British designer Zoe Murphy promotes the idea of ‘Loving what belongs to you’ by printing onto recycled furniture and textiles using imagery inspired by her seaside hometown.The prints she uses to upcycle existing furniture and textiles draw their inspiration from her seaside hometown of Margate, Kent. Zoe uses Margate, with its gaudy unpolished potential, to reflect her core values. It is a place and thing that with loving attention and good design can be brought back to be something beautiful, desired and respected.

Through her re-use of mid twentieth century furniture pieces and patterns inspired by Formica clad sea-side cafes, her work takes on an appropriate nod to the fifties. Bright colours and optimistic images are printed onto re-veneered drawers, footstools, side tables, and Formica wall pieces. Particular emphasis is placed upon the importance of re-using as much of a material as is possible. As well as having designed a range that is visually appealing, her work is also ethically strong and offers a more ecological alternative to the ‘throw away’ designs of today.

In just a short time since graduating Zoe has established herself as an enthusiastic young designer. She shows at exhibitions and events around the country, and works to order from her studio in Margate, selling work with Liberty in London, Osborn & Little, as well as direct.

Work is available to view online or by appointment at her studio.