Effect Magazine presents Rising Stars of Design – the emerging talents who are shaking up the interior design scene. This week: the Oregon-based principal designer of Light and Dwell, Molly Kidd.
Warm timbers, a focus on texture, sustainable elements – these are just three of the aspects that define the projects of Molly Kidd, principal designer at the Oregon-based design studio Light and Dwell. Heavily influenced by the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, Molly established her business eight years ago alongside best friend Aymee Kuhlman, and together the pair are busy building one of the most successful firms in the region.
“I have always had my hand in the creative world,” Molly tells Effect. “I studied interior design at school but graduated with a degree to teach interiors instead. I then became a florist for a few years before starting a blog (when they were up and coming!), but my favourite vertical has always been interiors. In the past eight years, Aimee and I have done everything we can to pioneer our brand and get us to where we are today.”
Signature design aesthetic
“I’ve worked really hard to create a signature style,” says Molly. Stemming mainly from warm, western-European design, she has six different styles within the Light and Dwell aesthetic that individualise each project and help her clients learn more about integrating specific lifestyles.
“Sustainability is also integral in our design as we have a 50/50 initiative with all of our projects, meaning 50% must be vintage and 50% can be new,” she adds. “It’s all about being innovative while timeless and setting a sensible foundation.”
Notable projects
Kicking things off with a local project in the Pacific Northwest – “it was a two-year journey that taught me exactly where I needed to pivot and grow’ – Molly now boasts clients all over the US, with hot spots being Oregon, California, Texas, New York and New England.
Sustainability is integral in our design—50% must be vintage and 50% can be new.
Molly Kidd
The studio’s biggest dwelling to date was its English Colonial project, which saw Molly incorporating extremely innovative design concepts and sourcing over 60% vintage goods from furniture, art, lighting and décor. “There was a lot on the line with that project, and the timeline was our fastest to date,” she adds.
Given the studio’s highly curated nature, today the team accepts only 10–12 projects a year to ensure Molly can have her hand in all the designs. “In the past year we have also expanded into selling furniture and collaborations,” she adds. “Our all-woman team has grown into 12 incredible experts based on needs we saw within the team.”
Her defining career moment
“Premiering on Well Designed on Magnolia Network was a big one for us, but it’s tough to decide just one defining career moment,” explains Molly. She also points to the reveal of Light and Dwell’s Villa with a View project, as it was the first project to launch since the pandemic. “These dwellings can sometimes take up to three years from concept to completion, so it is massively rewarding to not only install these projects, but to photograph them and share them with the world,” she adds. “We shared five different projects last year that all started in the early 2020s.”
In the pipeline
As we speak, Molly and the team are currently working on their biggest project yet: a 16,000-square-foot Dutch-inspired farmhouse in Middle America. “It is currently in the framing phase and has three levels with a guest quarters and cow farm,” she explains. “There is so much happening in the next one to five years–from proprietary lines to projects, and exciting goods in the works.”
Read more: Interiors | Interior Design | Rising Stars | Design | Light and Dwell