Ruth Sleightholme
Style Director
Ruth joined House & Garden in 2010, having graduated from Newcastle University - where she edited the student magazine and literary review - and after a summer internship at The Week. Rising through the ranks to Style Director, she has been producing and art directing House & Garden’s lead decoration and style photoshoots for over a decade, as well as writing longform articles. Ruth has also worked as a freelance interiors stylist, producing commercial shoots and installations for clients such as Morris & Co, OKA and Marks & Spencer. She has a keen interest in the decorative arts and the history of design, and loves to turn her hand to creative projects at home, from picassiette to shell-work.
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What to buy for your house this May, according to our style director
May's objects of desire, brought to you by House & Garden's decoration team. This month, Ruth Sleightholme shows us what has caught her eye
Shopping
17 best sofa beds for 2025, as reviewed by our editors
The best sofa beds, according to the House & Garden team, including small and double bed, click-clack options, futons, and pull-outs
Design Ideas
How to get the look of a classic English country cottage
A cosy armchair by the fire, simple wooden furniture, quilt-covered beds to sink into: is there anything more romantic than cottage interiors?
Bedroom shopping
The best bedding sets for 2025, tried and tested by interior designers and House & Garden editors
Bedding can make a huge difference to your sleep, so make sure you get it right with our tried and tested guide to the best duvet covers, bed linen sheets and luxury bedding sets.
Bedroom shopping
The UK’s best mattress in 2025, tried and tested
Wondering how to find the best mattress? We offer our advice on choosing this important purchase and the best retailers to buy it at, whether you want memory foam or pocket spring, budget options or luxurious buys
Design Ideas
13 ways to make your windows a design statement
A room with a view demands a good frame – here’s how to make your windows a conscious and considered part of your design scheme
What's so cool about extruded plastic
Ruth Sleightholme presents unique pieces created using the process of extrusion, in which materials are pushed through bespoke moulds to produce distinctive designs
Emma Hybrid Premium Mattress review: is it worth buying?
In our latest Adventures on Foam, we test out the Emma Hybrid Premium mattress to see if it's worth committing to
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What to buy for your house this April, according to our style director
April's objects of desire, brought to you by House & Garden's decoration team. This month, Ruth Sleightholme shows us what has caught her eye
A tiny rented London flat that serves as a lesson in how to live abundantly
A tiny rented flat in London is an ingenious home for modern furniture dealer Stanley Quaia and their partner, along with their art, furniture, and interesting finds and inventions.
Garden shopping
The best garden furniture stores to help you spruce up your outdoor space
We're bookmarking the best rattan garden furniture, garden chairs, garden benches, and patio sets to spruce up our gardens in time for spring.
A textile designer's clifftop cottage in a charming Arts & Crafts style
The cottage has been gradually reconfigured over the past 30 years by a creative couple to provide a versatile home, cleverly adapted to accommodate their evolving work and family requirements
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What to buy for your house this March, according to our style director
February's objects of desire, brought to you by House & Garden's decoration team. This month, Ruth Sleightholme shows us what has caught her eye
A shoppable scheme with folky graphic wallpapers at its core
Using artist Georgie Hopton's vegetable-printed wallpapers and fabrics as a starting point, Ruth Sleightholme creates simple schemes that recount a tale of white walls, plain oak furniture and unembellished drapery, enlivened by bright colours and assorted figurines.
Design Ideas
How to choose living room furniture
House & Garden's decoration editor Ruth Sleightholme explains the ins and outs of buying furniture for a living room, from choosing a sofa to measuring for a coffee table.
How art deco details can transform a bathroom
Ruth Sleightholme explores how interior designers are taking inspiration from the lavish materials and curved lines associated with this design period to create glamorous contemporary bathrooms full of visual drama
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Shopping
Our pick of the most joyful rugs to ground a room
Warm up your floors and add a dash of design whilst you’re at it with our pick of the loveliest rugs in all shapes and sizes
Decoration
The best wall lights and sconces to shop now
In this month's shopping round-up, H&G's Style Director, Ruth Sleightholme, shares a stellar selection of wall lamps and sconces
How to wrap a present: our style director's comprehensive guide
Imaginative presentation can transform even the simplest gift. Ruth Sleightholme suggests creative ways to embellish presents
26 showstopping serveware pieces for Christmas and beyond
Bring a sophisticated flavour to your table with Ruth Sleightholme's selection of serveware