2022 Kick Off + Southern Home Magazine

Published on December 30, 2021December 29, 2021 by steve mckenzie's1 Comment

What a way to kick off 2022! The new Southern Home magazine features an exciting McKenzie Design interior design project. For this Atlanta home, full of treasured antiques, Steve McKenzie revamped their dated look with a soothing, luxurious palette of fabrics, colors and furnishings and more. We’re thrilled that now you can soak in all the details in the Jan/Feb issue of Southern Home magazine, available on newsstands. Big thank you to photographer Emily Followill and stylist Eleanor Roper.

Updated kitchen interiors with soothing color palette for this busy family.

Southern Home magazine

Breakfast eating area marries stately Windsor chairs and pedestal table with an updated rug.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Published on November 24, 2021November 25, 2021 by steve mckenzie's1 Comment

The Homestead’s old barn made a charming rustic back drop.

Our family will actually celebrate Thanksgiving twice this year, both times hosted by our son and his wife at their charming country home. These photos are from “Shake It Up Thanksgiving” where we all tried new, adventuresome recipes that you might not be brave enough to try on traditional Thanksgiving. Lots of fun, low stress, family fun had by all!

Cocktails by the barn — Bulls eye flannel quilt made a perfect table cloth for appetizers and cocktails. Steve used his favorite Blenko pitcher as a vase for the maple leaves and hydrangeas.

Steve was inspired by the colorful foliage on the property that worked magically with Jill’s hand made quilt. Delectable focaccia, an assortment of cheeses accompanied the apple cider mimosas and martinis. We toasted our thankfulness for each other, work we love, and the sunny day.

Speaking of work, Steve had the pleasure of attending High Point Market this fall as a High Point Market authority style spotter this year. Take a look at his recap and trends here. Reach out if you’re ready to take your home to the next level.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

We’ll leave you with a close up of this stunning home-grown glass gem corn. Makes great popcorn too!

Glass Corn

Summer Wrap Up + Savings

Published on September 3, 2020September 3, 2020 by steve mckenzie'sLeave a comment

It’s been quite a summer for everyone. Steve and I did a quick mental inventory over lunch, and we have much to be thankful for. Two new grand babies, family meals, gardening, continued work and quiet fun. Little did we know that our collaboration with Creative Candles would keep our creative juices charged throughout this spring and summer. We thank them for their top quality candles in mesmerizing colors, and kindness.

There is still time to use code MCKENZIE20 to save 20% on your total Creative Candles purchase by Sept. 6th.

Steve McKenzie — Summer Collection works beautifully together

Spring kicked off with a virtual Baby Girl Shower. Keying off this darling Blabla stuffed elephant, Josephine, the Barely Blush pink and Moss Green palette developed sweetly. We shared the fun with our new mom-to-be, family and friends virtually.

baby shower, celebration — Celebrations still happen! Custom cups and napkins by Sequins and Lipstick. Photo credit: Steve McKenzie

Then we really got creative, in our two bedroom condo and outdoor space. A romantic dinner for two on the balcony featuring lush greenery, textures and desert inspired candles.

Candle lit table with green plants. Photo credit: Angie Webb Photography

Festive family dinner was next and you know Steve loves to set a gorgeous table. He’s also a fabulous cook, so it’s a win-win for all.

Brass, creamy Wedgwood Edme dishes, dreamy linens, florals and candle light set the mood.
Photo credit; Angie Webb Photography | Floral arrangement by Steve McKenzie

Thankful to be married to someone who makes me laugh. Photo credit: Angie Webb Photography

Serve yourself bar set up!
Photo credit: Angie Webb Photography

And our final summer wrap up is a self-serve cocktail bar with these vintage atomic candle holders and round bronze candles, an old-fashioned made with local Fiddler Bourbon by ASW Distillery, Schermer pecans to nosh on and bold buffalo check napkins.

Actually, this is a valuable documentation of this C-19 spring and summer. We’ll remember how and why we did so much work at home. Have you documented your experiences? Tell us what you’ve done to remember this crazy period of time. As always, thank you for traveling along with us. Cheers!

