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.

Voyage Phoenix Magazine Features Mackenzie Collier Interiors

Mackenzie here! Last month, Voyage Phoenix Magazine interviewed me for a local feature, and the article is live on their site!

Make sure to check out the article here: Voyage Phoenix

I wanted to take the time to thank Voyage Phoenix for the write-up and getting to know my story and how my business has evolved over the years. Hope you guys enjoy!

Decorating For Couples: Tips for Finding Common Ground

Moving in together is a big step. As cute and romantic (and sometimes scary) this step may be, we want to suggest a few tips to help with the decorating process of it. How do you make a compromise with your significant other so they won’t hold on to that one thing you absolutely despise? How do you try and get your dream of having a velvet blue couch in the living room when they are not into it? We've all heard how the secret to a great relationship is communication, and that factor definitely plays a role when designing a new space for the two of you. Communication is key to finding the right balance and design when merging into a new space with your love.

Image: Mackenzie Collier Interiors

With Valentine's Day around the corner, we decided to dedicate this post to design tips that will help you combine styles with your boo to create a functional space that represents the both of you!There is always a common ground between even the most widely differing styles. The key is finding it before you cause a breakup...

Pinterest is your mutual bestie.

Get to pinning. Both of you create a Pinterest board and pin every design-related thing you like: your favorite bathroom designs, living room furniture, bedroom lighting, art, color palettes—anything and everything you like, pin! Get ideas flowing so you have some concrete ideas of what you do and don't like. 

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Share your ideas. 

Time to hear each other out. Compare your boards and (nicely) point out what you like and don't like from both of them. Look at the mood boards side by side; there HAVE to be common elements. Find them. (White walls? Good lighting? A certain color?) Make a list of what you have in common. Create a third mood or Pinterest board that shows only the items/qualities/features you both agree on. Maybe there's enough to go on with this? If not, expand on the things you have in common to find new ideas that are cohesive with what you both agree on. If you are creative enough, you'll find them without having to duke it out. Remember, this space has to express both of you guys—so be open! The more open you are, the fewer arguments you’ll have. 
 

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Image: James Stewart for Mackenzie Collier Interiors

Be considerate.

For all the items you don't agree on, priority should go to the person who spends the most time in a given room. For example, if the closest thing you do to cooking is putting your Postmates order on a plate, but your partner is a part-time chef at home, then you probably shouldn’t have the first pick on all kitchen decisions. Whoever spends the most time in a certain space should get a final say on decisions involving that area. That seems fair, right?
 

Image: Heather Kirchhofer for Mackenzie Collier Interiors

Need a tie breaker? 

Still can’t decide on what should be done in the dining room? Let the architecture of your space be the final judge. There are certain color schemes, furniture shapes, etc. that just suit a specific architecture type. Research your space and the architecture associated with it and look at what works best. When in doubt, ask an Interior Designer!

Sleep-Friendly Bedroom Design Trends for 2018

Image: Mackenzie Collier Interiors 

We all know how important it is to get those ZZZs. Yes, we sometimes like to contribute a lot of our focus and daily success to the mass amount of coffee we may intake—but truly it’s sleep. Getting the right amount of sleep is so important, but sometimes that may be hard to achieve when you're not in the ideal sleep environment. Obviously, we know the difference from sleeping on the couch opposed to sleeping on a Tempur-Pedic mattress; but the way in which your bedroom is designed can mean a lot. The colors in your room, the type of art, and even the height of the bed itself can influence your sleep patterns. The Tuck Sleep Foundation— an online community developed to improve one’s sleeping habits— put together a blog with a few design tips on how to get the most out of your sleep as well as correlating to the top bedroom design trends of 2018.

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Where you sleep is just as important as how you sleep. Your sleep environment can influence your sleep quality. A healthy sleep environment should be cool, dark, quiet, and comfortable, offering a restorative place to doze off easily. Some design trends are too bold and exciting, making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep comfortably. But many of 2018's new design trends take on a cooler, more minimalist and streamlined look that supports healthy sleep.

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Photo: FANTASTIC FRANK

The Right Color Scheme

• Cool colors: We're seeing a lot of light blue, gray, and yellow in design trends for 2018. Light colors, especially blue, are a great choice for bedrooms. Dark, bold colors can be too stimulating, or make your bedroom feel cavelike. A light, cool color is calming and opens up the depth of the room. Look for shades of light turquoise for an on trend look. These tones can be used on walls, bedding, curtains, accents, and more.

