Minimalist Portland Apartment Tour with Alivia Fields

MCI recently partnered with Portland-based lifestyle photographer and travel blogger Alivia Fields (@aliviafields) to help design her new PDX apartment: an eco-friendly oasis filled with light, love and avocado toast. Now we’re excited to share the reveal!

@aliviafields

Travel photographer + social influencer + environmental activist. Alivia Fields is passionate about ethical living and sustainability. Learn more about her mission to spread light + love at aliviafields.co and check out her travelogue, Never Going Home.

Minimal and sustainably minded, the space combines earthy hues, natural textiles, and modern elements to create a stylish, down-to-earth atmosphere.

Check out Alivia’s Southeast Portland apartment tour for an inside look!

Read our post on how we blended styles to create a cohesive space for Alivia and her husband Zach.

Mackenzie Collier Featured on Babes Who Hustle

"BABE #312: MACKENZIE COLLIER - Owner, Mackenzie Collier Interiors"

We are excited to share that our one and only Mackenzie Collier was featured on Babes Who Hustle, a global media platform and off-screen community created to connect and empower hardworking women across all industries and professions! Take an inside look at how Mackenzie Collier Interiors was born, and learn a bit more about how our fearless leader made her dreams come to fruition.

We’ve included a sneak peak of the interview below; check out the full article at Babes Who Hustle!

Mackenzie Collier

Eight years ago, Mackenzie graduated from design school during a time when the economy was slow and her options for quality employers was slim-to-none. Unable to find a design firm whose values and aesthetic aligned with hers, she decided to open up her own. Today, Mackenzie Collier Interiors is a full-service residential and commercial interior design studio in the heart of downtown Phoenix, AZ, specializing in sustainable, functional design. As owner and lead designer, Mackenzie employs six hustlin’ babes, and together they provide quality interior design services rooted in transparency—from their process to their pricing and beyond.

Photo By: Agnes Art & Photo

The Hustle:

Tell us about your hustle. I’m the owner and lead interior designer at Mackenzie Collier Interiors, a full-service interior design firm specializing in both commercial and residential projects. I’ve been slowly growing my business for eight years, so I’ve really done every role in my business at some point. Currently, I oversee my business development and design teams every day, while also plotting the future expansion of our newest by-the-room design service called Scheme.

What does your typical workday look like? A typical work day for me starts with 6:00 a.m. coffee, greek yogurt, a kitchen dance party and then a couple hours of quiet meditation and/or scrolling through social media, depending how zen I’m feeling that day. I try to either run or do yoga before work whenever possible. At 10:00 a.m. I head into my office in downtown Phoenix. I work on a block schedule, so each day my morning and afternoon blocks are devoted to a different aspect of my business, like team development, financial planning, marketing initiatives, design meetings, etc. On Mondays I schedule all of my tasks into the appropriate blocks and it has really increased my productivity since I quit trying to multitask. At lunch time, I love checking out all of the restaurants and coffee shops in downtown Phoenix; there are new ones popping up every day.

Photo By: James Stewart

What inspired Mackenzie Collier Interiors? I started Mackenzie Collier Interiors eight years ago, right after I graduated from design school and the economy was slow. I couldn’t find a design firm whose values and visual aesthetic aligned with mine. All the firms had overly serious aesthetics (think, burgundy tassels on very heavy drapes) and made their money through sneaky markups, hiding price tags and withholding information from clients. It just didn’t sit well with me, so I decided to try to freelance while I also worked full time as a nanny for two years. Freelancing slowly and painfully grew into a full-time business, and now I have a team of six women who hustle hard to work on some of the coolest projects on the West Coast. I think we’ve had success because we’re diligent about acting with integrity and providing transparency within our pricing and design process. Because of our highly efficient design process, we can offer quality interior design services at a price point that works well for young families and people whose lives are in transition. This year we’re expanding to Portland, Oregon, and Denver, Colorado, which is a long-time dream of mine.

What have some of your favorite projects looked like? I have really loved working on some of our adaptive reuse projects where we take a crumbling old building that’s nearly condemned and bring it back to life while honoring its character and history. The city of Phoenix has a bad habit of allowing developers to come in and knock down all of our charming old buildings to build high-rise condominiums, so I’m always so excited when we get the call to help bring an older building back to life. We’ve completed some large commercial design projects in the Warehouse District as well as on Roosevelt Row in downtown Phoenix, and I’m very proud of the results. We also love working in the many historic neighborhoods of downtown Phoenix. Architectural charm is hard to come by in the Southwest, so it’s really important to me to help preserve it whenever I get the chance.

Agnes Art & Photo

What does your approach to work-life balance look like? This has always been a huge struggle for me. I’ve been driven and achievement-focused since I was a little girl. For many years, my self-worth was tied up with my productivity and achievements rather than who I was as a person. Looking back now, I can see that life just kept serving up bigger and bigger challenges every year (serious illness, break-ups, financial setbacks) until I had no choice but to stop working 80 hours a week and come to the realization that even when I produce nothing at all, I have so many other intrinsic qualities that deem me worthy of happiness and love. Who knew?! These days, I work from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (regularly). Having an office outside my home really helps with that. Of course, occasionally I need to play catch-up on the weekend, but overall I prioritize my life outside of work: my adventures, relationships, friendships. I’m able to do that because I finally got over the fear of delegating important tasks to my team.

