Markey Design CO. Blog
A blog for lovers of design, family, style and art.
2023 Gift Guide | MDC
There’s an overwhelming amount of cool stuff out there, so I thought I’d gather some of our favorite gifts right now into a fun holiday gift guide. Some items are from our own home: the Monoi Age Corrective Cream is foundational to my nightly routine, and the Caraway Cookware Set is the prettiest, hardest working team in our kitchen. If you know someone who has more rhythm to their step, there’s the Madewell Ballet Flats. There’s plenty here to choose across every size budget.
Christa’s Tips for a Kitchen Renovation
Time for an updated kitchen? If your family is anything like ours, you spend a ton of time in your kitchen - preparing meals, making endless snacks for the kids, doing homework and hosting family events.
The Best BROOKHAVEN Home Decor Boutiques
My 6 favorite home decor boutiques where I know I’m going to find unique pieces to complete the look.
Bathroom Refresh: Before & After
Looking for primary bathroom inspiration? You’re in the right spot! We recently completed a major overhaul for a primary bathroom and I’m thrilled with how this project turned out.
Wallpaper Patterns for your Powder Room
Wondering how to bring some personality into your powder room? Experiment with wallpaper choices. I love using wallpaper in a powder room since it is a small, defined space.
Stay or Go? Living Through A Renovation
Home renovations are an exciting time. You’re able to put your own stamp on the home’s design and layout and make sure that it works for how your family lives. But it’s best to go into the process knowing that the middle will get messy.
How to Plan Lighting
Lighting can be one of the trickiest parts of interior design. If it’s not quite right, a spectacular space can look dingy. If the lightbulbs are wrong, it can throw the color balance out of whack. But when it’s done right, it is magical.
Little Spaces for Little Ones
Growing your family is such an exciting time in your life. There’s so many fun celebrations, baby showers and baby moons. And your to-do list feels about a mile long with researching baby gear, creating a registry, finishing up house projects, getting maternity plans arranged at work and setting up childcare.
Outdoor Space Picks
It’s summertime. In Atlanta, that means sunshine, barbecue, baseball and the occasional sunburn if you’re not careful. We’re fortunate to have mild winters so with some thoughtful planing, we’ll help you set up an outdoor space that works for the summer and well into the fall!
House Lipstick
Big news, guys! We sold our house! It’s been a roller coaster of decisions/emotions, but we finally decided to make the transition. We have a significant bond with this house as it was the house we planned and got married in and brought our baby’s home. It is filled with so many great memories with friends and family which made it so hard to let go. We also love our neighborhood and neighbors and will miss them dearly (but will be back to visit).
Quarantine Refresh Tip #3: Light Colored Curtains
I don’t know about ya’ll, but the walls in my house are starting to close in with this quarantine. Staring out of the windows, looking at nature, is about the only thing keeping me sane. We recently removed the blinds in our living room to open up the views (and also because the kiddos messed them up). Now with curtains alone, it gives us the functional aspect of providing privacy in the evenings and the decorative elements of texture and softness.
Quarantine Refresh Tip #2: Lamps
When I walk into a space, my mood immediately adjusts to the ambiance of my surroundings. The first sensory perception for me is lighting. Used correctly, lighting can be a powerful tool for setting the mood and evoking certain feelings.
Mark of Style | Summer Finds
Summer is here and along with it, some fabulous finds that are getting us through the heat! See below for a handful of my favorite summer items I’m digging.
IKEA Two-Tone Dresser Hack
With baby number two on the way, we decided to move my son out of the nursery and into his new toddler room — formerly the guest room/office. While I was excited to take on a new design project, I knew we needed to be mindful of the budget because, let’s face it, kids are expensive. I decided to go with IKEA for most of the big pieces, knowing our son will outgrow them in a few years. Plus, I’ve realized toddlers have a destructive streak. (At least mine does.)
Quarantine Refresh Tip #1: Mirrors
Let’s begin our deeper dive into Quarantine Design Refresh Tip #1 — Mirrors. While there are many options when it comes to filling your home’s wall space, mirrors are one of my favorites. With their ability to reflect light and make rooms feel larger, mirrors can work for nearly any room of your home. Yet, there are a number of things you should take into consideration when designing with mirrors.
Quarantine Design Refresh Tips
How long have we been trapped inside our homes? Too long! I have been eyeing every corner of my space and redecorating and redecorating, over and over again, mostly in my mind. I’ve been moving pieces around, trying different ways to style and organize. Basically, I just need to get out so I don’t over-obsess and dive headfirst down a design rabbit hole.
A Sophisticated & Colorful Nursery
When we found out our close friend Katie was expecting her first baby, we were just over the moon! After soaking in the exciting news, we immediately offered to help her with the design of the nursery. It was such a wonderful collaboration working with her on this project and creating a special place for her sweet little girl, Presley.
My First Signature Piece
It’s always nice to go back to the beginning-in this case, our early design inspirations. Christa got me thinking about this during a recent conversation. We were chatting about our first major design purchases, those investment pieces that set us on the path to developing our personal styles. We both have a special piece (or in Christa’s case, two pieces) which first introduced us to modern-classic design, and we thought it would be fun to share these with you.
Where It All Began
When Christa and I get together, inevitably, our conversations turn to the subject of design. Working as full time commercial interior designers you might think we talk about this all the time, but often our days are filled with technical drawings, emails, and administrative work. Although design is why we got into this business, it’s not always at the forefront of our day.