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East London interior studio Owl’s co-founders, Sophie van Winden and Simone Gordon, are making the case for homes with playful, personal details rather than interiors that feel overly serious or picture-perfect. In an interview with Livingetc, they said small choices—such as a painted doorway or an unusual mirror—can add character without overwhelming a room.
East London design studio Owl is arguing for more playful, personal homes, with co-founders Sophie van Winden and Simone Gordon telling Livingetc that interiors should be practical and uplifting, not just polished for photographs. The designers say modest touches—including an unexpected color choice, a distinctive mirror or a painted doorway—can give a room character without requiring an all-over bold scheme.
Van Winden and Gordon founded Owl in 2014, and the studio has since worked on bespoke residential and commercial projects, according to the Livingetc interview. Its services include interior design, styling and consultancy. The founders described playfulness as a consistent part of their work, from early conversations with clients through to the finished space.
The designers said their approach grew partly from a sense that interior design could feel serious and intimidating. They wanted to connect design more closely to everyday life, creating homes that are not only visually appealing but also useful and reflective of the people who live in them. Their stated aim is to make interiors that have a positive effect on inhabitants over time.
They emphasized that playful design does not require filling a room with bright colors or unusual objects. Examples they gave include a checkerboard border around a doorway, a one-off mirror in a hallway, or an unexpected object on a kitchen shelf. The studio’s projects cited in the article include a Victorian villa with a blue-toned kitchen counter and a Hertfordshire cinema room that also serves as a playroom.
Small Details, More Personal Homes
Owl’s advice offers homeowners a lower-commitment way to make a space feel individual: introduce one distinctive detail rather than redesigning an entire room. That can matter for people who want a home to feel expressive but still need it to work for daily routines, guests and family life.
The founders also connect their approach to the gap between lived-in homes and highly curated images. Their argument is that a room’s success should be judged not only by how it looks, but by whether it feels comfortable and reflects its occupants. That is the studio’s design perspective, not a measured claim that playful interiors produce a particular outcome for everyone.
For readers weighing a renovation or refresh, the practical takeaway is restrained: a doorway, headboard or bathroom detail may offer a place to try an idea without changing the whole scheme. Owl’s interview encourages personal choices, while leaving the decision about style and scale to each household.
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Owl’s Design Approach Since 2014
Owl was established in East London by van Winden and Gordon in 2014. The founders say their practice is rooted in a shared interest in joyful, daring design, applied across both homes and commercial spaces. The Livingetc feature presents their views through an interview rather than an independent evaluation of the studio’s work or its effects on residents.
In the interview, the designers describe homes as places for comfort and reconnection, particularly against what they characterize as a heavy news environment and a visual culture shaped by polished online imagery and AI. They say they favor spaces that feel personal over those made simply to appear perfect. One project mentioned is a house completed in 2025, where a Misha Kahn mirror artwork features in the living room; the article also shows their Harpenden cinema room, designed to serve as both a playroom and a cinema.
“The best interiors don’t take themselves too seriously.”
— Sophie van Winden and Simone Gordon, Owl co-founders, speaking to Livingetc
What the Interview Does Not Establish
The Livingetc feature reports the founders’ design beliefs and examples; it does not provide evidence that playful interiors produce the same emotional or practical benefits for every household. It also does not set out project budgets, client feedback, or a comparison of outcomes between different design approaches.
The article does not identify a new product, service launch or specific change in Owl’s business. The development is the publication of an interview about the studio’s approach. Details about the full scope and cost of the projects mentioned, and how clients helped shape individual design decisions, are not included in the supplied material.
Applying the Ideas at Home
The interview does not announce a forthcoming Owl project or give a date for another studio development. For readers, the next step suggested by the designers is to identify one part of a room that could take a personal detail, then balance it against the rest of the scheme. Their examples include a doorway, bathroom feature, headboard or hallway mirror.
Van Winden and Gordon advise making such choices feel personal rather than trend-led and placing an unexpected element in a more restrained setting so it can stand out. Any wider plans from Owl, including future projects or changes to its services, were not specified in the source material.
Key Questions
What is Owl’s main design idea?
The studio’s co-founders say interiors can be playful and personal while remaining practical. They favor details that reflect the people who live in a home rather than designing only for a polished appearance.
Does playful design mean using bright colors everywhere?
No. Van Winden and Gordon say it does not require bold choices throughout a room. They recommend using a single unexpected feature, such as a distinctive mirror or painted doorway, within a more restrained scheme.
Who founded Owl, and when?
Sophie van Winden and Simone Gordon founded the East London design studio in 2014, according to the Livingetc interview.
What projects does the article mention?
The feature refers to a Hertfordshire cinema room designed to function as a playroom as well, a Victorian villa with a blue-toned kitchen counter, and a house completed in 2025 that includes a Misha Kahn mirror artwork in its living room.
Source: livingetc.com
