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- Ellis Tree
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- 4 September 2026
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The Weekend With Matthew Spade
Head up north for a few days with the content creator and editor and find some design-y inspiration for an ideal weekend.
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If you often find yourself browsing on It’s Nice That’s Instagram, you’ll have already met Mat – we’re regularly teaming up with the creator and editor in our social series Things to answer all the important questions, like: Why do we collect stuff?, How do you design for community? or even Can design make coffee taste better? His expert style and taste and exciting perspectives on the design of everyday objects, spaces and places have constantly delivered the best tips on what to shop, read, see and eat, so it was a bit of a no brainer when we started this series that we had to book in a whole weekend with him!
Whilst Mat calls Blackpool home, he’s often travelling about to other spots in the UK and abroad, which have led to some pretty scrumptious local city guides that you can find over on his Instagram and Tiktok. If you like this weekend with Mat, the creator has done us all a favour and even shared his Google Maps pins of each place (for those of you that are extra nosey) – if you’re off to any of these cities soon, your next trip is set!
You’ll find me at...
“We’ve been staying pretty local lately, so in terms of exhibitions there’s one we’ve been to at my local, The Grundy in Blackpool, Linder: The Return of Linderland by Linder Sterling, a British artist who works with mixed media and collage techniques, drawing influences from music and culture. Or I’d just walk around the town looking for glimpses of graphic design.”
I’ll be reading…
“I’m currently making my way through Issue 5 of Playground Magazine. My favourite read this year has been: User Friendly: How the Hidden Rules of Design Are Changing the Way We Live, Work and Play.”
I’ll be eating...
“You’ll probably find me flicking through cookbooks most days; just got a copy of Medesque by Georgina Hayden – it’s full of traditional and modern dishes with Mediterranean roots. I’ve always been drawn to the Med lifestyle, including the food, so I can just pretend I’m there while hanging out in our back garden.
When it comes to restaurants, I’d really like to visit Proloco in Manchester, which has just opened. If we are dreaming I’d get dinner at Cleo in Copenhagen.”
I’ll be watching...
“Since getting a puppy the whole watching telly at night thing is pretty much off the cards. But for light viewing I’m watching X-Files, King of the Hill, Poirot. When I find time I’d love to get into season three of Silo on Apple. We recently watched Paradise on Disney, one of the best things I’ve seen in ages.”
Something I’ve got my eye on…
“We’ve had a new bed frame on our list for a while, and a recent trip to Copenhagen sold that I was on the right path. We’re after a simple wooden frame bed frame, with a smaller footprint than we have now, with a general smaller profile all around. Landed on one by Natural Bed Company, based in Sheffield; just need to commit to which model. I’m also looking to add a pair of black loafers and shirt by Another Aspect into my wardrobe. I’ve also looking to get us two breakfast bowls by Frama.”
This is on repeat in my headphones…
“I have music on pretty much all the time, it helps with my anxiety issues as I’m not always super comfortable with silence when I’m on my own. I’m into hazy chilly stuff at the moment: Friendship, Pencil Legs, Good Morning, Widowspeak, Semiwestern, Duster on repeat. I’ve also been into Dry Cleaning and some older De La Soul stuff, but very different from the first list. If I need less words I’ll pop on a jazz house playlist, let it go for hours.”
A memento from your weekend with me...
This is the space where creatives leave us with something to look at from the weekend we’ve spent with them. It could be anything really – a drawing, a picture or just something cool they think you should have a little look at.
Here are some mementos I collected on a recent trip to Copenhagen!
Matthew Spade: Copenhagen mementos (Copyright © Matthew Spade, 2026)
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Photo by Hollie Spade
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About the Author
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Ellis Tree (she/her) is a staff writer at It’s Nice That. She joined as a junior writer in April 2024 after graduating from Kingston School of Art with a degree in Graphic Design. Across her research, writing and visual work she has a particular interest in printmaking, self-publishing and expanded approaches to photography. ert@itsnicethat.com
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