Each year, a fabulous lantern parade lights up the Atlanta skyline in preparation of the Art on the Atlanta Beltline event… And this year, steve mckenzie’s is excited to participate by hosting a Lantern Creative session!
Join us Saturday, August 29th at the steve mckenzie’s showroom to decorate a paper lantern for the Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade, taking place September 12th.
Xavier Neuner, our resident paper & party expert will guide you through the lantern creation process.
Xavier Neuner
You’ll get a paper lantern, a battery operated light to hang inside the lantern, a rod for hanging your lantern, and decorating supplies.
When you leave, you’ll be ready to participate in the parade!
It’s an evening unlike any other, with a true sense of magic humming through the city.
We hope to see you soon, ready to make your own paper lantern and look forward to walking the parade route with you and your fantastic creation! Click here for lantern creative session tickets – they’re going quickly!
Please contact the steve mckenzie’s team with any questions about this fun event.
A vintage Christmas postcard is given a new life in a new frame Score! Keep your eyes open for that perfect gift while thrifting. Flea market finds~rulers, classic bust, gold frame~incorporated on Steve’s desk Thrifting score! Updated these chairs with new fabric and finish.
Don’t know where to go? Besides Scott’s Antique Market, check out this listing of Atlanta’s best flea markets on Yelp. Another treasure trove are the Goodwill stores. Keep your eyes open for neighborhood garage sales and estate sales. *Bonus Tip* Sundays are usually 1/2 price day at estate sales.
Show us what you find on Instagram or Facebook with the tag #stevemckenziesfinds and go have FUN! As always, thank you in advance for the follows, likes and sharing this blog post with your friends.
It’s Halloween and you know what that means – time for tricks and treats! We love any holiday, as it offers a fabulous to celebrate with friends and family, and Halloween is no different.
Enjoy seeing all of the little kids in their costumes, pass out candy and just live in the moment. That’s what we’ll be doing here…
So, happy Halloween to one and all. Be safe and offer more treats than tricks :-))
Several folks have asked how we came up with our Summer Collection x Creative Candles. We’re happy to share our thought process and hope you enjoy the tour. It all starts with flowers, of course, playing off the colors we most often use in our home. You know how much Steve loves floral design (I’ll brag, he’s won a national award), hence summer floral is our launching spot for our Summer Collection.
Summer Collection floral by Steve McKenzie using Trader Joe’s flowers. This wallpaper by artist
Walter Knabe offers a timeless background for every season. Variety of heights, shapes, and colors with a consistent brass candle holder adds interest to a sideboard.
Art and floral by Steve McKenzie | all photography by Angie Webb Photographer
Our personal home colors are gray, orange, greens and golds, on the softer side. Creative Candles has such a wide variety of artisan colors, it made it easy to gather a gorgeous grouping for summer. While Paris Gray was our year-round favorite in our suburban home, this Summer Collection branched out to embrace Barely Blush, Terra Cotta, Maize, Moss Green, Wedgwood and Roman Bronze. These luxurious, hand-dipped candles come in a variety of lengths and shapes too.
McKenzie Design Summer Collection works beautifully together
Desert colors, warm summer colors and sunsets also inspired the collection. Look at how the Terra Cotta, Barely Blush and Maize candles play off each other like a summer sunset. Dear Keaton baskets gave this alfresco table some texture and a cute vessel for the kalanchoe flowers. Those extra long tapers added a fun flair to the background monstera plants.
Table for two on our 25th floor balcony McKenzie Design duo Steve and Jill McKenzie x Creative Candles
As lifelong learners, be bold and add some new colors to your table settings, coffee table and patio with candles, pillows and plants. Feel free to contact McKenzie Design with any questions and/or design needs. Be well and have fun!
Each year, a fabulous lantern parade lights up the Atlanta skyline in preparation of the Art on the Atlanta Beltline event… And this year, steve mckenzie’s is excited to participate by hosting a Lantern Creative session!
Join us Saturday, August 29th at the steve mckenzie’s showroom to decorate a paper lantern for the Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade, taking place September 12th.
Xavier Neuner, our resident paper & party expert will guide you through the lantern creation process.
