24 Jul Ones to Watch: Marc Taggart

At Marc Taggart and Company, Thomas Molesworth furniture is a family tradition — literally. Back in the 1930s in Cody, Wyoming, Taggart’s grandparents were Molesworth’s first customers. Taggart’s father was one of Molesworth’s close friends, and Taggart grew up amongst the designer’s one-of-a-kind cowboy chic pieces. 

Today, Taggart’s team specializes in original Molesworth restoration and appraisals, and custom furniture designs and accessories in the Molesworth tradition. Rather than slavishly copying the design legend’s Chimayo-upholstered club chairs, applied-pole and routed-wood bedroom sets, and burled coffee tables, Taggart has built on the tradition, carrying on where Molesworth left off, and delicately straddling the line between vintage and contemporary. Taggart works closely with homeowners and designers on every project. “I collaborate with everyone: the upholstery shop, the woodworking shop, the artists who do our designs,” he says. “But I work more with the end client than anyone else. I help them as much as they want.” This means that most of the pieces coming out of his shop are one-of-a-kind, with variations in leathers, finishes, thread colors in weavings, Indian ledger paintings and unique burls.

Accolades have been numerous. Taggart’s work has been prominently featured in articles and books, and Molesworth collectors have him on speed dial for appraisals, restoration work and advice. Last year, True West Magazine’s Best of the West Sourcebook named Taggart ‘Best Living Western Home Furnishings Designer’, while his spectacular North American Wildlife Hutch, designed for a client in Jackson Hole, was named ‘Most Historic Piece’ at the 2010 Western Design Conference. 

Taggart tips his cowboy hat to the design genius of Thomas Molesworth, who had a truly original and lasting vision. But the design limitations of the era mean that there’s been plenty of room for enhancement and innovation — which Taggart has enjoyed exploring fully. “As far as comfort goes, and the way it looks,” says the craftsman, “we feel like we’ve taken Molesworth to a new level.”