Meet the Blogger and their Weather Clock - Ruthie Matthews

This week we are talking to Ruthie Matthews, a London based interiors blogger who curates Design Soda blog. Ruthie tells us where she hangs her Bramwell Brown Clock and why she thinks the trend for Scandi Minimalism is on its way out.

Can you tell us a bit about your blog please?

Design Soda is a London based design blog with a focus on colour, pattern & patina (I'm a huge hunter of vintage pieces). I post twice weekly, often on our continuing home renovation (we moved last year) or d.i.y tutorials, trends and design crushes, styling and sometimes pictures of the things that capture my attention around my home city of London. As I am not entirely 2-D there is also the odd lifestyle or travel piece but for the main part we are heavily design focussed on the blog.

What’s your favourite room in your house and why?

I find this question so impossible, it feels a little like choosing a favourite child! The honest answer is that it changes all the time and according to season (and wherever there is least child clutter!). At the moment I’m loving cosy evenings in the cocktail room which is where we have our clock, but my bedroom is always a bit of a sanctuary for me so I may have to go with that.

Where do you hang your Bramwell Brown Weather Clock and why?

We have put our clock in the cocktail room as it is such a special item we felt it would work best in a decadent space. The clock really pops against the dark blue of the room and it sits above a chest of drawers we inherited from my grandma which is styled with inter-war vintage items. The craftsmanship of the clock reminds me of the past when things were made with care and attention that can’t be replicated on factory conveyor belts so it seems very at home in this corner.

Any tips for incorporating clocks into your interior design?

I think with all things in design go with your gut instinct, design rules will tell you to place a clock where you can most practically see it and in the centre of the room, but if you have a corner that it’s just perfect in (as we did) rules are meant to be broken!

What are the big interior trends that we should be looking out for in 2018

I think this year is going to be all about earthier tones of colour, blush pink grown up a little with a hint of mud. I can’t see the vogue for greenery disappearing any time soon, but I do think that the trend for Scandinavian minimalism is on the way out, I’m seeing lots of crisp designs that take inspiration from more rustic styles at the moment, a look I’m calling craft luxe and I think we’ll see a lot more of that this year.

Thank you so much to Ruthie at Design Soda for her interior insights.