steve mckenzie’s Partners to Design Serenbe’s Tiny Artist Cottages

If you follow steve mckenzie’s on Facebook, you may have seen that over the past few months, Steve has been working with our friend, and fellow designer, Kerry Howard to create inspiring interiors for two brand new tiny cottages for Serenbe, slated to be used for their Artist In Residence (AIR) program.

(photo by Cody Guilfoye)
(photo by Cody Guilfoye)

With Steve being an artist himself, this project has been especially rewarding, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to share the completed design with you all! We first announced our participation in this project in this blog post, which offers a bit of background on Serenbe’s AIR program their partnership with Auburn University’s Rural Studio, where the goal of creating low-cost and inspiring living solutions began.

(photo by Cody Guilfoye)
(photo by Cody Guilfoye)

Many people had to join together to make this project a reality – after all, there were some lofty goals put in place for all involved! Not the least of which was designing the cottage interiors in a way that would inspire a plethora of artists who are fortunate enough to participate in Serenbe’s AIR program, while maintaining a realistic view of what future cottages would look like, when not given the opportunity to work with interior designers.

(photo by Cody Guilfoye)
(photo by Cody Guilfoye)

Because these cottages will work as examples for future Rural Studios dwellings, Steve and Kerry wanted to ensure their designs work to make the most of these unique dwellings. They donated their time designing and installing the interiors, while a number of vendors, including Verde Home, Selamat Designs, R. Wood Studio, Cherry Hollow Farm, Cosentino, Bosch, Workstead Design Shop, Marmoluna, TOTO, Top Shop stone, AuthenTeak, and Robert Allen, all donated products and materials to make the team’s designs come to fruition.

(photo by Cody Guilfoye)
(photo by Cody Guilfoye)

For a full look at Serenbe’s new artist cottages, check out this article from Atlanta Magazine. To learn more about Auburn University’s Rural Studio’s program and how these cottages provided a real-world example for them as the program expands, see this story on inhabitat.com. Finally, this article from Mother Nature Network beautifully highlights the cottages themselves. We’re so grateful this collaboration has been so well received and we’re honored to play a role in the project’s success!

(photo by Cody Guilfoye)
(photo by Cody Guilfoye)

If you love the artsy, eclectic feel of these cottages, and would like to bring a bit of this lovely look into your own space, please contact the steve mckenzie’s design team today!

Designers supporting artists, thanks to Serenbe’s Artist in Residence Program!

In partnership with our friends at KMH Interiors, McKenzie Design is excited to participate in Serenbe’s Artist In Residence (AIR) program by donating their time to design and install the interiors of the first two artist residence cottages. These cottages will serve as home base for two talented artists – one being designed with an eye toward painterly arts and the other with a focus on writing/composition.

AIR Serenbe 3

Steve and Marie Nygren (founders of Serenbe) have believed from the beginning art was important to the kind of sustainable community they wanted to create. Recently, a large 40+ parcel of land was acquired adjacent to Serenbe to found the Serenbe Art Farm. The Art Farm and the AIR program, conceived 7 years ago to bring artists to work and share their process and vision and work with the Serenbe community, are non-profit organizations. It is their vision to have a place where artists can live/work and find affordable housing. They have raised money via the showhouse, private donations and the art auction Steve McKenzie participated in, in conjunction with ASID, to fund the building of the first two artists cottages, with a goal of building them on a budget of only $20,000!

View of the picturesque site where the two initial artist cottages will sit.
View of the picturesque site where the two initial artist cottages will sit.

The Nygrens have joined forces with the The Rural Studio of  the University of Alabama to design the first two cottages. The Art Farm at Serenbe is the site for the first wave of 20K Houses built in collaboration with Auburn University’s award winning Rural Studio program, to be used as live-work artist cottages.

