Who Doesn’t Love Iris?

pillow, Iris, fashion
Hand-made Iris Apfel Pillow by Huger Memories $295

Iris Apfel, fashion icon, business woman, interior designer, has inspired so many with her wit, style-sense and sharp eye. Our friend, Sarah Wiley of Huger Memories has created a fabric pillow homage to Iris, part of Sarah’s Women We Love pillow collection.

 

 

Oprah pillow
Oprah pillow

 

Huger is bringing your favorite heroines home in their new limited-edition collection. Using the same unique process to create custom memory pieces, Huger artist Sarah Gibson Wiley has hand drawn photos of the iconic women and then machine stitched the photos onto hand-cut applique to then create a 21” decorative pillow. They are all available for $295 at HugerMemories.com and at Atlanta’s steve mckenzie’s shop.

jackie_1024x1024
Jackie Kennedy pillow
gift, home, house
House Portrait – a perfect housewarming gift

Not only can you add remarkable women to your sofa, Sarah loves to create a fabric memory for her clients, be it their home or pets or family.   Working with her client, Sarah gathers photographs and makes notes during the consultation – to ensure she captures the look and feel of the concept. She draws on her computer and chooses all stitches and areas of applique. A computer generated mock up is sent to her client for design clarity and approval. Once approved, Sarah selects designer fabric for applique and cotton thread to bring color and life to the drawing. Then she stitches the design on a fabric background that will then be either sewn into a pillow,  or framed either by you or by her favorite Richmond framer.

gift, beach, family, kids
Family beach memories

Sarah, Steve and Jill hit it off at last week’s The Southern C Summit in Sea Island, so much so that you can find her work in Atlanta at our shop, steve mckenzie’s.

We are always excited about featuring talented makers who create from the heart, such amazing pieces for the home.

dog, gift, pillow, art,
Add a pillow featuring your beloved furry family member!

Preserve a special memory with one of these hand-crafted pieces.  And what a special gift!

Sarah Wiley, the artist in her Richmond studio
Sarah Wiley, the artist in her Richmond studio

“My goal is to bring clients joy by creating lasting memories in the form of a unique art form”. – Sarah Gibson Wiley

Start the journey towards your own custom Huger Memories piece at: https://www.hugermemories.com and tell them steve mckenzie’s sent you!

 

 

 

 

 

WCAF Expo Recap – Part 1: What to frame besides art…

As you may recall, late last month we hosted a team of fabulous design bloggers in Las Vegas for the West Coast Art & Frame Expo. It was a fantastic event full of amazing wall decor inspiration – we came away with so many ideas, we just had to share them here with you…

The first outstanding theme we noticed was a plethora of out-of-the-box items transformed into art, thanks to custom framing. It was amazing! And it really goes to show that if you love it, it can become art. No matter what! Here are some ideas we saw while at the show were:

custom framed map
image via ADC Fine Art

Maps! Maps are a fantastic item to custom frame – it could be a map from a trip you took, a map of a region with pins of places you’ve lived, a map of the city where you were born… So many great options that could be especially meaningful to you!

custom framed vacation
framed by Kelly Gallery Art & Frame
custom framed tickets
framed by Fastframe Bentleigh

Event memorabilia can be really fun to have custom framed! We saw so many wonderful examples, and in this category, just about anything goes. You can have a 3d souvineer framed in a shadowbox, or tickets from your favorite band’s local show, along with photos, playbills and tiny trinkets combined with photos create beautiful displays, and will become great talking points in your home.

custom framed china
designed by Affiche en Tête
IMG_4483
by Larson-Juhl

Pretty plates and china offer art options that look stunning when custom framed. Perhaps you have only one unbroken cup or saucer from your grandmother’s tea service… Have it custom framed! Love a particular china pattern, but only have a piece or two? Have them custom framed so you may enjoy them each time you pass.

custom framed antique blouse
designed by Wade Maxx Art & Framing
custom framed baby items
via Martha Stewart

Some of the sweetest custom framing examples we saw were custom framed baby clothes. And what an amazing way to bring something out into your home that means so much to you, while also acting as artwork?!? Christening gowns, wedding accessories, baby shoes, even vintage swim suits and handbags would all be absolute showstoppers when framed by a professional.

custom framed autograph
designed by The Great Frame Up – Oak Park

Autographs may seem like obvious choices when it comes to selecting things to custom frame, but pair that autograph with a photo or piece of memorabilia that has a connection to the autograph, and you have something truly memorable. Even the kid’s Disney autographs would make for fun and personal art for their spaces!

custom framed fishing lure collection
designed by Bradley’s Art & Frame

custom framed spoon collection

Dust off those boxed up collections and give them the royal treatment with a custom frame design! Simple silver spoon and fishing lure collections look like a million bucks with a beautiful layout and custom framing. Perhaps your collections have been passed down and their current method of display isn’t quite your style? Have your local custom framer create something perfect for your home and lifestyle. Even vintage antiques can look fresh and modern with the right frame design!

So – have you been properly inspired yet?!? I know we are! Now we’re just looking around to see what we can have custom framed for our clients… It’s a beautiful way to incorporate a special memory into an interior design. A win-win.

If you need help creating an interior that speaks to you – and incorporating uniquely custom framed art in to it, look no further than the steve mckenzie’s design team; we’d love to work with you to create something truly special!