Designer to Watch: Sausalito-Based Molie Malone
Diane Dorran Saeks
TRUE TO FORM: Molie Malone believes that the best design happens when she develops a deeply empathetic relationship with her clients.
Her goal is to design and create interiors of rich comfort and pleasure, in the style and scale that fit perfectly, like a beautifully tailored ensemble
Molie Malone’s life and career trajectory have been fascinating, from growing up in the California Wine Country, her rewarding years as a therapist, to world traveler antiquaire. And each step has enriched her highly successful design career.
Now based in a sunny loft in Sausalito that’s a scenic ferry trip across the bay from San Francisco, she uses all of her skills to craft custom design for fortunate clients.
Inside the Newly Renovated Home of a San Francisco Sophisticate
For San Francisco mover and shaker Donna Fellows, Bay Area dream team of architect Barbara Chambers of Chambers+Chambers and interior designer Molie Malone were charged with an inspiring commission. “This was to be Donna’s first real urban ‘home of her own,’” says Malone, a Napa Valley native who transitioned from psychotherapist to successful antiquere in 2001 (a comprehensive interior design practice overtook the antiques business about a decade ago. She hasn’t had time to look back.) “Her children were grown and she was ready to say goodbye to the suburbs for a new life in town. We wanted to provide her with that perfect launch pad.”
ELEVATED ELEGANCE by Molie Malone
2018 San Francisco Decorators Showcase
Inspired by the glint of the water that can almost be touched, a shimmering entrance greets you as you enter this very special Marina home. We want any guest to feel welcome and intrigued by the dramatic runners that lead the way into the foyer and up the beautiful staircase. Light bouncing off the gold tones in our silk lined walls invite you not just to come inside the front door, but to come in and fully explore.
photos credit: Christopher Stark
Media Coverage
Tour the 2018 San Francisco Decorator Showcase
David Nash
May 2, 2018
web: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/tour-the-2018-san-francisco-decorator-showcase
30 Entryways With Dramatic Lighting To Give Your Guests A Warm Welcome
Adam Schubak and Kara Ladd
May 10, 2018
web: https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/g20104144/entryway-lighting-ideas/
8 Rooms From the San Francisco Decorator Showcase That Won Us Over
Samatha Daly
April 26, 2018
ROOMS WITH A VIEW
To celebrate 40 years, the San Francisco Decorator Showcase invited over 30 designers to reimagine a classical revival house in Pacific Heights with wild creativity and imaginative flair.
SECOND-FLOOR BATHROOM, Molie Malone “The major inspiration for the room was the Grecian Urn wallpaper by Voutsa,” says Sausalito-based designer Molie Malone (moliemalone.com). “The modern spin on an ancient theme was exactly how I wanted to approach the room.” Clean-lined, contemporary vanities and fixtures by Kohler, cabinetry hardware from Schoolhouse Electric, tile by Artistic Tile and Cambria, and a glossy orange painted ceiling complete the look of “All is Vanity.” “The warm glow [the ceiling] casts is very flattering,” says Malone. “It’s also a splendid surprise way up high... imagine the view while reclining in the tub!”
PDF:view
Designer Crush: Molie Malone
It takes an ambitious designer to envision a bathroom elegant enough for the San Francisco Decorator Showcase House. Luckily, Marin-based designer Molie Malone was up for the task and then some, creating an inspired sanctuary combining old-world glamour with modern fixtures and furnishings. The result is the second floor guest bathroom displayed in the slideshow below (photos 2-6). Malone discusses the project, titled "All Is Vanity," as well as her her philosophy on livable luxury, her career evolution, her television preferences, and more, in our Q&A below.
KITCHEN & BATH BUSINESS
Elegant Sanctuary
The drama in the mansion continues in the guest bath, which was designed by Molie Malone of Sausalito, Calif.-based Molie Malone Interior Design.
“Our goal in this space was to create an elegant and inspired bath that would be fitting for such a dramatic and historically important home,” said Malone.
She was given a long, narrow room in which plumbing placement was already determined. Malone wanted to create as much volume and airiness as possible without over-furnishing the space, so she combined oversized, separate vanities and reflective materials to create a sense of openness. Steel-like porcelain tiles, a high-gloss ceiling and a glass-enclosed shower allow light to fill the room.
web: https://www.kbbonline.com/news/trends-inspirations/a-grand-renovation/
VOUTSA
Grecian Urns San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2017
Grecian Urns on Metallic Silver Wallpaper featured in this master bathroom designed by Molie Malone.
