This Dreamy Pacific Northwest Family Home’s Interior Design Was Inspired by a Bouquet of Flowers

Molly Kidd starts every interior design project with a floral arrangement.

It helps her establish a color palette, a mood, and a style, whether that’s more traditional, minimal, or romantic. It’s the first thing she does when she begins ideating for a client, and the finishing touch of every installation.

“Before I was a designer, I was a florist, and flowers have a big influence on my work,” Kidd says. “That’s where I want to start to determine the color and design direction. It’s kind of a through-line, from beginning to end.”

Tim Lenz/OTTO

Is it unconventional? Absolutely. But there isn’t much about the Salem, Oregon-based designer’s approach to her business that’s rooted in old-fashioned, outmoded ways. She may embrace time-honored techniques and ancient materials, like plaster, copper, and honed marble, and she gravitates toward vintage decor and antiques. But the social media-savvy Kidd is very much a digital age designer, with a team of employees working remotely, a savvy woman contractor on her payroll, and a live-work space that functions as an idea lab, showroom, and family home surrounded by nature in the Pacific Northwest.

“Ninety-five percent of my clients come through Instagram. I also use social media to curate my team because most live out of state,” she says. “We have local projects, but we’re working on houses from Rosemary Beach, Florida to Maryland and everywhere in between.”

Tim Lenz/OTTO

Kidd has tapped into the aspirational digital homesteader ethos and aesthetic and channeled it into a thriving design business. Like many modern entrepreneurs, she focuses on sustainability and responsible consumerism, fosters an iron-clad brand identity, and refuses to compromise on family time. Instead of making her family life work around her job, she’s done the inverse.

“I bought this house two years ago with the intent of making it both a family home and a showroom for my clients. Local clients can come see the finishes I like, different paint colors, or cabinetry. I use natural finishes in all of my projects. I also only work with natural stone like marble. Sustainability is a big pillar for me, and about 50% of the items I use in projects are vintage. I create homes that have that soulful, lived-in feel with antique elements that are warm and grounded.”

Tim Lenz/OTTO

Kidd never strays from a muted, slightly muddy “classic Pacific Northwest” color palette, no matter the zip code or time zone.

“You’ll see that represented in all of my projects, no matter where they are in the country. Every project is different. Some are new builds, others are remodels. They do differ, but the goal is to be able to look at a project and tell that it’s mine,” she says.

Two years ago, Kidd found a late ’80s single-owner home on a two-acre lot dotted with oak trees and knew she found her place.

Tim Lenz/OTTO

“The previous owners took great care of the house, but it hadn’t been updated at all,” she says. “I wanted to give the house a new identity with a more traditional floorplan that felt more intimate.”

The transformation from dated ranch house to Cotswolds-inspired retreat was swift. She took the house down to the studs, reconfigured the primary suite, and added a fourth bedroom and bathroom, all without expanding the footprint. Kidd also replaced every window, adding floor-to-ceiling gridded windows to the living and dining rooms, and a few well-placed arches.

Tim Lenz/OTTO

“I knew what I wanted pretty quickly, so the actual remodel from demo to completion took nine months. I owe that to Brittney Young, one of my colleagues who was the general contractor on the project. She owned her own construction business for 10 years and was so incredibly organized.”

Kidd’s approach to decor is inspired in equal parts by Australian minimalism and the rich materiality of design in the U.K. and France.

Tim Lenz/OTTO

“I don’t like things to feel too layered. I like restraint. It lets pieces shine,” she says. “I want to walk into a house and feel like I can take a deep breath, sit down, and relax.”

Kidd often finds herself explaining the “buy well, buy less” approach to furnishing a house to her clients, who largely embrace her aversion to clutter. Appliances don’t live on her countertops; she prefers hidden pantries to hide unsightly toasters and blenders. Instead of installing eight middling lights in the kitchen, she invested in two vintage lanterns that “tell a story.”

“Why would you invest in beautiful plaster walls just to cover them up with a bunch of stuff?” she says.

Tim Lenz/OTTO

Outside, neighborhood goats wander into the yard on occasion (and make appearances in photo shoots), and her three children help in the greenhouse and garden and play outside whenever possible. Kidd has a deep respect for the natural world and is a conservationist at heart, adapting that “do no harm” approach to reimagining homes and filling them with found treasures, embracing the imperfections that come with it.

“I advise people to think about the impact. Do you want to invest in a real wool rug that you’ll own for over a decade, or three synthetic rugs that wear out?”

Tim Lenz/OTTO

And while the world she creates on social media may appear to be perfect to the casual eye, it’s the imperfections, Kidd says, that bring the magic.

“Real limestone and marble get beat up a little, but it just shows that there’s life in the room. A drink ring on a table? That means that life has been lived well.”

We only recommend things we love. If you buy something through our site, we might earn a commission.