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A Tropical Transformation: McKenzie Design’s 2017 Historic Macon Showhouse Dining Room

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Our space in this year’s Design, Wine & Dine Showhouse, supporting the Historic Macon Foundation is finally complete! While we’re delighted with the way the dining room by McKenzie Design turned out, we’re even more thrilled to have been in the company of such talented designers from throughout Middle-Georgia, including Lisa Bellwin, Tracy Benton, Sally Draughon, Valerie Garrett, Judy Hodgens, Terry Holland, Carolyn Reichert, Carrie Robinson and Katherine Walden.

Most recently, our design team has been inspired by the all the lush, tropical motifs, which seem to be popping up everywhere! While we wanted to ensure we respected the history of the fantastic Porter House – moved to Weslyan University‘s campus – we also wanted to present our take with an updated sense of tradition. We’re so pleased with the results of our design plan, and are lucky to have had the opportunity to partner with some truly terrific manufacturers and artisans to help us realize our space…

We fell in love with Sherwin Williams’ “Iverness” and opted to use this luxurious hue throughout the dining room. The brass Pagoda light fixture by Currey & Company was a true jewel in the space! The cerused oak dining table, from Grange Furniture, was an ideal backdrop for our tablescape.

We had a ball with all of the fabulous Thibaut Design textiles used in the dining room – the “Tropical Fantasy” design from their Biscayne collection was the jumping off point and we went from there. Drape 98 provided all drapery fabrication for our space. As evidenced by the McKenzie Design showhouse dining space, we fell in love with the tropical, yet classic, design of our primary textile, featuring large leaves, colorful ginger jars and exotic animals.

The lush texture of the Moss colored velvet, paired with Selamat’s Sheridan wingback chair offered a smart juxtaposition of textures, and offers a natural element. These dramatic chairs, act as the “head” of our dining table, while the Sika Rossini chairs, act as the side chairs. Our showhouse dining space is anchored with a stunning, hand-knotted rug by Laura Walker for Verde Home.

This beautiful settee is by Bjork Studio, who provided all our upholstery. The settee, in bold animal print (Amur from the Menagerie Collection by Thibaut) is a highlight in the space and was the most talked about piece opening night – by far.

The hand finished mirror situated above the fireplace cannot go unnoticed. It’s by artist Stacy Milburn, and added needed contemporary element, which offers an exciting energy.

To set the table, we paired pieces from the new Jardins Extraordinaire collection by Gien with the classic handmade Chartreuse dinner plate by R Wood Studios. The exciting and fresh “Pebble in Blush” napkin, hand printed in India, by Collier Rose Ink, completes a memorable place setting.

Recently, we acquired six vintage pieces of glass from an old Midwest factory that still had the papers attached. Framed in these stunning steel frames, they make for an interesting, contemporary addition to the space, yet share a storied past. We love using pieces with a bit of history in our designs!

This glimpse of our showhouse tabletop is one of our favorite moments. We dubbed this little guy “Otis,” after Otis Redding, who was from Macon. He is by Avala International. In the background is the beautiful oyster vase, by Vine Garden Market, and a crystal votive from Harmonious Living by Tish Mills.

We hope you have enjoyed this little tour of our showhouse dining room! If you’d like to learn more about any of the products used, please plan a visit to our showroom or reach out via e-mail or phone.

We urge you to plan a trip to Macon to visit the showroom – the house, as well as all related Design, Wine & Dine events are absolutely worth the short drive! Please reach out to us for restaurant recommendations and be prepared to be inspired by this historic city. Visit the Macon, GA website for other fun excursions to enjoy while there. But, keep in mind, the showhouse will only be open through the 25th – you can see more details here.

Thanks again for joining us on this tour – please let us know your thoughts!

All photos in this post are courtesy of Marc Mauldin Photography except the photo of the Porter House from Historic Macon Foundation

Join us as we Design, Wine & Dine in Macon!

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Once again, we’re proud to have an opportunity to participate in the Design, Wine & Dine, supporting historic Macon, Georgia! In addition to the many exciting experiences taking place June 15-25, a feature will be the designer showhouse; in which, a dining room by McKenzie Design will be a highlight!

This year’s home is truly special – it’s the Porter House on Wesleyan College’s campus. Historic Macon worked with Wesleyan College to move the Porter House from its original location in South Macon when it was donated to the college in 2013. The house has elements of the Tudor Revival and Chateauesque styles. Wesleyan has retained many of the house’s features, including the original ceramic tile roof, wooden floors, built-in cabinets, casement windows, and intricate wormy chestnut woodwork.

The Porter House was built in 1928 for James Hyde Porter and his family as a summer retreat. The house was designed by architects W. Elliot Dunwody and William F. Oliphant. The Porter family donated the house to Wesleyan College, the first women’s college in the United States, in 2013. After moving the structure from its original location in South Macon to its campus, Wesleyan College completed an extensive restoration of the house with help from Dunwody Beeland Architects.

Now Steve, alongside a slew of talented, local designers, will revitalize the interior of this fantastic home, thanks to some high design. Steve’s space, partially seen in the above image, is a fantastic, blank palette of a dining space, which will be transformed into something spectacular!

Here’s a glimpse of what’s to come in the Porter House dining room – a quick, behind-the-scenes shot taken during install.  


And a little sneak peek of the tablescape being designed for the showhouse… Just dreamy!

Check back soon to see the big reveal, and be sure to plan a visit to Macon soon to enjoy all their Design, Wine & Dine events have to offer!

Have a very stylish Earth Day!

