Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcus McKenzie.
Hi Marcus, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi. My name is Marcus McKenzie. Nice to meet you.
I’m like many Texans. Bred into a blend of Texas cultures, I’ve experienced many clashed worlds. I was a child of blended race, class, education, and attitude. I was born in urban Dallas and partly raised in suburban Arlington, Texas. Growing up, I was the ceramics artist on the baseball field and the two-guard in AP Latin. The Mexican at the white table, the white boy in the locker room. I carry my blended background into my design world as an asset to help my clients design the world they want to live in, learning alongside them how to blend the lifestyle they have, into the lifestyle they want.
I found my design abilities in architecture school through two colliding paths. Painting murals in high school and college, I noticed the aspirational effect that murals could have on real space. In college, I found Frank Lloyd Wright and fell in love with every room he designed. The fire to combine these concepts to create rich spatial experiences was lit, and I found the first home for my full abilities.
I now live and work, with my own secret blend of a little family in East Austin. I design people’s forever homes throughout Texas, from Austin to Terlingua. I’m a Certified Professional Building Designer and Licensed Permaculture Designer, with built works in home and land. I work with my clients to tailor their world, indoors and out.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Not exactly. It’s been a little bumpy, but I’ve had an easier go of it than many in the field. Being an artist in the construction industry, which relies on healthy capitalism to create art – that’s just a cold fact of a designer’s life.
After graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington School of Architecture, I worked in a Los Angeles architecture office. In 2009 I went from designing literal rockstars’ Hollywood dream homes – to designing shopping mall food kiosks (think Dipping Dots – still the Ice Cream Of The Future™) within months. I recovered the level of work relatively quickly, but it was a rough time. There is a real gap between the artist’s spiritual need to design – and the reality of funding a built work. Unfortunately, I can’t pick up a paintbrush or guitar here to create my actual art.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My clients find me to help create their very best life at home. With real-world experience in high-end architecture, landscape architecture, and construction offices, I pride my studio’s work on blending those unique strengths to tailor my clients’ homes to their lifestyles. Or better yet, the lifestyle they want to have.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
How about a fun fact? I rode my bicycle from Los Angeles to New York City, playing 30 shows with my old band. It was three months of living in the moment on the dirt (and on some couches). We lived so many stories of surprises and triumphs. I personally experienced a new love for everyday American people, and our inexhaustible landscapes. I don’t think one can embed oneself in a country and not fall in love with it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.smash.build
- Instagram: instagram.com/smash.build
- Facebook: facebook.com/smash.build
Image Credits
Smash Design Build
Marcus McKenzie