Green Plants + Home

Published on July 29, 2020July 28, 2020 by steve mckenzie's1 Comment

Anyone else adding green plants to their spaces these days? We’re fairly obsessed with house plants (a positive side effect of Covid). You know, propagating them, repotting them, trying to squeeze more of green into our condo. We’ve found lots of great information and plant ideas on Pinterest. Plants give us a sense of purpose, a sense of growth, something to care for, and add healthy benefits to our world.

Mixing sculpture, framed art, and plants makes me happy.
Photo credit: Anthony Masterson Photography

Now I need to find some cute pots for two special spider plant starts, babies from my grandmother’s plant.

Show us your plants on Instagram using the hashtag #stevemckenzies. Be well!

International Coffee Day

Published on October 1, 2019September 30, 2019 by steve mckenzie'sLeave a comment

Today we celebrate International Coffee Day, but isn’t every day a celebration of coffee? Having been a tea-only gal for years, coffee has grown on me, thanks to our three years of living in Colorado.

These days our favorite at-home method is Cafe Bustelo cold brew. How do you drink your coffee? Does it vary throughout the day?

coffee Jill McKenzie — Big swig of caffeine at The Southern C Summit in Charleston.

Actually, the orange Illy espresso machine was our first love, and still is for a satisfying espresso or special cappuccino with steamed milk. It still holds a place of honor in our kitchen as you can see in this photo. Next time you visit our design office or Steve’s art studio, let’s sit down and enjoy an espresso together.

Atlanta magazine HOME — Pops of orange in the McKenzie kitchen. Photo credit: Anthony Masterson

International Coffee Day takes into account all methods from drip brew, espresso, instant, iced and cold brew, our favorite method. If there are several coffee lovers at home, you may want to try making a batch of this smooth-tasting liquid black gold. Here’s the link to our inspiration from the Pioneer Woman blog. Be prepared as it does take some time (overnight) to brew and some time to strain it into your pitchers. But it’s so worth it! Mix with your milk of choice, add ice and maybe a swig of vanilla syrup for a special treat.

And as our talented friend, Kalyn Johnson says, Ok but first coffee. Now, go out there and slay the day!

Soothing Bedroom Retreat

Published on September 17, 2019September 16, 2019 by steve mckenzie's1 Comment

Steve McKenzie zen bedroom — Steve McKenzie designs a soothing bed for Peacock Alley

Atlanta interior designer, Steve McKenzie had the wonderful opportunity to design the bedroom of his dreams in Peacock Alley’s Designer Bed Series, a soothing retreat. Drawing from his experience in channeling clients’ needs and wants and his own, he created a calm cocoon, a get-away from the daily grind.

soothing bedroom — Cozy cocoon from the daily grind

Using his iconic loop fabric in a custom warm cafe au lait color, Steve created a cozy headboard to frame the setting. His fabrics are digitally printed, so easily customizable to work in any decor. The addition of framed artwork elevates the space and makes it personal. Remember it’s easy to change out seasonally too.

Peacock Alley offers so many choices of luxurious bedding styles, colors and fabrics. Steve had so much fun with their vast repertoire of sheets, blankets, duvets and more. White pique shams grounded the warm tones of the pillow shams, duvet cover and dust ruffle. As a special touch, a regal single monogram was added to the outside corner of the Grand Euro pique shams.

Steve McKenzie monogram — Steve created the outer corner monogram for the Grand Euro shams.

monogram pillow — Steve and his signature monogram

A layered bed with a mix of comfort, calm and sophistication

Many thanks to Peacock Alley (our go-to for quality bedding) for the Designer Bed Series collaboration. Give it some thought. What’s the bed of your dreams?

Friday | What We’re Loving

Published on September 13, 2019September 12, 2019 by steve mckenzie'sLeave a comment

On Fridays, we review the highs and lows of the week, pause to ponder, and then plan for the next few weeks.

