Launching this year, SLOWE Living is a new design studio founded by Oliver Murphy and was set up in response to a personal challenge he wanted to address he reveals.
SLOWE Living is a new furniture brand set up by Oliver Murphy – the designer behind its modular sofa bed design. Photography: SLOWE Living
“It wasn’t what I felt the market was missing or that I wanted to plug a gap – the main challenge I was experiencing was personal,” explains Oliver Murphy when discussing the reason behind setting up his new design studio SLOWE Living. Launching with a modular sofa bed design, Murphy felt compelled to create a solution that was multi-functional and could find its place within multi-use spaces. “Flexible guest sofa bed options remain temporary, time-consuming, uncomfortable and unattractive,” he continues. “Our spare room was a redundant space that never got used as our sofa bed was uninspiring and didn’t suit our requirements. Now with our new design we love it.”
While the launch of SLOWE Living has been a few years in the making, Murphy says it initially came about by accident. “After ten years of running a small brand and creative studio, Covid reared its ugly head and I lost a bunch of client gigs,” he discloses. “However, it did allow me to finally put aside time to scratch an itch I’d long been looking to scratch which was to work with my hands again since studying Industrial Design.” During this period Murphy and his partner also faced the challenge of finding a sofa bed that was durable, comfortable and beautiful enough to display within their living space. “There was nothing I wanted to invest in, and it felt like a classic, design-led sofa bed didn’t exist anywhere. Everything we found really compromised on comfort or style.”
Oliver Murphy set up SLOWE Living after finding it difficult to source a sofa bed that suited his own aesthetic and living space. Photography: SLOWE Living
So, taking the matter into his own hands, Murphy decided to call on his product design beginnings and create something himself with the materials and resources he had available. “The first prototype was designed in a couple of weeks in lockdown, and I rang up a friend who still had access to timber suppliers and he helped me cut it all to the right size in exchange for a keg of beer,” he laughs. “It came together perfectly so I decided to share it on Instagram, as you do, and friends and family started asking me for them. It really was DIY back then!”
Handmade in Cornwall to order, the sofa bed comfortably fits two people and is constructed from traceable FSC certified hardwood ply species and removeable upholstered back and seat cushions. Designed with disassembly in mind and delivered flatpack for easy transportation, circularity is a governing principle that has shaped Murphy’s creative vision. “How we manufacture is a bit different,” he says. “We don’t carry stock or mass produce anything. Rather than overproducing and scaling at all costs, we have chosen to produce timeless, yet functional products that last throughout your life, in quantities we can handle.” Alongside looking into more affordable natural foam alternatives for the sofa’s upholstery filling, the studio also recycles its waste material into new products or by donating it to other designers to utilise. “Manufactured 200 metres from one of Cornwall’s best surf breaks, we also chose to collaborate with partners who care for a more mindful pace to business and prioritise quality craftsmanship,” Murphy goes on. “It was as much a lifestyle choice as it was a business decision.”
The minimal design is created with circularity in mind so that users can adapt and move with the design as needs and circumstances change. Photography: SLOWE Living
Speaking of his design inspirations, Murphy states how time spent living in Tokyo and Copenhagen has also been a guiding factor. “Added to this I also have a fascination with 1970s LA architecture, music and counterculture, 1960s Danish Modernism and an admiration for analogue 1990s Japanese industrial design,” he reveals. “All these influences converge into the products and ethos of SLOWE Living.” While challenging the notion of fast-paced trends that plague the high street, Murphy hopes this organic approach resonates with today’s generation of design lovers. “I wanted to create a company that celebrates the independence of those thinkers, artists, and creatives who have shaped their lives at their own pace, staying true to their unique lifestyle choices,” he says. “You’ll see references to sculptors, musicians, skaters, surfers, philosophers who have inspired me with their work to do something of my own and I wanted to carry that through. I’d also like to encourage more designers to realise their designs under the brand as a collective.”
Murphy’s philosophy is to move away from mass-produced furniture and find comfort in buying less. Photography: SLOWE Living
With this vision of growing the SLOWE community underway, Murphy hopes to radiate the values of a slower lifestyle – as the brand name suggests. “The design world needs to slow down and produce less but better products,” he says. “It’s become boring, and I think there is an audience with which we can tell better stories to that discuss manufacturing, the design process and how it impacts our lives. This is why I set up the creative studio to help and support brands in achieving this.” Finding partners to align with this mindful ethos is key to SLOWE Living’s progress moving forward. Their first partnership has taken place through the brand’s official photography shoot in partnership with USM. “USM has been a staple reference in my life since design school,” Murphy says when discussing the partnership. “Much like how our sofa bed can be repaired and components replaced if needed, the USM system is the same.”
Murphy takes inspiration from a variety of nostalgic design references such as 1970s LA architecture and music. Photography: SLOWE Living
Alongside partnering with established brands, the designer also hopes to give younger talents a space to share ideas. “We need to help them realise their designs in smaller sustainable batches that aren’t always about bottom lines and high MOQ’s,” he comments. “I like this idea of finding comfort in less. Not falling victim to trends but encouraging customers to invest in design solutions that are well-made, timeless and still desirable and practical in years to come.” With this mindset much needed in today’s industry, we look forward to the ripple effect that the creative studio will have as it is guided by Murphy’s authentic and organic approach.
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