In Coversation With: Oliver Murphy, Slowe LIving
A DesignED Lifestyle, For Slower Living
In a world where speed and overproduction define much of the design industry, SLOWE Living is carving out a new rhythm. Founded by designer Oliver Murphy, the brand champions a slower, more intentional approach to furniture and lifestyle design, where sustainability, craftsmanship, and comfort take centre stage.
At the heart of SLOWE Living’s philosophy is its first product: a versatile, handcrafted sofa bed that pulls effortlessly into a spacious double. Designed in limited seasonal batches and manufactured in Cornwall, it’s a quietly radical alternative to disposable, mass-market furniture. Elegant, functional, and built to last, the piece reflects Murphy’s influences, from the minimalist ingenuity of Tokyo and Copenhagen to the timeless elegance of 1960s Danish modernism and the raw functionality of 1990s Japanese design.
More than just a furniture brand, SLOWE Living positions itself as part of a wider cultural conversation about rest, sustainability, and modern living. With its commitment to circular design, UK-based production, and even curated playlists for inner comfort, the brand speaks to a new generation of design lovers seeking mindful luxury and products that hold meaning beyond their aesthetic appeal.
The Listening Room - London Design Festival
This September, during the London Design Festival 2025, SLOWE Living takes its philosophy off the page and into a physical space with the launch of The Listening Room at Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross. Styled by PORTER Studio and partnered with KEF Audio, the pop-up showroom will showcase SLOWE’s latest collection in an environment designed for slowing down, listening, and connecting. Expect curated interiors, daily vinyl sets, and live events that blur the lines between design, sound, and community, an experiential embodiment of the brand’s ethos.
As SLOWE Living continues to grow, its mission remains simple yet ambitious: to challenge the idea that comfort is only skin-deep, and to prove that design, when done slowly, can offer both beauty and longevity.
Please introduce yourself
I’m Oliver Murphy, founder of SLOWE Living. My background is in industrial design and running a small creative studio, but during the pandemic I found the time to return to making things with my hands. Out of frustration at not finding a sofa bed that was both beautiful and practical, I decided to build one myself. That small project grew organically into SLOWE Living - a company dedicated to creating timeless furniture that genuinely fits real life.
What new collections and news can you share?
We’re launching a new collection of multifunctional pieces designed for smaller, more flexible homes, including modular seating and daybeds. We’re also beginning collaborations with artists and independent makers whose work we’ve long admired. And in September 2025 we’re opening a pop-up listening room at Coal Drops Yard in London, a space for live jazz, talks, and gatherings that bring people together around music, design, and a slower approach to work and life.
What has been a continual inspiration in your career?
I’m inspired by people who live on their own terms - artists, surfers, designers, musicians. My time in Tokyo and Copenhagen left a huge mark on me too, showing how design can balance functionality with craft and materials, not just homogenous mass production. I also draw from Danish modernism, Japanese industrial design, and the music and skateboarding counterculture of 1970s Los Angeles. All those influences come together in SLOWE’s approach to furniture and ethos of building a product and company that is authentic to us whilst being functional and timeless for our clients.
Can you tell us about a life-changing travel experience?
Living in Tokyo was transformative. I saw how small spaces could be designed with such care and intention that they never felt limited. That experience shaped how I think about design and how we live with it, and about collecting objects that feel personal and connected to your life - not anyone else's. For me, design isn’t just about how something looks, it’s about how it feels and the meaning it brings as well as making everyday living more enjoyable.
What travel recommendations can you share with our readers?
Take your time. Don’t over plan or worry about seeing everything - spend longer in one place, talk to locals, and let the intuition take you to where you feel like going in the moment. Work is full of deadlines; I don’t need them in my free time ha-ha. Cycling the coastlines of Sweden or Cornwall has been unforgettable for me - you can ride, swim, eat locally, and really settle in. On my last trip to Tokyo, I got into visiting the sento (public baths). Taking a pause for a sauna and a soak before heading out to meet a friend left me both relaxed and creatively inspired. I wish we had that culture back home.
What’s your favourite restaurant?
The Drapers Arms in London, a proper, unpretentious pub with a warm atmosphere. And The Bounty in Bourne End, which you can only reach by foot or boat. It feels like stepping back in time.
Where is your favourite cocktail bar?
Grandfather Bar in Tokyo has stayed with me. It’s hidden away, with walls covered in records and all genres of music playing, hand-picked by the owner who’s been there since the 80s. The atmosphere is warm and cosy with dim lighting and cigarette smoke (like a Martin Scorsese film), and the drinks are basic but perfectly made. For me its luxury. It captures that mix of music, design, and simplicity that I love.
Photography, Grandfather Bar
What would you love to see more of in the design world?
More collaboration across disciplines. When designers work with artists, musicians, and makers from different fields, the results are always more playful, human, and unexpected. I’d also love to see more emerging designers get the space and recognition to bring their ideas to life.
What would you like to see less of in the design world?
Disposable design. The cycle of producing cheap, short-lived pieces is draining and unsustainable. I’d like to see more focus on creating objects people can live with for years - things that gain meaning and character over time.
Photography, SLOWE Living