Career and/or life advice for other babes? If you own a business, work backwards financially. First figure out how much money your ideal lifestyle would cost (don’t forget to add taxes). Dream big. Then, divide it by the number of hours you want to work every year. If that hourly number is too high to be competitive in your industry, with your experience, then either learn to delegate nonessential tasks to someone who can work at a lower rate or go earn the credentials (or hire someone with those credentials) that could launch you to the income level you want. Don’t wait. Go for it. The only difference between people who are “successful” and people who hope to be successful is action. I like to remind myself there are successful people out there who are dumber than me, with worse ideas than me who simply got out of bed one day and went for it. 

Interior Design Blogs We Love

Picture: Jungalow

This week on the blog we decided to share a few of the places where we draw some of our inspiration from. Design trends are always changing and it is important to stay up to date on everything and anything design related. Since we can't travel constantly to get our inspiration (Sigh. One day...), we like to peruse various blogs, websites, and Instagram accounts that show space transformations and tips and tricks from all over the world. 

So, we had a mini discussion in the office and put together a list of some of our go-to blogs and websites that we think you might enjoy as well!

Apartment Therapy

Source: Apartment Therapy

It would be weird if Apartment Therapy didn't make it on the list. Design trends are changing constantly and Apartment Therapy is always informing us of new ideas, tips and tricks as well as refreshing inspiration from everywhere in the world. Also, their Instagram is a must follow for all the pretty pics!

Instagram

Refinery 29

Source: Refinery 29

Refinery 29 writes on A LOT of different things, and yes, sometimes it happens to be about home design. A lot of their home design articles tend to be about various spaces in New York, which gives a lot of inspiration on ways to make do in tiny spaces. While on their website, you may even run into a thought provoking or fun article that's super feminist and informative.

Instagram

Design*Sponge

Source: Design*Sponge

A design blog run by a girl who was declared a "Martha Stewart Living for the Millenials." We love that founder Grace Bonney doesn't just focus on the the design process but deeply shows the personality with each space. She does an amazing job at giving her readers insight into the personal stories associated with each project for her goal of curating a true, unique, and authentic space. Plus, her travel city guides and food and drink recipes are definite go-to's.

Instagram

Domino

Source: Domino Magazine

Domino magazine is a refreshing go-to website on a bunch of tips and tricks as well as getting inspiration from all over the world. We love how they keep you up to date on various interior design news as well as DIY's and cool room transformations. 

Instagram

The Jungalow

Source: The Jungalow

Our favorite and ideal boho-botanical inspired designer that we love due to how she incorporates her travel experiences and Arts and Culture degree into many of her designs. Founder Justina Blakeley is everything we love for creating a space that truly shows the personality and shares the journey of those living in the space. Bonus, she loves plants just as much as we do—or maybe even more.

Instagram

A Beautiful Mess

Source: A Beautiful Mess

Two sisters, Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman, created a lifestyle brand company built on everything they love—all while making sure to have fun. Although we love all the interior design inspiration from their blog, we also love their yummy recipes, DIY projects, and posts of them living a colorful and fun life.

Instagram

Design Milk

Source: Design Milk

Think of Design Milk as an online newspaper but just for daily stories related solely to interior design and architecture. It aims at giving you your "daily dose of vitamin D (that’s “D” for design!)" while also making sure to supply us with an endless amount of design inspiration pics—cause we can't get enough of them!

Instagram

Dwell Magazine

Source: Dwell Magazine

The perfect magazine for modern design tactics and inspiration. A lot of their articles include a look into how some spaces have a historic past or look on the outside while incorporating a modern look on the inside and still paying homage to the space.  

Instagram

Room Service by MCI: A New Interior Design Package!

Image: Joanne Encarnacion

Guys—it's here. We are so excited to announce the launch of our new, made-to-order design service: Room Service by MCI!
*Cue upbeat dance music*

Great design, made to order.

Room Service is a flat-fee package that delivers a fully developed design plan to your doorstep in under two weeks. We work together to understand your design vision, then give you all the resources needed to achieve your dream space. No matter where you are in the world, we get to know you, your personal journey, and your unique style to curate a design that is exclusive to you and functional for your everyday life. You'll get complete personalization and transparency, without the hidden expenses. 

For more information and a full break down of the Room Service Package, make sure to check out our Room Service Page!

Questions? Get in touch!

Room Service Inquiry - Blog

Photo by Joanne Encarnacion 

The first delivery.

We kicked off the service with our dear friend, fitness and lifestyle blogger Joanne Encarnacion (aka GoFitJo), and it was such a delight.

Joanne and her family just moved into a beautiful mid-century double A-frame Eichler home in the San Francisco Bay Area. They've dubbed it the Highwood Haus, and it is an absolute dream! 

We wanted to create a retreat-like atmosphere for Jo and her family that fosters inspiration and creativity and cultivates a sense of wellbeing and harmony, all while honoring the Eichler aesthetic. Most importantly, we wanted to make sure to reflect the vibrant family that inhabits the space!

Photo by Joanne Encarnacion

We had so much fun designing their amazing home and are happy to say they were completely thrilled with the results! We can't wait to see their design come to life.

To stay up to date on the design process, make sure to check out @GoFitJo on Instagram! 

Photo by Joanne Encarnacion