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?
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.
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.
Deliciously rich aroma fills the kitchen as the cold brew steeps.
You may remember we introduced the founders of The Southern Coterie in this blog post last year, after returning from presenting at the Charleston Southern C Summit. Well, we had the opportunity to attend the most recent summit, just last month at The Cloister on Sea Island… The location alone had us swooning. Add in some top notch online personalities, business owners and all around creative entrepreneurs and we knew we were in for a treat!
The stunning solarium ceiling at The Cloister on Sea Island
The summit was absolutely jam-packed and the amount of inspiration we’re feeling = unparalleled. We were thrilled by others who are following their passion and shared a bit about their journey with us – including Gray Malin, Lizzie Fortunato, Libbie Summers, Darcy Miller and many more.
Photo Credit: Grey Owl Social for The Southern C Summit
Here are our top five takeaways from what was an unforgettable event:
Tell your story. We all have a story. Listen to another’s story. That’s what connects us as neighbors, people, shop owners, entrepreneurs, etc.
Photo Credit: Teresa Earnest Photography for The Southern C Summit
“Community over competition,” says Darcy Miller (from Martha Stewart Weddings) – value your industry relationships and be open to new ones. (Watch for some new steve mckenzie’s collaborations!)
Catching up with the founders of Dear Keaton – Photo Credit: Grey Owl Social for The Southern C Summit
Shoppers want experiences – the smells, tastes, textures, and learning opportunities they encounter all build the greater picture of what our brand means.
Photo Credit: Grey Owl Social for The Southern C Summit
Think outside the box. This may sound obvious to some of us creative types, but what’s considered “out of the box” in our industry changes often and this bears repeating.
Photo Credit: Teresa Earnest Photography for The Southern C Summit
Follow the Golden Rule. Sounds simple, right? In our everyday hustle and bustle, the golden rule may not be top of mind. But, if we can always remember to treat others as we’d like to be treated, a positive influence we will be.
Photo Credit: Teresa Earnest Photography for The Southern C Summit
We’re so honored to have been a part of this fantastic summit, along with so many inspiring individuals. We cannot wait to begin putting all our takeaways to good use, so be prepared for some pretty exciting things happening in the near future for steve mckenzie’s.
Steve’s workshop “Plan B: Reinvention” – Photo Credit: Grey Owl Social for The Southern C Summit
If you weren’t able to attend The Southern C. Summit at Sea Island, we hope our top highlights aid you in your journey. And, we highly recommend you make plans to attend the next Summit; they’re not to be missed!
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 Lovepillow collection.
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 Kennedy pillow
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.
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.
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
“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!
A LOT. That’s what! Early 2017 is shaping up to be a very busy season for our namesake, and we know Steve would love to see you out and about at the many industry events lined up in and around Atlanta in the coming weeks… So, we thought we’d give you all a little rundown of what Steve will be up to in hopes for a happy meet up with any of you!
First on the agenda is an event at AmericasMart, “Home for the Holidays: Setting the Trends in Tabletop & Seasonal Decor.” Steve is speaking alongside some topnotch industry tastemakers, including Julia Reed, Bonnie Mackay and our great friend, Annette Joseph – not to mention the presentation will be moderated by Eugenia Santiesteban Soto, Senior Style Editor of Better Homes & Gardens. This is a not-to-be-missed event is taking place THIS Thursday. And keep in mind, it’s never to early to start planning for your next spectacular holiday season!
Next up is the ADAC January Tour, “Interior Perspectives: A Tour of Palettes to Pillows with Cindy Bargainer,” in which Steve will be a featured artist in the Martin Nash showroom. As Cindy leads the tour, she’ll be introducing designer/artists in a number of showrooms where they’ll have an opportunity to share their creative process and how their artworks translate to wall coverings, textiles and the like. This event will take place on January 26th from 10am-noon and it’s sure to leave you inspired!
In the midst of these exhibits and presentations Steve is also painting a bathtub. Yes, a bathtub. The Kohler Signature Store of Atlanta, in partnership with Kallista, is holding the Circe Artist Event CEU and a raffle for a Kallista Circe freestanding tub! This tub is to be painted by our very own Steve McKenzie and proceeds from the auction and event will go to the United Way of Greater Atlanta charity! Phew – talk about the pressure. It’s on… So keep an eye out for this fine piece of art for your bathroom!!
Finally, early February brings on one of our every favorite events of the year, The Southern C Summit!! This year’s Summit is taking place on Sea Island (swoon!) and together, Steve and Jill will be presenting a seminar titled, “Plan B: Reinvention and Multiple Revenue Streams.” You may remember first learning about The Southern C when we introduced you to founders, Cheri Leavy and Whitney Long, in a Tastemaker post from this past year. Needless to say, we’re tickled to have an opportunity to participate in this year’s Summit!
Okay – so, where will we be seeing you over the next month?!? We’re looking forward to the networking, inspiration and fabulous times these events are sure to bring!
