stall was by the loos in a wet field,
there was grass going up the dresser’s legs
... but there was something. We changed the
hardware to little brass handles and lined it
with wallpaper.”
Vintage botanical prints line the hallway;
in the living room antique armchairs and a
drop-arm daybed (where Goad likes to curl
up to read) have been reupholstered in
modern fabrics, one micro palm motif and
one maxi floral, “rather than buying
something mid-market that’s going to last
a year before you get a bum mark in it”.
Goad visited the Oxfam Superstore in
Oxford to cherry-pick the props you see in
these images. With the exception of the
candleholders, they will all be available to
buy online tomorrow when the campaign
launches — along with the 3,000-plus
homewares already listed there. The pieces
she has chosen are one-offs — everything is
a one-off when you’re shopping second-
hand — but if you don’t get your hands on
these exact ones, there are many more good
’uns to be found now that Goad has nudged
us to look for them.
On a charity shop shelf, unavoidably
clashing with lots of completely different
things, rather than merchandised to suggest
a lifestyle, they might not seem as desirable
as that oft-Instagrammed wavy mirror or
the cult fruit bowl with a waiting list. Which
is where Goad’s keen eye — she was a
fashion editor before she started her brand
— comes in.
“I came across a great pair of circular
lamps at the superstore and paired them
with two of my little scalloped lampshades,
and I used my beeswax candles in the
Lucite candleholders. It’s the idea of
integrating something into what you have.
I’m not saying that buying one thing new is
a really bad idea, or that you have to buy
everything second-hand. I don’t think it
should be as prescriptive as that. But
everyone should shop more consciously
and be thinking about buying second-hand
from the beginning. When you’re trying to
find a new vase for the table, look on
second-hand websites and in charity shops
as a first port of call to see what’s already
out there.”
She continues: “I don’t think a home is
ever really finished, it’s always evolving.
I had my daughter, Domino, two years ago,
so some of the things I bought for the
house before I had her were completely
unrealistic.”
Goad’s husband built a stair gate that
retracts behind a cupboard when not in use;
the toddler’s high chair is green to match
the kitchen units. Swing-out stools, inspired
by a design used in Japanese sushi bars, havebeen mounted on to the kitchen island
for a flexible seating solution.
“Trends come and go, but for a home to
feel like a home and for it to run smoothly
it needs to be realistic for your life. You can
dress up to go to a party, but when it comes
to your home it needs to flow and work for
you, whether it’s your kids’ toys that are out
or your laptop. A home evolves. People often
say to me, ‘My home isn’t finished, I just need
to have this and then it’s done.’ But I think that
approach is dangerous. You force yourself into
buying pieces that aren’t necessarily right
and mistakes are made.”
For millennials living up to the name
Generation Rent, with deposits dependent
on unmarked white walls to worry about,
decorating a home in this way is particularly
relevant. And that flexibility works for spaces
that need to be flexible too, as so many
suddenly did when the shift to “working from
home” began. Anyone sick of the sight of
their walls by now is justified in feeling like
that, but thanks to her idea of constant
evolution, Goad isn’t one of them.
“Everyone else says it’s so nice to be out
after lockdown, but I’m, like, nothing has
really changed! I’m at home the whole time.
I’m such a homebody now.” ■To shop second-hand homewares at
Oxfam, including Matilda Goad’s edit, go to
oxfam.org.uk/homeware from tomorrowCANCER RESEARCH,
STOCKBRIDGE,
EDINBURGH
In this well-to-do corner of
the city, donations include
Oscar de la Renta and
Jimmy Choo. Meanwhile, in
Cheshire, the Knutsford
branch had a queue out of
the door after a donation
of Mulberry handbags.
Donations are also sold on
eBay and Depop — there
was an Audemars Piguet
watch on the eBay store
earlier this year.
cancerresearchuk.orgRSPCA CRYSTAL
PALACE, LONDON SE19
An absolute gem, especially
for costume jewellery, party
shoes and great vintageclothing. Elsewhere,
RSPCA’s shop in
Manchester’s Northern
Quarter is curated with a
stylish eye, and exciting
new donations are shared
on Instagram (@rspcanq).MARY’S LIVING & GIVING
SHOP, SAVE THE
CHILDREN, CLIFTON,
BRISTOL
On the day charity shops
reopened after lockdown,
Save the Children’s profits
were up 282 per cent
compared to the same day
in 2019 — and this store was
in the top five, no doubt
thanks to the lockdown
wardrobe clear-outs of
locals in wealthy Clifton
(@maryslivingandgiving).OXFAM VINTAGE,
BELFAST
Recent donations include
an Alexander McQueen
pencil skirt, D&G jeans and
a pair of Moncler jackets:
see the latest on Instagram
(@oxfam_vintage_belfast).
For the best window
displays, visit Sevenoaks
(@oxfam.sevenoaks).BOUTIQUE BY
SHELTER, KING’S
CROSS, LONDON N1
Shelter’s boutiques across
the UK have great fashion
finds — currently in the
London flagship (@shelter
kingscross) are Louboutin
boots and a Prada dress.
Or visit Glasgow for Chloé
and vintage YSL.Golden oldies: five of the best charity shops
£10
CHINA
FIGURINE£3
BLUE
VASEThe Sunday Times Style • 33