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Living a “green” lifestyle doesn’t have to be obvious and in-your-face… You can enjoy a more Earth-friendly lifestyle in a very stylish way – take it from us! Here are a couple quick tips and products we think are very stylish, and that also happen to be Earth friendly:

Correspond in Green

We’re not talking green ink, but rather use eco-friendly paper products, such as this collection we’re currently offering in the steve mckenzie’s showroom that’s made in Nepal from sustainable materials. It’s a beautiful and stylish as it is “green!”

Stay True to Textiles

A selection of some of the fabric napkins available at the steve mckenzie’s showroom.

We’ve shared this tip before, and we’ll surely share it again, as it’s one of our favorite tips, but use fabric napkins in place of paper!! This creates less waste and offers a more stylish place setting (no matter if it’s the dining room table, or cuddled next to a loved one on the sofa).

Neutral cloth napkin selection at steve mckenzie’s.

Make your use of cloth napkins even more eco-friendly by opting not to wash after every use – typically adults, and even older children, won’t soil their napkin after every use. Save on the water and energy used to clean the cloths by washing only when necessary. After each meal, ask family members to simply leave their cloth napkins in their seat, that way, when setting the table for the next meal, they’ll use “their” same napkin again.

Colorful cloth napkins at steve mckenzie’s.

When your cloth napkins have become soiled, toss them in the wash with your other laundry, so you don’t devote an entire load (and the resources) to only cleansing cloth napkins. Use eco-friendly detergent, wash in cold water, and when the weather’s nice, line dry. Nothing’s better than linens dried in the sun on a warm day!

Are you inspired to become more “green” on this Earth Day?! We sure hope so! We hope you all enjoy a lovely Earth Day, today and everyday!!

WIN $200 to spend at steve mckenzie’s!

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Thank you to Kevin O’Gara of Thou Swell for hosting a fantastic giveaway on his blog, where on reader will win a $200 gift card to steve mckenzie’s!!

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(WISHBONE, GOLD PILLOW, BOWL, PLATE, GOBLET, CANDELABRA, JAR, CLOCK, PILLOW,MIRROR, VASE, WIRE BOWL)

Local folks can visit our showroom to pick out what to spend their gift card on, or the winner can elect to spend their winnings on anything in our online shop. And there’s so much fun stuff to choose from right now!

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So, hop on over to Thou Swell and enter for a chance to win! We can’t wait to learn who the lucky recipient of the $200 gift card is…

And thank you to Kevin and Thou Swell for hosting the giveaway – we appreciate your support!

Another Memorable AmericasMart Experience!

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This past weekend at AmericasMart was such a whirlwind for us! We were so honored to be selected to participate in their exciting “Retail Meets Design” vignette exhibition, which highlighted the talents of a fantastic group of retailers who are also designers, or vice versa. We were simply blown away by everyone’s creativity!

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Steve took this opportunity to add a little glam into his designs and we couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome! In addition, just about everything was sourced from within AmericasMart, and the items he didn’t find there are all available through steve mckenzie’s.

The vignette Steve designed for McKenzie Design was centered around a banquette table and chair arrangement, with the focal point being that amazing hammered metal pedestal table from Bliss Studio.

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As you’ve probably deduced by now, tablescapes are a specialty of ours here at steve mckenzie’s and Steve’s tabletop design for his vignette certainly portrayed his appreciation for fine wares. Here’s a rundown of Steve’s sources for his tablescape:

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The bar cart, found via Golden Oldies Antiques, was actually an old Viennese pastry cart, which was repurposed, and it acted as the perfect end cap for the banquet – sourced through Lee Industries. The bottom of the bar cart featured a glass cabinet, which was filled with antique brass camel bells. The shield back chairs were found at Aidan Gray, and the nailhead trim on the chairs worked beautifully with the detailing on the banquette seating!

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The console table space was perhaps our favorite moment within the vignette. That table, also sourced through Bliss Studio, is a true work of art, and the bejeweled Buddha perched atop it is as well. After all, it was crafted by THE Eric Cortina. And the floral on the console is by Diane James.

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The lighting above the table and the sconces above the console are all from Currey & Co., each of those pieces added some needed modernity. The vertical artwork was sourced from Wendover Art Group and the horizontal piece is from Art & Frame Source.

You may recognize the wall covering, as it’s based off of Steve’s art and textile design, was transferred to grass cloth and transformed in to wallpaper. It is so exciting to see the loop art used in this way!

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The banquette pillows offered their own touch of glitz and glam and were found via D.V. Kap.

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And that etagere, which added the perfect amount of style and storage was found via Gabby, as were all of those stunning accessories used to style it.

The rug also deserves a mention all its own… The luxuriously soft and beautiful floor covering Jaipur Living, and it was a showstopper!

We also have to share a little shout out to all of the other amazing retailer/designers who designed some brilliant spaces for the “Retail Meets Design” vignettes:

– Kristin Alber of FOUND

– Nina Nash and Jared Hughes of Matthews Furniture + Design

– Susan Victor and John Ishmael of Natina Home & Design

– Rozanne Jackson of The Iron Gate

– Ann Huff, Meg Harrington and Sam Jones of Huff Harrington Home

– Paige Schnell, Beth Nash and Anna Kay Porch of Tracery Interiors

In addition to designing the exhibition vignette, Steve was also invited to speak on a panel about the retail and design business and how to bridge the gap between them, as well as promoting the dual businesses. Kristin Alber of FOUND, moderated the panel and was such a delight to get to know during AmericasMart!

While AmericasMart can be a crazy time, and this year was no exception, it’s always a phenomenal source of inspiration and  a wonderful time to meet and greet with all of our industry friends. And we’re so appreciative of all the praise the vignette exhibit has been garnering on social media – just check out #retailmeetsdesign to get an idea of all the excitement!

Here’s to AmericasMart 2017!!