Matilda Simon

Matilda Simon is a woodworker using local hardwood for furniture, utensils, mirrors, clocks and much other unique woodcraft.  Her creations exploit the colour and grain of British native timbers.  She is inspired by the form of trees and the structural qualities of wood and engineers her designs to be strong, light and affordable.  She sees knots, ripples twisted grain and the "spalted" patterns of ageing wood as opportunities rather than flaws.  
Commissions taken, often for pieces of furniture to fit particular rooms and spaces or with special carved detail or inscriptions.
Offcuts are not wasted but made into chopping boards, toys, coasters and even jewellery. 
Much of the timber is sourced from Manchester Treestation, a local social enterprise which has a woodchip-fired kiln to dry wood.  This means that the raw material that Matilda uses has minimum carbon footprint: the only fossil fuels used are for felling, extraction, conversion and transport for a short distance. The workshop in Marple Bridge is powered by solar panels and her previous research as a design academic focused on reducing the environmental impact of products.
Matilda's work can be viewed in the Gallery, 12, High St., New Mills.