Hello Matilda! Thank you for joining us on the journal, we’re so happy that you’re here. Could you tell us a bit more about yourself? 
Hi Lepelclub community <3 I'm Matilda! I'm 23 and currently living in London with my boyfriend, Joe, and sister, Lola! I'm obsessed with everything homeware, interiors and design and share this passion over on my TikTok profile @matildabeaa.

You’re a full-time management consultant - Not the typical route into content creation! What inspired you to start creating on TikTok?
My family are always laughing at how I constantly keep myself so busy...before I've even started one project I'm usually already thinking of what's next...sometimes a good way to be but it can definitely catch up with me sometimes! I've always been super creative, not the best at drawing and art haha, but I love designing my home, cooking recipes for friends, making cocktails with authentic ingredients, laying the table with beautiful glassware (hiii Lepel) and everything more. 

What inspired you to start?
It really was quite spontaneous, I just decided in the summertime of 2022 to start sharing this passion over on TikTok, I was terrible at editing videos initially and had to get a good few lessons from my much cooler, younger sister Lola but I quickly got the hang of things. I knew the types of videos I loved to watch and I believed I had what it takes to create something similar that was my own. 

I'm always encouraging my friends with similar passions to start (follow my bestie @corinnesmedberg who has just started!) and I encourage all the readers here too if you enjoy taking photos and videos of what you love. 

You’re known online as the hostess with the mostess. What do you love most about hosting a gathering, and can you share with us your top tip for an evening to remember?
I'm definitely a dreamer in life and really romanticise my life... my friends describe me as 'extra' hopefully in a positive way! What I'm getting to is that I love every stage of the process from the initial planning (beginning the first pinterest board for the event), to buying the ingredients for what to cook and to actually having everyone there in my home for the day or evening.

A couple of tips from me: write a long list of all the different kinds of ideas you have (this could be around the foods to cook, the cocktails to make, the tableware you want to use, the games you want to play, the colour scheme and the friends that are invited). Then, try to connect these together as much as possible in a way that you can personalise the evening to think out of the box in a way that you and your friends might not have expected straight away (i.e. design personalised menu cards or place names for your guests on what they resemble or what foods they like to eat). Another important one is to know your budget and break this down into the different costs for the evening (and ask your friends to help! Hosting at home is much cheaper than going out to a restaurant or bar... my friends are always helping out which I'm very grateful for. For example, a fun concept that I did at home recently is a 'diy cocktail night' where your friends bring along their own ingredients to make their favourite cocktail for you and your other friends to enjoy. It's a great way for your friends to feel relaxed in your home whilst also giving a fun activity to get involved in.

So, once the table is set, the guests have arrived and the drinks are flowing… What’s playing on the speaker?
Always my bestie's 'Sloane Square' by Corinne Smedberg on Spotify or I'll ask my boyfriend, Joe, to put something on as he's got better music taste than I do! Djing makes me feel a little stressed HAHA but I love passing the phone around for my friends to select their favourite songs.

We really enjoy having a nosey into the goody bags you make for your guests. If you could fill one with your holy grail products, what would it contain?
I recently gave my guests 'bento cakes' from Dee's Basement, essentially a mini lunchbox cake, for them to take home! This is always a fun one as often we are too full from the mains to really enjoy the desserts to the fullest <3

If I had to give a second, I love gifting my friends journals from Papier <3

Your content is our go-to for all things home and interior inspo, and you’ve recently shared an insight into your home renovation. Where do you find your own interior inspiration, and how would you describe your personal style?
I take inspiration from so many places and people (my family have amazing taste and I thank my grandma for that! I love going round to all their homes and I'm lucky that some of them live on the same road as I do in London... so it's always felt like a home away from home). I also take Inspiration from TikTok (a few of my favourite people to follow include @kaylieestewart, @kaelimaee, @nathalieshappylife, @olaffle, @olivia.antongiovanni, @maryykleinn, @kriskrechina, @birahlin, @emilycanham, @loviselohne, @007eleni, @shortgirltalldreams, @lunaisabellaa) and from pinterest!

I would describe my personal style as comfy, feminine and summery ( I way prefer dressing and hosting in the summertime)

And finally, what are your plans for stirring things up in the future - In your home, your personal life and your career?
I really hope to start a newsletter soon (sharing my favourite tips - a bit like I have done here!), I would also love to create a dream product with Lepel <3 and to move into my own home which I'm renovating at the moment (hopefully I'll be moving in Summer 2024 next year.