RUTH'S COUNTRYSIDE STUDIO

2nd April 2026

Leaving behind the fast pace of London, Ruth and her family have recently relocated to the south coast for a life more connected to nature. This new chapter has provided more space and freedom for them all, including a personal studio space each for Ruth and her partner, furniture designer Gareth Neal.

During renovations to the property and garden at their East Sussex home, an ash tree needed to be felled after succumbing to ash dieback disease. Rather than letting it disappear entirely, Gareth proposed a way to honour it by transforming the timber into a bespoke jewellery bench for Ruth. 

Working from his converted barn workshop, just steps away from Ruth's former cart lodge studio, Gareth shaped the wood into Ruth's dream countryside jewellery bench and used what remained for their kitchen. The tree was over 100 years old, and the wood itself tells its own story. Subtle traces of the disease remain within the grain, creating a unique patina and markings that are an honest reflection of the tree's life. 

The project became an opportunity to create a home for Ruth's practice using materials from the surrounding land and transforming loss into an enduring and purposeful object that will be treasured and admired for many years. With both studios nestled within the same garden, the process felt even more personal and connected to place. In this way the bench becomes more than a functional object, it is a reminder of landscape, time and craftsmanship.

Positioned within the studio, the bench looks through their garden orchard and towards the distant sea.

"I love the fact that is was our wood we used to create it and now I will create on it."