Clean Lines + Comfortable Spaces

When Molly Murray, the youngest of six children, was growing up in Thermopolis, Wyoming, she was often found rearranging the furniture in her family’s white clapboard house. “I always liked to make things look just right,” she says. Her mom was an English teacher, and her dad was the local pharmacist. She describes the rural setting as “like a Norman Rockwell painting.”

In 1990, Murray partnered with Imaging Spence, buying and selling antiques, rugs and one-of-kind objects for Molly Hamptons Antiques and Design, a small shop in downtown Jackson. Spence, whose father was a curator for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, taught her about fine art and textiles. This knowledge gave her an appreciation for authentic, antique and primitive designs.

Murray re-branded her business in 2010 as Iris Design, signifying a new beginning. She designs in a contemplative and peaceful aesthetic using dough bowls, harvest tables and curated objects to complement contemporary rugs and furnishings. She will always admire a beautiful French dresser under an amazingly contemporary mirror and is thrilled to work with a client’s favorite family heirloom. “The juxtaposition of new blended with old is so calming yet interesting,” she says.

Iris Design helps clients discover their authentic look. From scouring antique barn sales in the West to antique markets in Provence, France, Murray finds just the right pieces. She also loves using local furniture makers to create custom pieces that fit the scope of a project.

Making use of interesting textiles, art and meaningful objects is the final layer that transforms the house into a home. She explains, “Being happy and content in our surroundings can make all the difference in how we feel, and it adds immeasurably to our well-being.”