Xavier Neuner
You’ll get a paper lantern, a battery operated light to hang inside the lantern, a rod for hanging your lantern, and decorating supplies.
When you leave, you’ll be ready to participate in the parade!
It’s an evening unlike any other, with a true sense of magic humming through the city.
We hope to see you soon, ready to make your own paper lantern and look forward to walking the parade route with you and your fantastic creation! Click here for lantern creative session tickets – they’re going quickly!
Please contact the steve mckenzie’s team with any questions about this fun event.
That was the question posed to our very own Steve McKenzie by the wonderful team at Steelyard Access, when they approached him about e-designing a room fit for the President of the United States for their e-magazine, FOCUS…
Those of you close to Steve may have heard him share his “dream project” – designing a set of Presidential china. So, this fun challenge caused some immediate ear perks. And when he learned his room to makeover was the Presidential Library, he was in!
The White House China Room
Here’s a bit about Steve’s concept for the design:
Designing for the next President’s innermost sanctum, left me appealing to the desire for a personal space that truly reflects taste and inspiration. The President, a modernist at heart, needs a private place to escape and think, read and simply be… uninterrupted. A love of mid-century was the springing-off point for clean lines and a warm palette. Not encumbered by the need to reflect the Federal traditional style seen throughout much of the White House, we focused on using elements that the President alone will use and enjoy thoroughly.
Some of the items included in this space fit for our country’s leader are a sumptuous sofa from The Eleanor Rigby Company, stunning shelves by French Heritage, a sculptural lamp from Theodore Alexander, a steve mckenzie’s rug design by Verde Home and a Perry Luxe console.
We were in some fantastic company in this FOCUS e-magazine makeover feature – so be sure to check out all of the amazing spaces by Gary Inman, Eric Haydel, Ashlina Kaposta, NAR Design Group, Joy Moyler and Steelyard’s Steven Avitable.
We’re so grateful to have been included in this fun spread and hope it inspires you to go a little presidential with the interior design of your home! If you’d like help with designing a space you’ll love, reach out to the McKenzie Design team today.
Here in the steve mckenzie’s showroom, we’re currently in the midst of a fantastic art show, featuring Mississippi artist, Kristen Ley of Thimblepress! If you aren’t already following Kristen’s work and dynamic personality on social media, you should be. She’s a gal to keep an eye on for sure, and we feel so lucky to be able to showcase her art in store throughout the month of June. During the rest of the year, we typically have a wonderful selection of Kristen’s handmade, letterpress note cards, which are not only beautiful, but too cute and cheeky!
Kristen Ley
Kristen is such a creative, and fun-loving individual, we thought you’d enjoy getting to know her a little better. She graciously agreed to participate in this “Who you NEED to meet” feature, and we’re so excited to share a bit more about Kristen and her work with Thumblepress with you here…
sm’s: Can you please share a bit about your background/how you started Thimblepress and how you gained the courage to break out on your own?
K: I majored in graphic design in college and had a marketing and branding firm for 5 years with a friend of mine in Charleston, SC. I moved back to Jackson, MS in our fourth year of business and opened an office. We both ended up getting offered full time jobs that we could not turn down and at the time in the market, having an 8-5 job started to look shiny and nice. I worked at the high school I graduated from, Jackson Academy, for 2 years doing marketing, branding, and advertising work for the school. In those two years I purchased my first letterpress and began to learn and obsess over the craft after getting off work everyday. My first Thimblepress office was half of a garage I shared with my roommate at the time and my bedroom. Printing where there was no central air or heat was interesting during the extreme seasons; from printing in barely nothing during the summer to ski gear in the winter. I learned a lot in that garage, about myself and what I wanted Thimblepress to be. My job was super supportive of my Thimblepress pursuits. I traveled for craft shows all over (i.e. Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, South Carolina, Nashville, Jackson). I really started to fall in love with printing, and the idea of making things I love; things I poured my soul into for a living. Even with a full time job, I was able to attend my first wholesale show in Chicago, and then the National Stationery Show in May of 2013. After the stationery show in NYC it was very clear where God wanted me to be. I prayed a lot about starting another business full time. I questioned it and wondered if that is where God wanted me to be. I had my mom and aunt as my little prayer team trying to see what God wanted me to do. I began asking him to slam doors shut and blow them open. Boy has he blown doors open. In June of 2013 I was able to confidently leave my full time job and go at it with Thimblepress full time. God honestly gave me that courage to take that huge leap of faith. Without Him, none of this would be possible.
sm’s: What inspires you/your designs?