This Friday, we are loving the buildup of excitement for the upcoming Fall Design Events at AmericasMart and ADAC, the Southeast’s most comprehensive dual-venue design resource, and Steve was tapped to highlight the collaboration between these two trade shopping destinations. Over the past month, he thoughtfully created luxurious curated vignettes at each location which will be open to the trade. AmericasMart is open from Sept. 23-25 and Discover ADAC is set for Sept. 24-26 – hope to see you there!

We love dahlias…that’s our September obsession, as you can tell from Steve’s instagram account. Thanks to the sustainably-grown flower and fruit farm, 3 Porch Farm, dahlias have graced our table for two weeks. Maybe we’ll see you at the Freedom Farmers Market on Saturday. While you’re there, pick up some fabulous heirloom tomatoes too, and then make Southern Living’s Tomato Pie recipe, a real showstopper.

Finally as we pause and look ahead, the holidays (can you say Hallmark movies) will be here before you know it. We have company coming this year and thankfully we are ready for guests anytime with our beautiful American Leather Sleeper Sofa. It really is superb because there are no bars, no springs, stylish and comfy. Find out more at Verde Home, and remember to #shoplocal.

American Leather Comfort Sleeper Sofa at Verde Home

Easy Icing for Steve’s Cake

Published on July 5, 2019 by steve mckenzie'sLeave a comment

icing Steve McKenzie — Steve McKenzie topping off the Sour Cream Cake with this easy icing!

We’re tickled at all the requests for this easy recipe, and happy to share. It will become part of your baking repertoire for sure. If you missed the Sour Cream Cake recipe, jump back to this blog post.

Add a special flavor with Jackson Morgan Southern Cream Salted Caramel

Good old Food Network and Alton Brown came to the rescue for a simple royal icing and here’s the recipe. Always looking to change things up, Steve decided to incorporate the delicious Jackson Morgan Southern Cream in Salted Caramel.

icing Jackson Morgan — Add a special ingredient to this versatile icing

icing Steve McKenzie The Preppy Stitch — Perfect for sharing with friends

Just add a few colorful touches like the Creative Candles votives, pretty Mottahadeh plates, and these darling monogrammed napkins from The Preppy Stitch, and you have a dessert party.

Let us know if you make this cake and icing, and if you use a special ingredient in the icing. Tag and follow us on Instagram and/or Facebook. Happy baking!

Did Someone Say Dessert?

Published on June 24, 2019June 24, 2019 by steve mckenzie's7 Comments

cake party dessert candles — Dessert Soiree with Paige Minear

Happy Summer! What better way to kick off summer entertaining than a simple dessert soiree? Paige Minear of The Pink Clutch Blog joined us for a homemade Sour Cream Cake, complemented with some of her favorite things, including her gorgeous collection from Creative Candles, Mottahadeh china and classic monogrammed cocktail napkins from The Preppy Stitch.

cake Steve McKenzie — Whipping up a simple icing with Jackson Morgan Southern Cream

Everyone enjoys a little dessert. For a simple icing, Steve whipped up confectioners sugar, vanilla, fresh mint and added Jackson Morgan Southern Cream in Salted Caramel for a little something special. Perfect!

dessert Steve McKenzie cake — Steve adding the final touch to his cake

cake Steve McKenzie lifestyle — Paige making ice cream with Jackson Morgan Whipped Orange Cream

dessert ice cream — Ice cream all dressed up

Wait until you try Creative candles! Honestly, we’ve used their Paris Gray candles for every occasion for years. After seeing these in person, we may change to Paige’s summer collection as it’s so cool, soothing yet vibrant.

dessert lifestyle — Paige lighting the candles, such a lovely touch~

dessert china Steve McKenzie — Sour Cream Cake with Jackson Morgan Salted Caramel icing, served on Mottahadeh plates

dessert Steve McKenzie — Summer Dessert table

Keep cool in the kitchen and enjoy a summer dessert with your family and friends. We’re happy to share our recipes and tips with you. Just send us a message!