Phoenix Local Love / May 9, 2017 by Mackenzie Collier

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

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

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!

Adam Rabbit Jewelry

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

Mother's Day Interior Design Giveaway! / April 23, 2017 by Mackenzie Collier

Moms rock.

We've heard so many stories of how motherhood, while wonderful, means putting others' needs before your own. Many times, moms are the last to sit down, the last to eat, the last to sleep, and the first to offer support for their family. They deserve far more than one day of celebration a year. We believe that living in a well-designed space is good for the soul—it can make home life easier, more inspiring, and generally more enjoyable for the whole family—and if anyone deserves that gift, it's Mom. That's why this Mother's Day, we're giving away a FREE in-home interior design consultation to one deserving Phoenix-area mama!

Think you know a special lady this giveaway would be perfect for? Head over to our Instagram or Facebook page, tag them in our Mother's Day Giveaway post, and tell us a bit about why you think they should win (you're going to get brownie points no matter what)! The winner will be announced May 14 (Mama's Day!), 2017.

Inside Mackenzie's Bohemian Midcentury Phoenix Home / April 15, 2017 by Mackenzie Collier

Welcome to my house!

Mackenzie here! Shannon and I recently opened our doors to Phoenix New Times for a personal tour of our newly remodeled home in Arcadia (read the feature here!). Not long after, I had some of the interior design progress photographed by the always amazing James Stewart, and now that the pictures are in, I thought I'd dive a little deeper into some of my decor choices. Your shoes can stay on, if you like...

Guitar Wall Hangers & Vintage Record Console

Bohemian Hangs

Shannon and I aren’t really “formal living room” people, so we saw this area as a place to play or listen to music, kick back with an issue of Arizona Highways and a craft beer. This is also the best spot in the house to catch a sunset. The vintage console-style record player is perfect for Sunday morning NPR and coffee. Shannon is a great guitar player and sweetly only has a few design requests, one being that her guitars are handy. Guitar wall hangers are a cool way to display prized instruments while keeping the floor clutter-free.

You'll see fun, personal touches in every room, like the wooden box labeled St. Louis Anheuser-Busch (I was born in St. Louis) and the baskets—both family pieces that I grew up with. Oh, and I bought the framed piece for Shannon as a surprise on closing day because we saw a UFO one time at the beach. Just kidding… or am I?

The Dining Room

We literally never eat here. Ever. We do walk by it 1000 times a day though and really appreciate the storage bonus of having extra cabinetry just off the kitchen. And it’s great as a spillover spot for miniature relatives who can’t cut it at the adult table. When I was working my butt off in design school, I swore I’d buy an Eero Saarinen Tulip Table with my first paycheck (I grossly overestimated how much interior designers make after graduation). I wasn’t able to afford it, but years later when I saw an original one on Craigslist for a steal, I was out in Fountain Hills buying it within the hour. I never imagined a day that I wouldn’t mind our sweet nieces coloring on it, but that day has come and gone and we all survived just fine.

On the left we have the original watercolor sketches of Shannon and my tattoos done by Austin West with a framed photograph of a canyon we found on Society6 that reminded us of our first backpacking trip together in the West Fork. The light is a vintage barn light that I picked up at Zinnias at Melrose. It was one of the very first pieces I nailed down when we were planning our remodel; everything had to revolve around it and a picture of a Golden Retriever named Aspen in a canoe on Lake Louise. I don’t know Aspen the Mountain Pup personally, I just saw him on Instagram, and he happened to be the same color as our cabinetry.

Brunch Banquette

This wall has the best view in our entire house—that’s why we wanted it to be cozy and multi-functional. I have my coffee here each morning and watch the hummingbirds play while the sun rises on Camelback Mountain. I like to take advantage of the few hours in the day where our neighbor’s children aren’t screaming. We invested in the custom banquette bench and the extra thick custom Sunbrella cushion. We saved money in other areas: the dining table was donated from a client who was getting rid of it, and the chairs were on clearance at World Market, which was awesome because I had pinned them for the house months earlier! I lucked out and found that large acrylic of Saguaro National Park at HomeGoods.

Vintage Vibes

I was lucky enough to snag this midcentury Takeshi Nii Ny Chair on Craigslist for a photo shoot and absolutely had to bring it home. Find of the century! [Fun fact: Inspired by the classic director's chair, Nii’s innovative, foldable creation was designed in 1958 and is now part of the permanent collection at MoMa.] The little bird pillow was another Zinnias at Melrose find. To add a little texture, I rounded out the seating area with the faux fur ottoman.

I’m obsessed with round mirrors—you’ll find them in pretty much all my designs. Whenever there is a great view, I like to put a mirror on the opposite wall to repeat it. Notice the royal palm reflected in it—I’m really jazzed that I have been able to keep this plant alive for more than three months. On the right, the shelves are filled with items that are meaningful to us in some way: my grandparents' wedding photo, embroidered art I found at a women’s art co-op in Mexico, family books—all mementos of things we value in life. Nothing wrong with holding on to things that bring you joy.

Built-In Reading Nook

We needed a solution to hide our TV components (they live behind the baskets), create storage, and add some seating to the space, so we had this bench and cushion custom made to match the dining banquette on the other side of the room. Textile wall hangings add a softness to the space and dampen sound, so I went that route over hanging framed art to keep it cozy. I picked up this mid-century style marble table at Target because I needed a place to set my coffee. [Do you see a theme here? All of my design decisions are based on creating places to drink coffee comfortably.]

Master Bedroom

Truth: we like camping more than living our “real lives,” so we decided to take a stab at achieving a campsite feel in the bedroom. Full moon, bonfire, sticks, camp blankets, triangular mirrors that subtly suggest mountain peaks… you get the idea. We’ve even got a fur rug in front of the fireplace because our Golden Retriever thinks he’s Barry White. The sticks are from bigger hikes we’ve done in Olympic National Park and Glacier National Park. We need a rug, but have yet to find the perfect one that is cozy, casual, and low-maintenance.

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This has truly felt like an episode of MTV Cribs. Thanks for stopping by!

Keep an eye out for our next post where we'll be announcing a sweet Mother's Day giveaway!

Mackenzie Collier Interiors Featured on Wayfair — "Wall Décor Makeovers from the Experts" / March 15, 2017 by Mackenzie Collier

Looking for design inspiration and tips on wall décor? Wayfair recently asked us to share one of our room makeovers featuring a wall decor transformation—check out our advice in their latest post on Wall Décor Makeovers from the Experts.