K: I am constantly inspired by the colors, seasons, and places around me. Right now, I am really inspired by color and lots of it. I have always had a love of bright colors, but ever since I have been making the confetti Push-pop’s and staring at buckets of color, I have found myself painting with lots of beautiful colors all intertwining. I am also inspired by travel and getting out of my comfort zone. When you make yourself a little uncomfortable you tend to grow as a person, and ultimately as a creative individual.
sm’s: What your vision is, not only for Thimblepress, but also the individual pieces you craft?
K: I want to create work that makes people happy. I want to create work that inspires others to chase their dream. It still makes me so happy and honestly gives me chills anytime anyone buys even the smallest thing I make. Everything I create is hand-painted, hand-drawn or hand-made. There is so much soul and love that goes into every piece we make, so when someone wants to send a card to someone that they love so dearly and do it with one of my cards… that moment is special for me. My vision is a day to day vision. I try not to get so wrapped up in the future. Yes, there are things we plan for, things we create and have in waiting to get produced, but I am letting God steer this ship. Ultimately Thimblepress is about happiness, memories, family and color.
sm’s: What do you see as mainstays in your collection?
K: I think our State Flower collection is something that will stand the test of time. It is classic, unique and something I really poured my soul into.
sm’s: What are the differences in your collections – i.e. how do you create such unique designs that still work together under the Thimblepress brand?
K: I love to make things. I have always loved lots of different things. I have lots of different friends all with different personalities, walks of life, looks, and ages. A lot of people see our work and note that there is a lot of range in terms of the looks in Thimblepress, and to me that is just a reflection of me as a person. I am a very eclectic person and feel like I have different periods of creation when I’m inspired by different colors, mediums, styles, etc. I am sure I could be a little more cohesive and make things go together a bit more, but that is just not me. I am a million puzzle pieces that don’t fit together, and that is okay with me. In essence, its kind of like confetti, which we all know I love.
– What’s on the horizon for Thimblepress?
K: Hopefully to stay in business. ha! Seriously though, I have the best team ever. I am thrilled to see how our team will grow in the next year and if we have to expand and get more space.
We are hoping to create more home goods and accessories. We started searching for manufacturers in the USA to help manufacturer some of our ideas about a year ago, so we are continuing that journey. I am excited to show what we have done!
sm’s: As an artist/business person how do you recharge?
K: I love to travel and experience new cultures, people and food. The great thing about what I do is that it allows me to travel a good bit, and if my pup Willow get’s to make the journey, well that just sweetens the deal. When I am at home and have pulled all nighters, I love to paint, watch netflix or just nap in the sun. I’m pretty simple. 🙂
We just love Kristen and all of her Thimblepress designs, and we think you’ll be just as excited about her original artwork as well! Be sure to come into the steve mckenzie’s showroom and check out her beautiful and vibrant artwork that’s on display now.
And thank you so much to Kristen for sharing a bit about herself and her journey to creating fabulous handmade goodies with Thimblepress!
Local folks can visit our showroom to pick out what to spend their gift card on, or the winner can elect to spend their winnings on anything in our online shop. And there’s so much fun stuff to choose from right now!
So, hop on over to Thou Swell and enter for a chance to win! We can’t wait to learn who the lucky recipient of the $200 gift card is…
And thank you to Kevin and Thou Swell for hosting the giveaway – we appreciate your support!
Entry to Thomasville Antiques Show by Steve McKenzie Exploring downtown on our weekend trip to Thomasville Stately architecture of this magnificent Georgia Belle Jill and Steve McKenzie outside Pebble Hill Plantation
Then we strolled along the bustling downtown sidewalks. We had to explore this amazing taxidermy shop, of course.
Who can resist the taxidermy store?
Be sure to allow lots of shopping time, and don’t miss Firefly. It’s a magical place full of gifts for all ages, things you won’t see everywhere. Nan Myers is the mastermind of the magic, a talented event planner too. And there’s a local book store, toy store, clothing boutiques, and top it off with a chili dog from Billiard Academy’s walk up window.
https://www.cowtan.comSteve adding the final floral touches with simple magnolia branches.
