Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary McWilliams.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mary. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I had a wonderful opportunity to join Southern Living Magazine as the Associate Interiors Editor in 1992 after working for Georgia Lighting for seven years and managing a showroom at the Design Center. I actually was asked to go over to Birmingham and give a seminar on Lighting to all of the Editorial Staff of the magazines headquartered there. After such an amazing day, I wondered “what if” I could work here too. I asked the Editor of Southern Living and within an hour I was in his office talking about job openings. I really wanted to land in the Homes Department. After a lengthy three month interview process, I was offered the job. I moved into the Interiors Editor position where I wrote about homes that we featured all across the South. I went to many “study hall” sessions with the Copy Chief of the magazine to get a handle on writing. The editor said it is easier to make a designer into a writer than the other way around! I had a wonderful tenure at the magazine. I was afforded so many opportunities to do HGTV specials, speaking engagements, radio interviews, and many other functions that connected me with the largest readership of any regional magazine in the US. I worked on the show homes that were built across the South and toured by our readers.
In 1998, I decided to move back to Atlanta and join Stephen Fuller, Inc.–a Residential Architecture Firm. Stephen Fuller had been the architect on many of the show homes that I had built and designed. He was ready to build an in-house interiors team. In 2004, I opened Mary Mac and Company. Since then I have enjoyed working on Residential Design projects peppered with a few commercial spaces. I have an amazing team of two Project Designers. Each day is different and affords creativity on many levels. Due to my extensive construction experience with Southern Living and then premier architecture, I love sitting with architects and thinking through how my clients will use their home even down to wear they will hang their artwork. There are hundreds of decisions and selections to be made during the process, and I love them all. With my seven years at Georgia Lighting prior to Southern Living, lighting is one layer that has the utmost importance to me when designing a home. Lighting is everything to architecture, ambiance and everyday tasks in a home. I am grateful for the mentors that trained a young girl to design entire lighting plans. It is a skillset I use to this day. I love the teamwork too that goes into a whole house. Everyone has a job to do, and at the end of the day we all want to cross the finish line feeling like we did our best.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The downturn in the economy in 2008 was definitely a time that I will never forget. Clients were not wanting to replace a sofa and purchase custom draperies. They were focused on the Stock Market and their investments. I am grateful that we are on the other side of those days with a thriving economy once again.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Mary Mac and Company – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am a Residential Interior Design Firm that specializes in a timeless approach to design.
I love to infuse the unexpected for clients that are longing for a more modern feel, but I am known for guiding my clients into making timeless investments for their home. I want them to love their home in ten years, fifteen years down the road. I love detailing soft goods…. beautiful pillows and draperies. They add such a layer to the home that you can’t often find in “ready-made” items. I always say that dressmaker details to a drapery panel is like wearing the perfect pair of earrings with a couture outfit. I guess details…. any details are what I love most about what I do.
I long to think of ways to make the ordinary even more special with details. That might be a monogram pillow or a custom lampshade or even an element on the exterior of a home like a weathervane. Details make the difference! I am most proud that my Father was the Chairman of my Board.
My father encouraged me, mentored me and met with me for months prior to starting my company. We would meet on Sunday afternoons with his yellow legal pad in hand.
He would make charts and lists with me and write out business plan bullet points. I treasure those hours spent. He was my biggest fan when I was at Southern Living. He never missed a preview party or Grand Opening of any of the Show Homes that I had done. He continued that enthusiasm when I launched my own company and remained at my side as my best advocate in business. I learned so much from his business experience and wisdom. Sadly, he passed away last year from an illness. I try to continue to live out his legacy and make him proud in all that I do.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My dream job would be to work on a home on Nantucket! I worked on the island in college and have always dreamed of designing a home there. In the future, I would like to keep expanding project locations.
With technology today, I can build a home anywhere. The farthest project to date is a home I did in the Bahamas from the ground up. I would love to continue my design journey with a broader reach of opportunities.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5 Willow Glen, Atlanta 30342
- Website: MARYMAC@MARYMACANDCOMPANY.COM
- Phone: 404-845-0170
- Instagram: marymacinteriors
- Facebook: Mary Mac and Company
Image Credit:
Emily Followill
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