I’ve just found another kindred spirit. Someone who understands my deep-rooted Capricorn need to find new uses for old or unwanted things. Maude Smith is the kind of person that will cover her entire kitchen in wine corks, shells and pieces of broken crockery. Rather than re-tiling her bathroom, she’ll meticulously paint every single tile by hand with vintage-inspired botanical designs. A neighbour’s furniture discarded on the street becomes her DIY treasure…
Maude lives in a Victorian townhouse in Stockwell but was raised by her grandmother in Yorkshire who was a strong believer in never throwing anything away. Her influences include William Morris and Vanessa Bell, one of the talented artistic minds behind the eccentric Bloomsbury Group, England’s answer to the Lost Generation.
Her cheerfully cluttered London home has been covered by House & Garden, The Telegraph and more, giving us maximalists some much-needed validation for our eccentric tastes. Her imperfect, almost child-like painting style encourages those of us who might be less gifted with a paintbrush to grab one anyway and start decorating those bland bathroom tiles. But if that doesn’t quite go to plan, Maude also sells her hand-painted tiles online, as well as her charming illustrated tea towels.
