MCI’s “Downtown Dogtainer” Wins First Place People’s Choice in Charity Dog House Competition

The MCI crew recently took on a fun little side project designing a stylish, eco-friendly dog house to be auctioned off at this year’s Facings of America Design for Dogs fundraiser. We partnered with Structurology, a structural engineering company we work with at our co-working space The McKinley Club, to create a badass “Downtown Dogtainer,” and *drum roll* we’re excited to share our little pup palace won first place among voters!

Willo the Corgi works with us at the McKinley Club and just had to crawl inside this spacious pup palace!

Inspired by the surge of adaptable and reusable shipping containers throughout Phoenix, we designed a dog house any pooch would love to live in, and we dubbed it the Downtown Dogtainer. This dog-topia showcases a sustainable and unique concept that has been seen around the valley in unique and unexpected ways. There was also a focus on highlighting local Phoenix vendors, such as Tuft & Needle, Our Block Co., muralist Dani Hacche, woodworkers Taylor and Michael of Rhodes Creative, and steelwork by Resolute Performance Iron. This dog house pays homage to the heart and soul seen around the Phoenix community. We hope your pup can't get enough!

Design Concept by Mackenzie Collier Interiors

Local Love

We partnered with local vendors to create this downtown dog haven that represented downtown Phoenix.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Wanting to focus on sustainability, we came up with the idea for a mini shipping container, similar to the Churchill in downtown Phoenix!

About the annual Design for Dogs event:

Hosted by Facings of America since 2015, the Design for Dogs event is a custom dog house design + build competition, silent auction, and most importantly, fundraiser! This dog-centric architectural event showcases one-of-a-kind dog house creations by local architects, interior designers, builders, and industry partners. The family-friendly event has something for everyone: food, music, beer and wine tasting, local vendor booths, learning opportunities for adoption and animal advocacy, a puppy kissing booth, AND... some lucky winners go home with cool, new custom homes for their furry friends!

Thank you Facings of America for this wonderful event and all the design teams for supporting the Arizona Animal Welfare League.

Old Town Scottsdale Office Space Reveal

Leather Sofa

Photo by Roehner + Ryan

To reveal our latest design, we asked our Senior Interior Designer, Aleah Carr to answer some questions about her design process for this project. Here are her thoughts on the design challenges, inspiration and how to create a “resimercial” space for our client within a church that was built in the 1950’s!

What was the inspiration behind the design?

Inspiration for this space came directly from the state of Arizona. Our Tel-Aviv based client specifically asked for a space that had a residential vibe and felt like home. They wanted to create an environment so nice it would inspire their employees to not only respect the space but, ultimately, get them excited to come to work. We layered a lot of natural materials wood, rattan, and marble then amplified the impact with bold hues and unusual textiles throughout. We also aimed to make a big impact with found objects, vintage mid-century pieces, organic textures and design features created by local artists.

Vintage Sofa

Photo by Roehner + Ryan

What was your favorite space and why?

My favorite space definitely has to be the entry. The rope feature created by the very talented local textile artist, Taylor Crockett, makes such a huge impact before you even get the chance to see the rest of the space. The idea here was to separate the spaces in an unconventional way without obstructing the view. The bold patterns and hues of the rope feature immediately catch your eye and get you excited for what’s to come on the other side. In addition to the rope feature, we created small seating areas within the entry that truly give you a residential vibe which was the exact direction we were heading. I’m dying to have that leather chair in my own home now!

Taylor Creative

Photo by Roehner + Ryan

Leather Chair

Photo by Roehner + Ryan

What was the greatest design challenge?

The biggest challenge at hand was definitely the mixing of commercial and residential design. How do we create a space that has a residential aesthetic without sacrificing the quality and durability necessary for a successful commercial setting? We found a perfect balance between the two by finding some pieces that were commercially rated but had a residential look. We also opted for more durable fabrics like leather and performance velvet rather than going with textiles that wouldn’t stand the test of time. It was definitely difficult to curate, but I think we were successful.

Mural

Photo by Roehner + Ryan

Tete-A-Tete

Photo by Roehner + Ryan

Why did you choose to incorporate vintage pieces into this workspace?

Have you ever seen a piece of furniture and just knew it was the one? Well that’s how I feel about MOST vintage furniture and we were lucky that our client totally agreed. Not only is it a unique way to incorporate sustainability (reduce-reuse-recycle), but the quality of vintage furniture is so much better than that of newer items making it last so much longer so you can share it with the world for a long time. I hold a very special place in my heart for vintage pieces, especially after having learned so much about them in college.

Photo by Roehner + Ryan

What does the term “resimercial“ mean?

Resimercial is a totally new term in the design world. It means to blend two opposite design appoaches— commercial and residential. In my mind, resimercial design is where the two worlds meet to create workspaces that are homey and cozy but still functional and professional. It’s a more casual way to work that also increases productivity and, in the long run, gets people excited to come to work. You do spend more time at work than at home, so why not make it a space that you are thrilled to be in?

Photo by Agnes Art and Photo

Anthropologie Launches New "Weather Ready" Indoor/Outdoor Living Collection—Here's What We Love!

Source: Anthropologie

Anthropologie did it again! They launched a new line that we are over the moon about and making us want to spend all our money on outdoor furniture. Forget a vacation to Asia this summer, their new "weather ready" line makes you want to cash in your plane ticket for a whole new patio collection so you can just vacay in your backyard. The new "weather ready" outdoor furniture collection is SO cute and has so many bold pieces to transform your patio. The best thing about a lot of these pieces is that they are truly versatile and can work inside and outside. 

So, before you head to the website and start adding everything to your cart, we want to show you a few of our favorite pieces so far...

Handcarved Lotus Indoor/Outdoor Daybed

A handcarved traditional day bed that creates the perfect outdoor living room feeling.

Source: Anthropologie

Tahiti Indoor/Outdoor Hanging Chair

A hanging chair that can be posted in the backyard or in the living room for ultimate relaxation.

Source: Anthropologie 

Wrapped Rattan Indoor/Outdoor Bar Cart

You can never go wrong with a bar cart; and that goes for outside as well. Making cocktails on this bar cart is the perfect lemon wedge on top. 

Source: Anthropologie 

Palmyra Indoor/Outdoor Chair

Talk about ultimate poolside glamour while sitting in this chic chair. 

Source: Anthropologie

Bombatta Indoor/Outdoor Chair

Patio can't be complete without the perfect chairs to sit in while soaking in the sun. 

Source: Anthropologie

Sun Porch Pot

Top it off with a couple of these glazed earthenware pots since everything is better with plants.

Source: Anthropologie

We just showed you a couple of the pieces we love from the collection, but there's so much more on their website we're dying to get our hands on. Make sure to check it out and let us know which one you like best!