Photography by Christopher Stark.
web: https://voutsa.com/products/grecian-urns-san-francisco-decorator-showcase-2017
KOHLER - 2017 San Francisco Decorator Showcase
Above the morning fog, atop Pacific Heights, sits the San Francisco Decorator Showcase House–where style is anything but subdued. Inside you’ll find what’s haute and trending in home design. More than 30 designers and firms came together to create a symphony of interior design throughout, transforming the home into a marvel of art. As the official plumbing sponsor, we are delighted to partner with the show home to support the San Francisco University High School Financial Aid Program.
web: http://ideas.kohler.com/home-tour/2017-san-francisco-decorator-showcase?nocache
Decorator Showcase Celebrates 40th Year
Molie Malone’s contemporary guest bath pays historic due with a classical motif wallpaper, and Stephen Stout and David Bjørngaard’s powder room evokes a Roman bath, yet with state-of-the art fixtures and sink.
web: http://www.marinatimes.com/2017/05/decorator-showcase-celebrates-40th-year/
Previously Owned By A Gay Man
Interview: Molie Malone
Born and raised in the Napa Valley, Molie Malone found her way to the design world through an early love of collecting antiques.
In 2001, Molie opened an antique business where traveling and buying rare antiques greatly expanded her knowledge of fine furnishings and honed her eye for exceptional design. When customers began asking for assistance with their interior design projects, she transformed her passion for home furnishings into her own design studio, Molie Malone Interior Design.
web: https://previouslyownedbyagayman.com/sitting-molie-malone/
The LuxPad
The San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2017 - For the past 40 years the San Francisco Decorator Showcase has selected a house in the city to be transformed by some of the region’s finest interior designers and landscapers. The designers are invited to each reimaging a different space in the home to create a unique interior to be explored by visitors over the course of a month. The admission fee for each entry goes towards the showcase’s main goal of raising funds for the San Francisco University High School financial aid program, which in turn allows hundreds of deserving Bay Area students access to world-class college preparatory education.
web: amara.com/luxpad/san-francisco-decorator-showcase-2017/
Trans-Countinental Delight
Elan Evans, Martin Kobus, Molie Malone and Krista Hoffman bring North Bay flair to stairway alcoves, library, bathroom, and closet alike.
Perhaps you’re someone who counts down the days from Showcase to Showcase, chronicling life from one to the next. Or perhaps you’ve evaded news of the premier West Coast design event. If you’re not familiar, the annual San Francisco Decorator Showcase brings together some of the Bay’s top design talents under one roof for a showstopping exploration of interior design, the profits from which benefit the San Francisco University High School financial aid program.
web: marinmagazine.com
SAN FRANCISCO DECORATOR SHOWCASE 2017
We're honored to have been selected to design a space in this year's showcase. The San Francisco Decorator Showcase is widely considered to be the West Coast’s premier design showhouse event, renowned for featuring the work of the region’s top interior and landscape designers. All the funds raised through the Decorator Showcase go directly to support the San Francisco University High School Financial Aid Program.
GRAIL MAGAZINE
Molie Malone Interior Design is a full service interior design firm serving the Bay Area and beyond. Our mission is to create homes that are luxurious yet livable. We believe in doing this within the client's time frame, budget and style. We believe good design is collaborative, artful and functional. We design spaces with elegance, charm and above all comfort. "We shape our homes and then our homes shape us".
web: grailmag.com
THE EDITOR AT LARGE
COLLABORATIONS - KOHLER PARTNERS WITH 7 DESIGNERS AT THE SAN FRANCISCO DECORATOR SHOWCASE
Kitchen and bath leader KOHLER, which has also partnered with showhouses including the KIPS BAY DECORATOR SHOW HOUSE, the HAMPTON DESIGNER SHOW HOUSE and the DC Design House in Northern Virginia, is returning to the SAN FRANCISCO DECORATOR SHOWCASE for the second year, providing products to seven select designers/design pairs in an event that benefits the San Francisco University High School.
web: editoratlarge.com
MARIN DESIGN AWARDS
The Marin Design Awards are a celebration of creativity and innovation in design based in and emanating from Marin County. The awards were created to bring the design community together to recognize the achievements being made in the areas of architecture, interior and exterior design, home décor, floral design and fashion (clothing and accessories). Designers are vetted by our internal research team and honored for their creativity in design, community participation and overall innovation in their respective fields.