Another Memorable AmericasMart Experience!

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!!

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Preview Verde Home Rugs by Steve McKenzie at WNWN in New York!

We’re thrilled to share that in partnership with our neighbors, Verde Home, Steve McKenzie will be launching a new rug collection, to be previewed at the upcoming “What’s New What’s Next” event at the New York Design Center!

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In addition to Steve’s fine artwork, textile collections and the steve mckenzie’s showroom, he’s now taken his design prowess to the ground level, by designing a collection of fine quality, handmade area rugs for Verde Home.

Steve’s distinctive aesthetic translates beautifully from his art and textiles to what we consider “art for the floor.” Verde Home’s philosophy of style and sustainability fits seamlessly with his stylistic attitude, an attribute apparent in the beautiful designs featured in this inaugural rug collection.

In addition to previewing his new rug collection for Verde Home, Steve will also be attending “What’s New What’s Next” as a panelist for New York Spaces “Progressive Design Panel,” in part with Grange Furniture, taking place Thursday, September 17th at 3:45PM in suite 201 at the New York Design Center.

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Other panelists include Stacy Garcia and Kimberly Lewis. Jason Kontos, Editor-in-Chief, New York Spaces, will lead the discussion.

If you’ll be attending WNWN, we hope you’ll visit Verde Home and catch a glimpse of this new collection by Steve McKenzie, and join in on his panel discussion Thursday afternoon!