You can’t help but let out a sigh as you enter McKinnon and Harris’ new airy showroom space at the D&D Building. The bespoke, family-run outdoor brand brought the outdoors inside, inviting guests to experience McKinnon and Harris as most do- lounging on a terrace, enjoying the natural, minimal and comforting disposition of the handmade furniture pieces beneath them.
We chatted with the head of Marketing and PR for McKinnon and Harris, Fenton Crowther, who shared a bit about the D&D attraction.
“The DDB location was available and it was just a perfect fit and combination of things. [The new showroom] is so close to our previous New York location. It’s a larger space and still gives us the street entrance. We’re more connected to the Trade and it allows us more of an opportunity to connect to the design community and further those relationships,” said Crowther.
McKinnon and Harris is known for their clean, minimal aesthetic. But don’t be fooled, that doesn’t mean the brand’s pieces are simple to construct.
“There’s a tremendous amount of complexity that goes into our furniture construction. It all appears so simple, but so much goes into making that seamless piece of furniture. We wanted to make it look edited, seemingly effortless with understated characteristics and a highly edited palette mostly constricted to white,” said Crowther. “You’ll also find a lot of antiquities and sculptures, which further reflects on the company’s craftsmanship and that idea of permanence and longevity.”
McKinnon and Harris’ Vice President of Sales, Mathew Pober, shared with us that McKinnon and Harris even applies a marine quality primer to each piece for guaranteed lifelong durability.
“McKinnon and Harris is the only exterior furniture company in the world to license Henkel Corporation’s Bonderite EC2 revolutionary coating technology. It is simply the best coating in existence. The German-engineered Bonderite EC2 Technology was developed as a stand-alone coating to be utilized in highly corrosive saltwater environments and is used in the Marine Industry on high-value marine equipment (engines, propellers, etc.) that is submerged in salt water for most of its lifetime,” said Pober. Talk about permanence and longevity!
McKinnon and Harris moved into the D&D Building just in time for Spring Market and they hosted a soiree! The luminous space was buzzing as designers filed in for the fabulous cocktail reception and book signing for Emily Summers, Mona Hajj and Fawn Galli.
(Above) Cocktail reception and book signing at McKinnon and Harris
McKinnon and Harris showcased their new Rives dining chair collection during the party which attendees relaxed on after a long day of mingling and meandering. See pictures and videos from Market’s Keynotes, programs and experiential moments here and on Go Design Go’s “Spring Market” Instagram highlight!
(Above) Rives dining chair collection
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*McKinnon and Harris is located in Annex 111 and can be accessed from the street on 58th.