Molly & Oliver’s Creative Haven

published Sep 23, 2015

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

About this tour

Explore More House Tours

Home Type

House

Location

Florence, Massachusetts

Style

Eclectic

Bedrooms

Square feet

750

Sq ft

750

Name: Oliver and Molly Hatch and daughter Camilla
Location: Florence, MA
Size: 750 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years; Owned

Can't-Miss House Tours Straight to Your Inbox

Keep up with our latest house tours each weekday with our House Tour of the Day newsletter

I first came across Molly Hatch when I worked for Anthropologie. Known for her cheeky sense of humor that cleverly combines contemporary concepts with classic designs, Molly created ceramics for the retail chain that were distinctively whimsical. Imagine my surprise when I moved to Massachusetts and discovered my new home was a stone’s throw from this talented artist! Molly’s keen sense of style is present in all her work, from her creations for Anthropologie and her new paper goods line for Target to her massive museum pieces. It is especially clear in her home itself, where she has cultivated a traditional yet refreshingly modern living space.

The floor plan of the house (Image credit: Emily Billings)

(Image credit: Emily Billings)

Molly is an artist-of-all-trades who creates everything from furniture and ceramics to pen-and-ink drawings. Her husband, Oliver, is an equally talented woodworker whose hand is at play throughout their home. During the past three years, the duo have undertaken major renovations in their living space and in Molly’s studio spaces. Despite the steep learning curve for the couple, the home improvements were masterfully executed — not only in terms of functionality, but also in terms of implementing an aesthetic that marries perfectly with Molly’s design work.

Molly and Oliver are advocates for the reconsideration of craft as a prevalent cultural force. They show that material possessions can be elevated from everyday necessities into works of art. The couple also has a knack for taking historic trends and juxtaposing them with a contemporary palette, scale, and sense of humor. A massive inherited 18^th century silver mirror hangs above a humble salvaged 1940s enamel table, while a half-teacup serves as a catch-all on a chalk wall nearby. These collocated elements bring a quirky, tongue-in-cheek air to their 1940s Cape Cod home.

Much like their crafts, Molly and Oliver have finely honed their interior design with great intention and balance, mixing old with new, traditional with modern, and mid-century with English country clutter. The juxtaposition resonates throughout the home, creating a dwelling grounded in history yet engrossingly relevant.

(Image credit: Emily Billings)

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: Traditional yet modern.

Inspiration: We love mid-century furniture and a clean minimal look, but also love a good English country home, cluttered with good pottery and artwork that make the home feel lived-in and warm. Somehow both inspire us!

Favorite Element: We like that the house is small; we can afford to make changes we want. It also limits what we buy to bring home.

Biggest Challenge: The house is small! We have learned to swap things out from our attic storage from time to time to be able to see our ceramic collection and art collection.

What Friends Say: They are always impressed with how much we have done to maximize the space. The couch in the living room is a favorite, too— it easily sits 8-10 people!

Biggest Embarrassment: Until recently, it was the linoleum kitchen floor that was a faux-brick pattern. It seems that every home we have ever had included a room with faux brick linoleum and this house was no exception. We finally got around to painting over it!

Proudest DIY: The kitchen has to be our proudest moment—the kitchen shelving was all Oliver—the English-style drying rack above the sink takes the cake. Molly made and decorated the tile in her ceramic studio, inspired by designer tile she liked in a magazine but knew she could make more affordably. We really feel like the kitchen maximizes storage and is exceptionally functional for 120 square feet!

Biggest Indulgence: The built-in couch and custom upholstered cushions…This couch started as a cheap alternative to buying a couch and we were excited that it would give us more seating, under-seating storage, as well as designing it to be the same size as two twin beds gives us a place to put up guests. The couch was about $2,000 in materials, including the upholstery, but this doesn’t include labor. We are happy to have the couch for the cost of a nice commercial couch; it definitely was an indulgence.

Best Advice: We have chipped away at renovations on our home. It’s best to live in a space for a while to really get a sense of what needs changing before diving in. We now have big plans for putting a much-needed mudroom on one end of the house as well as some ideas for making our garden terrace more level. We wouldn’t have had such developed ideas for the home without having lived here for a while first!

Dream Sources: Secondhand!