The relationship between The Art Farm at Serenbe and Auburn University’s Rural Studio is multifaceted. Serenbe’s institute for arts and culture, The Serenbe Institute, is limited in the number of artists it can bring and house each year and the collaboration with Rural Studio responds to this need. The Art Farm will be built out to house multiple artists and nurture the arts in the Atlanta region.

serenbe AIR cottage groundbreaking 2
Actual Ground Breaking at the site. Pictured from left to right: Rusty Smith, Associate Chair of the Auburn University Program of Architecture and Rural Studio Associate Director, Simon Shell, contractor who is building first cottage at Serenbe and Serenbe founder Steve Nygren.

Rural Studio is very excited about this program because these cottages will be the first two structures they have had built commercially, and not from within the program. The two cottages will serve as a place where artists can come and stay during their time in the AIR program to live and work for a period of time.

KMH Interiors and McKenzie Design are currently working to procure donations from vendors for the furnishings, as they work up their plans for the cottage interiors.

serenbe AIR cottage groundbreaking
Steve Nygren, founder of Serenbe, addresses the crowd at the groundbreaking.

Steve shares that he is “really passionate about this project because as an artist I know how important programs like this are to push your creativity and let you get away from the day to day and focus on your art. As a designer it is thrilling to create a space I know will be used by other artists.”

Original log cabin on the Serenbe AIR property.
Original log cabin on the Serenbe AIR property.

We’re excited for Steve, Kerry Howard, of KMH Interiors, The Rural Studio of  the University of Alabama program, and the Serenbe/AIR teams, to see this wonderful project come to fruition!

Please keep an eye out for future posts, here on the blog for steve mckenzie’s, detailing how these projects are progressing and hopefully, by the end of the year, what the finished cottages look like.

Art for the Farm – Art Auction Benefiting Serenbe Art Farm and ASID GA

We’ve shared a bit about Serenbe before – it’s a fabulous, progressive community connected to nature, just southwest of Atlanta. It’s the definition of picturesque… Fresh air, farm to table, timeless architecture. But, beyond all that, Serenbe hosts a fantastic organization in their Art Farm and Artist in Residence Program.

JeffersKids
An event with Serenbe’s Artists in Residence

It’s an amazing program really, making it possible for artists of all disciplines to reconnect with nature at Serenbe, and be gifted with uninterrupted time to create and be inspired. As an artist himself, Steve (and, of course Jill) is a big fan of Serenbe and the Artist in Residency Program.

View More: http://peachtreephotography.pass.us/serenbe-14
Serenbe’s “Art Walk”

As a way to enlighten more people about Serenbe’s Artist in Residence Program, and to act as a fundraiser, Steve is organizing art and artists to participate in an auction, benefiting Serenbe’s Art Farm/Artist in Residence Program, as well as ASID Georgia’s chapter office renovation project!

View More: http://peachtreephotography.pass.us/serenbeevents
The Art Farm at Serenbe

There are two events in conjunction with the art auction fundraiser – on March 12, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams will host a preview party, then the auction will take place on March 26 at ADAC… For details on the auction, click here.

eblast_Atlanta_invite_SerenbeArtFarm

The auction will feature works by:

Amy Morris
Amy Wikman
Bill Peace
Chris Little
Elayne DeLeo
Gina Christman
Jason Moattar
Joel Kelly
Julie Witzel
Kerry Howard
Linda LeTard
Lucy Aiken Johnson
Mark Williams
Matthew Quinn
Melanie Millner
Melanie Turner
Michel Boyd
Patricia McLean
Pipa Bradbury
Rita Carson Guest
Robert Grayson
Scott Kirk
Steve Mckenzie
Terri Duffy
Tish Mills
Tricia Jones

Here’s a sneak peek at a work that will be up for auction by our own Steve McKenzie…

IMG_7025

A big thank you to Brandon Hinman, Director of Serenbe’s Artist in Residence Program, who is working with Steve to make this auction a great success – and fundraiser!

Brnadon Hinman, Director of Serenbe's Artist in Residence
Brnadon Hinman, Director of Serenbe’s Artist in Residence

These events promise not only a good time, but also some fabulous organizations to support! What could be better than an evening of art, shopping and supporting some extremely deserving not-for-profit organizations?!?

We hope to see you there!