Molly Coath: Interior Designer fit for royalty 👑
At just 23 years old, Molly (@molly.coath) is a successful Interior Designer, having starred in a hit show and founded her own company, MoCo. With a colourful, eclectic style, we knew Molly would go all out with her Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations 🥂
Sitting opposite Alan Carr
"Featuring on BBC's Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr was a whirlwind. The show was hands down one of the best things I’ve ever done. I applied during lockdown – after working as a professional Interior Designer since I was 18, my company went bust during the pandemic and I found myself stamping invoices in an office (not very creative and not very ‘me’). At the same time, everyone was saying to me 'You should apply for Interior Design masters,' so I thought 'Why not!? I’ve got nothing to lose.' I never thought I’d get it, but then I got a phone call saying 'Welcome to Series 3 of Interior Design masters.' I was overjoyed and it was completely surreal. During the show, I pushed myself as a designer and a person. I learned so much and met so many incredible people who have changed my life. I feel so lucky to have been on the show – it was VERY intense but an extraordinary experience."Interior design: Molly’s story
"I am crazy passionate and driven. I always thought I wanted to be a fashion designer when I was a kid (more specifically costume design). I’ve always been drawn to quirky clothes and I LOVED the idea of designing outlandish works of art that people could wear for a living. However, after a short internship at the age of 17, I discovered it wasn’t for me. As my home was so important to me, I couldn’t think of anything finer than trying to create spaces for clients that were weird and wonderful – special and personal. So at the age of just 18, I applied for a job with NO qualifications and NO prior experience. The job advertisement said in big letters, 'DO NOT APPLY UNLESS YOU HAVE A DEGREE,' but I thought 'screw it…what have I got to lose!? I’ll apply anyway.' And to my surprise, I had an interview a few days later with a huge UK interior design & homeware company. I think people come to life when they’re talking about something they're passionate about and that level of enthusiasm is infectious. Long story short: I got a call an hour after my interview offering me the job. I was completely shocked, I thought I’d come across as inexperienced (because I was), young (because I was) and hugely nervous (because I was), however Annette saw something in me that day and for that, I am forever grateful. This meant that at 18 years old, I had discovered my dream job as an Interior Designer. I was the youngest designer in the whole company and the only designer to ever work there without a degree (what an imposter I know!!!). Five years down the line, I have my own company and I get to design spaces for lovely clients for a living – lucky me!"An opulent upcycle fit for the Queen ✨
"For my Platinum Jubilee upcycle, I went for the SEARLE T-Bar Handle. All of Plank’s hardware is divine but I particularly liked SEARLE's swirled detail for creating a traditional, intricate and opulent look, whilst still being modern and slick. They’re brass, heavy and of such good quality. PLUS I ordered some of Plank’s BANK Numbers (typically used for your front door) and these were also very high quality, a gorgeous antique gold colour and a really lovely shape and style!"
Molly’s upcycled drinks trolley is Jubilee party ready thanks to SEARLE 🥂
A ‘classic eccentric’ style
"I tend to lean more towards bold, rich and opulent colours such as rich greens, botanical details and anything with a quirky, antique edge. I love natural wood, wallpaper, patterns and plants. I describe my design style as 'classic eccentric' – so, original antique and farmhouse style furniture with a bold, colourful edge."Words of wisdom
"Not to scare anyone but interior design is a competitive market and you have to be 100% dedicated and committed to break in! You will only know whether you have the true drive and passion when you are completely dedicated to it in ANY spare time that you have.For years I worked other jobs and every single evening I worked until the early hours, creating moodboards and designs for pretend clients, teaching myself how to use CAD, Photoshop, Sketchup and any other packages I could get my hands on, whilst also contacting anyone who could give me advise or I could potentially work with. Once you start doing that then my advice would be to COMMIT and take that jump – anything worthwhile is worth the gamble. High risk = high reward!"Originality FTW
"There's one thing I am truly passionate about – originality. I think, not only from a design perspective but as a person, the most important thing about all of us is we are all one of a kind, completely unique – the same applies to an upcycled piece of furniture – it’s special, unique and one of a kind. Nothing in my house is mass produced and brand new off the shelf. That to me is amazing as it means everything I own has a story, is eclectic and no one else in the world will have it. For this collaboration with Plank I bought a drinks trolley for £30 off Facebook Marketplace, it was really old (an antique) and now I know that I have given it a new lease of life and it’s the only one like it with that pattern, colour scheme, handles etc. in the world – how special!"
A stash of snacks
"I tend to get struck with inspiration when my brain is clear and my space is quiet! But food-wise I carry hummus and crisps around with me like a purse as it’s such a quick and easy snack. I mainly drink water, which may be boring but gotta stay hydrated kids! And if I fancy something sweet, I’m a sucker for a tunnocks wafer and a jasmine tea to accompany."Inspo in nature & Insta’
"My mum always taught me that there is beauty everywhere and that you just have to look for it. I always look to nature, particularly for colour palettes etc. If it’s good enough for Mother Nature, it’s good enough for me! I also get a lot of inspiration from my clients when they tell me about an interest, story or something that they love, which then sparks an idea and my designs naturally evolve from there. I would highly recommend you follow: @sarahbrowninteriors as her design style and projects are just divine, @nicolahardingandco for the same reason and finally, a bit of a curve ball, @the_self_hood – the founder, Daisy, is family and she teaches women and small businesses about the importance of social media, marketing, building your business and being genuine online in a really positive and fun way – it's been so helpful to me and will be to others too!"Eclectic tunes 🎵
“I’m music mad and my taste is very eclectic! Here are my top ten tracks at the moment:”A big thank you to Molly for joining us for a TEA BREAK. Why not follow her interiors journey over at @molly.coath?
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