insideKENT Magazine Issue 35 - February 2015 | Page 21
Your work ethic is founded on ‘loving what
belongs to you’. When did this become
important to you, and was there a specific
event that brought it home?
Margate and the town around our studio is always
the place that inspires me, and the work we
make. However, it was going away for three years
that made me realise just how much I valued the
details of the place, and it helped me to see it in
a new light. While away at university in
Loughborough, I recognised that with Dreamland,
the beach, the characters that live there, and the
colourful history of the town, Margate was a really
fantastic place that had made me specifically
‘me’. I could see that with the right love and
attention it could become really wonderful again,
and I made sure to treat my furniture pieces in
the same way.
Which designers do you work with, and
how does their style complement yours?
Is there any kind of material you don’t like
working with?
As well as our furniture designs onto wood, we
also work with organic cottons and recycled silks
or papers. Anything that will take our patterns and
form different products for the studio is interesting
to me. I have a bit of a diehard attitude to the
origins of a material and like to know where it's
from and that it was made in the right way;
therefore, any type of material that is particularly
bad for the environment or people to produce
isn’t of interest to me. At the start of any project,
I ask a lot of questions about where the materials
are from.
www.zoemurphy.com
All of the designs that we use onto furniture are
my own, however we have a few brands that we
love to collaborate with – the most recent one is
Dulux. We were shortlisted for one of the brand's
Let's Colour Awards in 2014; and when it
launched its Colour of the Year for 2015, I was
asked to design and make a special piece of
furniture to reflect the theme, which was all about
'finding the wonderful in the everyday’. Working
with a heritage brand that is also so forward
thinking is great fun, and Dulux is serious about
the value of colour in the same way that my studio
is. Creating work with brands that care about the
same things that you do always makes for a great
output and a spur in the right direction.
@zoemurphydesign
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How has your work changed over time?
In the early days, Margate was much more of a
literal reference within my work but now it’s used
more as an idea. Prints and patterns are still
inspired by Formica, the seaside, the town and
its heritage, but I think the references are a lot
more subliminal in comparison to my earlier pieces.
As Margate has been changing underneath our
feet, the pieces from the studio have become
more sophisticated with it.
What are your plans for the future?
This year, our Brilliant Print research trip will be
taking us somewhere very colourful and loaded
with design. As we have a new heritage theme
park opening in Margate, we want to make work
that is inspired by, and can contribute to that. It
will definitely be an exciting trip to follow; we
cannot wait!
Where can we see your Margate and
Brilliant Print collections?
Both are available at Liberty in London, and I
always have stock in the Margate Gallery in
Margate. Pieces can be viewed and ordered via
our website, and at some point during this year,
we are looking to open a viewing space within
the studio for exhibitions too. I make sure to use
social media such as Twitter and Instagram to
keep customers up to date on all of the things
being made in our studio.
How can our readers get in touch with you?
We welcome all product enquiries at
[email protected].
/zoemurphydesign
@zoemurphydesign