Why brown is my signature color: tips from designer Molly Kidd

Welcome to the first in a new column series by Molly Kidd, designer and founder of Molly Kidd Studio, as she joins Homes & Gardens’ By Design to reveal how she crafts rooms full of soul and character.

If you’ve followed my work over the past decade – or simply stepped into one of my spaces – you’ve probably noticed a signature color woven through every design. It appears in the patina of aged furniture, oak floors, mohair upholstery, reclaimed beams, vintage pottery, art, décor, and even my coffee cup: brown. Rich, grounding, and endlessly nuanced brown.

People often overlook decorating with brown in favor of safer tones, but it has soul. Sophisticated. Unapologetically grounded. I use it to create contrast, add warmth, and bring balance. It’s not just a neutral – it’s a statement when used with intention.

I used to treat brown like most people do: a filler, a background note. But over the years, as I’ve leaned into what feels natural, comforting, and lived-in, brown has quietly taken the lead. It’s now the starting point for many of my palettes and the note I return to again and again when I want a room – or even an outfit – to feel like home.

Being from the Pacific Northwest (Oregon), brown feels like nature’s original hue. There’s something about it that calms the nervous system, at least for me. While black can feel bold and stark (and beautiful in its own right), brown room ideas are forgiving. It has softness, warmth, and range.

home office with brown walls and millwork

(Image credit: Tim Lenz/Design by Molly Kidd Studio)

In design, brown adds weight without unnecessary drama. It creates contrast without feeling cold. Whether it’s chocolate-stained furniture or a vintage walnut-framed mirror, brown brings an earthiness no other tone can replicate.

My love for brown deepened when I started working more intentionally with wood. There’s an honesty to wood – especially sustainably harvested oak – that I can’t get enough of. Not slick, shiny finishes, but raw, brushed, oiled wood that reveals its grain, ages gracefully, and grounds a room in a subtle, enduring way.

I also reach for brown in textiles: mohair, wool, linen, velvet, and florals. It reads differently in each material. A tobacco-hued velvet bench in an entryway feels moody and elegant; a café-au-lait rug in a bedroom adds understated luxury. That’s the beauty of brown – its depth isn’t just in its pigment, but in its personality.

And then there’s paint. I’m often asked which browns I use when I want a shade that’s not too muddy, orange, or gray. Farrow & Ball’s ‘browns’ section has some of my favorites: Salon Drab, Broccoli Brown, Drab, Deep Reddish Brown, Wainscot, and Tanner’s Brown. Their tones are rich without ever feeling heavy-handed, and they capture light in surprising ways throughout the day.

A good brown paint, like a well-designed room, should shift with the sun.

brown shelves in a kitchen

(Image credit: Tim Lenz/Design by Molly Kidd Studio)

If you’re hesitant to bring brown into your home, my best advice is simple: start small, but start with intention. Swap black frames for stained wood, or add a chocolate throw or pillow to your sofa.

My current palette sits somewhere between a bar of Moonstruck milk chocolate (made in Portland and forever stocked in my kitchen) and my morning espresso – deep, smooth, and layered. It’s the palette of early mornings, slow rituals, long walks, and homes that feel collected rather than decorated.

For me, brown isn’t about trends – it’s about tone. It’s emotional. It evokes places I love, people I’ve known, and spaces that feel as though they’ve always existed. Maybe that’s why I keep returning to it – not just as a designer, but as a person.

So when you see brown in my spaces, know it’s never just a color choice. It’s a feeling. A texture. A story quietly unfolding in the background. And if you’re looking for something that grounds, softens, and lingers, brown might just become your new favorite, too.

Read more about how Molly Kidd designs spaces here

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