Honouring Ruth Aram (1966-2018)

The team at Livingetc was saddened by the news that Ruth Aram, a long term friend and supporter of the brand, has passed away at the age of 52.

Ruth was the visionary director at London's iconic Aram Store and, like her father, spent a lifetime devoted to bringing contemporary furniture to a London audience.

The visionary retailer, champion of emerging designers and much respected member of the design community had been diagnosed with a brain tumour in July last year and had been undergoing treatment for the disease, but died on Friday 7 September.

She had the rare combination of a head for business and an eye for design. Both played integral roles in her life. Her father Zeev Aram founded Aramon London's King's Road in 1964, and the store is still very much a family business, co-directed by her brother Daniel. Before joining the family business, Ruth had qualified as a landscape architect and worked at the Building Design Partnership and for IKEA. She also gained recognition for her own designs; scribbling the original concept for her Aldwych tables on a plane's in-flight magazine when returning from an International Furniture Fair.

As head of retail and marketing of the company, Ruth was integral in making Aram Store one of the best-known, most individual design stores in London, both at its Covent Garden showroom and online. She was well-known for forging great collaborative partnerships and hosting pioneering exhibitions at the store.

She was a true supporter, a great fan and a good friend to many at Livingetc. She will be much missed.

As a mark of respect, the Aram Store will be closed on Friday 14 September.

Lotte Brouwer

Lotte is the Digital Editor for Livingetc, and has been with the website since its launch. She has a background in online journalism and writing for SEO, with previous editor roles at Good Living, Good Housekeeping, Country & Townhouse, and BBC Good Food among others, as well as her own successful interiors blog. When she's not busy writing or tracking analytics, she's doing up houses, two of which have features in interior design magazines. She's just finished doing up her house in Wimbledon, and is eyeing up Bath for her next project.