Photo: @oh.eight.oh.nine Instagram

Ideal Bedroom Furniture

• Minimalist headboards: Headboards can be a bold focal piece in your bedroom, but a more minimalist look can help you avoid letting a massive headboard take over the room. A bed that feels too large can make your entire room feel cluttered and stressful, so a less imposing headboard is a good choice for smaller bedrooms.

• Low profile bed frames: Similarly, bed frames are becoming more minimal. Often, bed frames don't require the use of box springs, offering a more low profile look. Beds are often set closer to the floor as well, a departure from beds set high up with tall box springs.

• Ordering mattresses online: We shop for everything online these days, and mattresses are no exception. More consumers are looking online to buy mattresses, not just find inspiration. This is a positive trend, as online mattress companies often have excellent 100-night+ guarantees, good customer service, and extensive information to help you choose the right mattress for your needs.

Photo: Decoist

The Perfect Lighting

• Hanging metal pendant lamps: Light in your bedroom is important to maintaining the right circadian rhythm, and light that shines in your eyes from above, such as a fan light or recessed lighting can confuse your brain and body at night, making you feel as if it's daytime. A better choice is lighting that is below eye level, which can be achieved with hanging pendant lamps. Hang these near your bed in a way that they don't shine directly into your eyes, but illuminate below with light that diffuses gently throughout the room.

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Photo: Mackenzie Collier Interiors

Design Styles

• Minimal, yet bold accents: An single large piece of bold art, or pops of color on an otherwise gray or monochromatic color palette can add personality while keeping your bedroom environment calm.

• Midcentury design: Clean, modern lines are making a comeback. This design is an excellent choice for your bedroom, offering a streamlined look that can reduce stress and anxiety as you're resting.

• Carefully designed mess: The boho look is in, which can be a little cluttered and stress inducing. But there's one big caveat to this trend: this mess is carefully arranged, such as stacks of books or asymmetrical lighting. With careful arrangement, you can organize your things so it's not stress inducing as you're ready to go to sleep -- but still embrace somewhat of a mess.

Myra Campbell is a researcher for the sleep science and health organization Tuck.com. Her passion for art and design brought her into the field. She began by researching how to create a relaxing bedroom and learned that great design can help improve our health and well-being. Myra lives in southern California and shares her queen-sized bed with two rescue dogs.

Phoenix Local Love

Phoenix's Finest...

We here at Mackenzie Collier Interiors are big fans of our city. The people, the businesses, the architecture, the landscape—Phoenix has got it going on. Earlier this month, we decided to dedicate one day a week to showcasing someone or something awesome in our community, and thus "Local Love Tuesday" was born! Find our features on Instagram with the hashtag #LLTuesday (like LL Cool J! Am I the only one who thinks this is funny?). Check out our latest roundup...

SlabHaus

Image: SlabHaus

Image: Dwell

Focusing on timeless design fundamentals, SlabHaus crafts one-of-a-kind concrete pieces that inspire and compliment the individuality of every client. From the boardroom to the living room, kitchen, bath, and even the bedroom, SlabHaus’ concrete artistry has the ability to transform spaces and add that element of individuality and character.

Brandon Boetto of SlabHaus is a friend and PHX local who makes killer custom concrete products that serve as functional art pieces. They are seriously cool. Check out his hand-crafted products—sinks, countertops, furniture, and more—on slabhaus.com. Instagram: @slabhaus

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Frances Vintage

Image: Frances Vintage

Image: Frances Vintage

Georganne Bryant opened Frances, affectionately named after her grandmother, in the heart of midtown Phoenix in 2006. She personally curates Frances’ revered blend of unique clothing, jewelry, paper goods and handmade gifts. Georganne is dedicated to collaborations with other local businesses to enrich the Phoenix community.

If you need a unique gift or something extra special for your home, Frances Vintage [located at Camelback and Central] is the perfect place to find it. Georganne is queen bee of badass lady-bosses, and the selection of goods she's curated is too adorable. Check out @francesvintage on Instagram!

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Adam Rabbit Jewelry

Image: Etsy

Image: Adam Rabbit

Adam Rabbit is a collection of modern jewelry inspired by love, magic, and adventure using raw crystals and minerals... The name Adam Rabbit, came from my cat and my long lost search for my favorite stuffed rabbit. He was last seen on Lake Michigan in 1996. 

Phoenix local Ashley Pasquan, creator of Adam Rabbit, makes some killer (and super affordable!) raw crystal jewelry. There are so many cute pieces, it's sometimes hard to choose which ones to get! Fortunately, she has a solution for that—the Golden Rabbit Club subscription delivers a surprise item from the store each month for three months (check her Etsy shop in June to sign up for the next round!). Instagram: @adamrabbitjewelry