It's hard to say where my love affair with design began. Was it at age 5, insisting my mom paint my room an exact shade of light pink? Or in junior high when I decided that my space should be all pastel in shades of robins egg, chartreuse and lavender? Or in college when I devoured each Rachel Ashwell book with more eagerness than the last?
I don't know exactly where my love came from and when it began, but I do know when I decided that I would make it my life's work. I was a 24 year old real estate broker. I felt so seasoned at the time---a sign that you probably have no idea what you're doing. It's my observation that it's only experience that brings you actual humility. Probably why the young are (at least according to Taylor Swift) reckless. Brokerage was never really for me. I loved to hear people's stories---that made me good at sales, but walking around dusty warehouses in 4 inch heels was not my cup of tea--even though it made me feel like a badass. At night I would go home and delve into everything I could find about interiors. Blogs, magazines, design books. I was voracious for information about what was then, merely a hobby.
After about a year, I decided that I would try to pursue this hobby as a career. I wanted to be a decorator, but I wasn't quite sure how to get there. So I googled the Dallas Design District, made 40 copies of my resume and walked around one rainy afternoon. Pretty soon, a well known designer in Dallas called me and offered me a job. It was there that my previous flirtation with antiques became a full on love affair. I learned about the history of furniture, what a really beautiful finish looks like, how a simple fabric can transform an ugly duckling, and how one good piece can transform a room from ordinary to breathtaking. On the PR Side, I was actually using my degree. Becoming starstruck every time I spoke to an editor or a writer whose article I'd poured over the month before. I became well acquainted with my inner interior design geek. Meeting the owner of a well known wallpaper company was to me, like getting to meet George Clooney. After a couple years, I had decided that this was in fact what I really wanted to do. I took a job with a wonderful Fort Worth designer, who showed me what the day in and day out life of a designer is, how to mix patterns and spot beautiful rose medallion or a one of a kind chinoiserie piece.
I started helping friends on the side. Those friends introduced me to their friends. Then those friends put me in touch their friends. About six months ago I thought, Oh my god, I could really really do this. Like, For REAL.
And so, Today I take another step. Another step in the direction I've been headed for a long time. It feels surreal to finally be here, taking this big leap that I've calculated over a number of years. I'm a creature of habit, an over-thinker and reluctant to change. I gave myself every reason in the book not to dive in, but suddenly, I was sure I would be able to swim.
As of this morning, Mackenzie Page Interiors is officially open full time for business. If you need a room reworked or a your whole house needs a refresh, I am your gal. If you're starting from the ground up, or remodeling a home you've lived in for years, I can help you find your design style and creat the space you've only dreamed of.
I am truly humbled by all the support from my family, my clients and my friends. I hope to get the opportunity to make people's lives just that much better, even if it's just a five minute mood elevation from a really fabulous pillow.
Wish me luck. Or actually, just tell your friends.
Learn more at mackenziepage.com
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