Author Archives: Design_Soda_Ruthie

About Design_Soda_Ruthie

I write Design Soda, a design blog with a focus on interiors. My blog aims to be an unpretentious, stimulating, fun and naturally curious delve into inspirational design and Londoncentric culture. I describe my style as boho-eclectic and am open to most design which doesn’t look too serious or composed. As a design geek with a love of vintage and upcycling, I am passionate about my home and love blogging ideas and looks that I find inspirational. Since the time when my teenage bedroom was an Aladdins cave of upcycled furniture, Cecil Beaton photography and Situationist slogans I have been interested in the way the home environment can make you feel and inspire your inner life. As a new mummy, trying to negotiate my passions with my lovely new baby's schedule can be difficult, but in my spare time you will often find me snapping the things that catch my eye in my wonderful home city London. Or, reading, upcycling, spending longer on Pinterest than I should, baking and watching old movies. I have a lifelong passion for French New Wave cinema.

Design Soda Travel Guide to Matera & Basilicata

August 22, 2022

 

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If you are looking for an Italian holiday during high summer and want somewhere beautiful but untouched by droves of tourists then a trip to Puglia and Basilicata could be your perfect escape. Just before the pandemic I asked an Italian friend for her recommendation of somewhere not thronging with British holidaymakers, perhaps somewhere Italians themselves holidayed, and most presciently for what was about to happen on the world economic stage – somewhere it was possible to have a beautiful holiday without breaking the bank. Read More

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Minimalist Bathroom Plans: a Simple space in Green & Grey

July 31, 2022

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I have been teetering on the edge of decision making in the bathroom for many months. I can’t overstate how much I have been looking forward to a new bathroom, not just because new bathrooms are lovely. But because ours has had a hidden dirty secret for the last few years. It was fitted very badly soon after we moved in six years ago and I just didn’t do the proper research I should have on potential trades people. It all looked very lovely, but as the months went by and sink taps exploded flooding the bathroom, or pipes came loose under the bath, the cracks had begun to show. Having had numerous emergency plumbers in, we knew that the work was akin to a bad diy bathroom we could have installed ourselves.Read More

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Budget Minimalist Garden Makeover

June 23, 2022

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We live on the outskirts of London, a London-borough-but-only-just, and as a result I’ve always felt our garden should be pretty natural and wild. Not in a country garden style, but the idea of Astro turf or concrete slabs in the main part of our garden felt a step too far, and not great for ecology. However, the main section of our garden has always presented us with two big problems.Read More

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Simple Styling Ideas for Summer Dining

May 30, 2022

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One of our favourite rituals in our home is the evening meal. My son and I are both vegetarian (he quite recently) whilst I’m married to a devoted carnivore, our meals don’t always look the same, but we do all love to sit around the dining table and share moments together in the evenings, especially so as we head towards summer and the days dimming light floods into our eating space. Read More

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New Furniture Launches at Clerkenwell Design Week 2022

May 25, 2022

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It was lovely to be up in London looking at design again yesterday where Clerkenwell Design Week recommenced for the first time since 2019. It was great to drink up inspiration from the new launches, and note which design themes are sticking around and which colours are being used in them. Read More

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