Behind the Seams: The Colorful World of Zoe Murphy

Zoe Murphy has been a standout in the world of furniture upcycling since her debut at Tent London in 2008. She recently graduated from Loughborough University in England as a textile designer and currently resides in the coastal town of Margate, which is located on the southeastern tip of England.

As Zoe began working with materials other than textiles, she discovered a love of Formica, veneer and furniture. Her colorful spectrums and standout patterns make her work quite different from the norm. In addition to creating beautiful pieces, she uses old furniture, which makes these pieces eco-friendly too! I was so excited to get the chance to speak with her about her inspiration and process.

First, I was curious to know what made Zoe choose furniture from the 1950s as the base for her designs. She says that she's currently obsessed with retro furniture and fond of anything from the 50's, 60's or 70's. "There are, however, quite a few reasons why that era is so important to my work," she says. And they lead back to her seaside hometown. "Margate had its heyday in the 1950s and 60s when all of the Londoners would holiday there throughout the year," she says. "This was before foreign and package holidays became so popular, and it has suffered its own little depression since then. All through my childhood it was a bit of a retro ghost town, and a place that needed "re-loving" itself, a theme that is core to my work."

Zoe's pieces are a culmination of the need for upcycling or recycling of unused things leftover from the 1950s era. For her, Margate is what it used to be: Formica cafes, kiss-me-quick hats, fish and chips and penny arcades. Her designs tend to be illustrative and pattern-heavy. She uses these to juxtapose the clean, simple lines characteristic of mid-century furniture. "Masculine meets feminine," she says.

Many of her textile prints and painted surfaces are done through screenprinting and hand painting. She is inspired by the patterns seen on Formica tabletops. Many of the illustrations feature Margate landmarks and buildings, such as the historical and ornate clock tower, as well as the 1950's theme park and solitary block of flats on the skyline.

One of the things that I found most striking about her work is the use of color. It's so bold and vibrant and I asked her what that was all about. "I have always loved color but I do employ a stricter palette than most people think," she says. "I have probably four colors which I mix together a lot to make a whole tonal range. The important thing is that they all have a warm yellowy hue, a bit like a faded fifties photograph or a saturated resort brochure." She is inspired by the colors of the 1950s era but also those of the seaside -- the sea and sun and sunset comes to mind.

She gets a lot of her pieces by scouring junk stores, charity shops and second-hand stores. She's also made friends with quite a few antique dealers. Once she's found the perfect piece, I asked her if she had a plan before she begins. "Generally I have to respond to each piece as I get it, as a wardrobe will need slightly different things than a chest of drawers or a footstool. This is something I find very exciting though and makes my experience really diverse." Even though her work is fairly cohesive and recognizable, she says, "Changing things too much visually wouldn't get my message across and that is paramount for me."