Don’t you love that skirted table? Cowtan & Tout fabrics are a perennial design favorite of Steve’s. Easy way to update a hallway or side table too.
What cities and towns are on your weekend getaway list?
To us here at steve mckenzie’s, Monderisim is represented by the architecture and furniture design following World War II. It began as a response to the rapid advances in technology and how we could live using these new materials and manufacturing techniques.
Ville Savoye by Le Corbusier
Modernism was founded in Architects such as Le Corbusier, a French-Swiss architect who designed iconic buildings like Ville Savoye. Le Corbusier sought to create structures and furniture that responded to the crowding of urban cities. His lines are both graceful, yet paired down and facilitate a tranquil living amongst the chaos of the city.
Corbu LC04 Chaise Lounge
Steve and Jill consider themselves lucky to live with the Corbu LC04 Chaise Lounge, in hide, by Le Corbusier – it’s a showstopper!
Another modernist who really inspires Steve is Alvar Alto. He was a true renaissance man with accomplishments in architecture, design, textiles and glassware. His lines are timeless and their function is unparalleled.
Alvar Alto’s Savoy Vase
Alto’s Savoy Vase in White glass for iittala is a go to wedding present for us; it’s beautiful on any table with just about any floral arrangement. Steve and Jill’s favorite is gardenia floating in their grey glass Savoy Vase.
Arne Jacobsen’s iconic Egg Chair
Arne Jacobsen one of the founders of the Danish modern movement; again, a man of many disciplines of design. His architecture and furniture have become the icons of the modern movement. Steve would put an egg chair in every interior if he could. To him, it is the icon of the modern movement. Steve and Jill also live with an egg chair in a black boucle; always a popular seat at cocktail parties!
Ray and Charles Eames
Ray and Charles Eames come to mind next. A duo of unparalleled creativity, they really shaped how the United States moved into the modern world. From logos and art experiences, to furniture, architecture, and textiles. They really defined what modern means to the US.
Herman DCW Moulded Plywood Chair
If you have not seen it, watch the documentary on their lives, “Charles and Ray Eames: The Architect and Painter.” They were an amazing force of influence. Steve and Jill live with their Herman DCW Moulded Plywood Chair in Walnut for Herman Miller – can you tell we have a thing for classic chairs here?!?
These are but of few of the modernists that inspire Steve and our work here at steve mckenzie’s. For us, to create spaces with interest and comfort, it is important to have several styles and periods represented. One of the best ways to bring in that feel is the juxtaposition of a modern chair or sideboard with Louis IV side chairs, etc. We’ve shared our love for the Danish Modern Furniture movement before, and are continuously drawn to the clean lines, honest woods and timeless style that truly represents what Modern means to us.
Xavier Neuner
A vintage Christmas postcard is given a new life in a new frame 
Score! Keep your eyes open for that perfect gift while thrifting. 
Flea market finds~rulers, classic bust, gold frame~incorporated on Steve’s desk 
Thrifting score! Updated these chairs with new fabric and finish.
Summer Collection floral by Steve McKenzie using Trader Joe’s flowers. This wallpaper by artist
Variety of heights, shapes, and colors with a consistent brass candle holder adds interest to a sideboard.
McKenzie Design Summer Collection works beautifully together
Table for two on our 25th floor balcony 
McKenzie Design duo Steve and Jill McKenzie x Creative Candles
The White House China Room
Kristen Ley
Entry to Thomasville Antiques Show by Steve McKenzie 
Exploring downtown on our weekend trip to Thomasville 
Stately architecture of this magnificent Georgia Belle 
Jill and Steve McKenzie outside Pebble Hill Plantation
Who can resist the taxidermy store?
https://www.cowtan.comSteve adding the final floral touches with simple magnolia branches.
Ville Savoye by Le Corbusier
Corbu LC04 Chaise Lounge
Alvar Alto’s Savoy Vase
Arne Jacobsen’s iconic Egg Chair
Ray and Charles Eames
Herman DCW Moulded Plywood Chair