MacKenzie-Childs

MacKenzie-Childs artisans have been creating original, hand crafted tabletop and home decor in upstate New York for over 20 years. The distinctive MacKenzie-Childs look and feel is truly unique and an American original.

MacKenzie-Childs is located on a 65-acre former dairy farm overlooking Cayuga Lake in the heart of the Finger Lakes region. The grounds house a production studio, a Second-Empire farmhouse and a retail shop filled with MacKenzie-Childs tableware, home furnishings, and gifts from around the world.

After acquiring the farm, they turned the dairy barn into a working production studio where today handmade, hand-decorated majolica pottery, tile, furniture, and home furnishings are crafted by talented artisans. The production studio includes design, clay molding, firing, painting, furniture and upholstery-making areas and employs over 100 artisans on site.

Look carefully and you are sure to see it. Each piece created by the artisans holds the surprise and joy of the unexpected. Turn over a ceramic mug or platter or a chair and you will see the stamps of each artisan who contributed to its creation, to each step in the process. The last step is equally important: Quality Assurance inspection. The quality team ensures that products meet the high standards while still respecting the intrinsic individuality of each handmade piece.

MacKenzie-Childs majolica ceramics begin with the most natural and individual of materials: clay from the earth. From pots to plates, teapots to tureens, the clay is molded by hand, pressed, or slip cast. Although time consuming, these methods ensure that every piece is alive with individuality.

Stains and glazes are painted on by hand, not by machine. You may notice variations in the density and depth of the color. This evidence of the artisan's hand is highly valued by collectors: No two pieces are identical. Set a table with MacKenzie-Childs plates and their variations are sure to please and delight your guests.

Ceramics are fired in kilns at high temperatures that bring the beauty of organic materials to the surface, with color and detail. On closer inspection, you may see pinholes and other variations in the glaze. These tiny dimples form when natural matter found in the clay explodes through the decorated surface of the product during the kiln firing. It is a personality trait of majolica ceramics.

MacKenzie-Childs furniture is decorated by hand with their signature designs, from painterly landscapes to Courtly Checks, from tiles to dots, decals, and even seashells. Some pieces are created from start to finish by a single artisan. Layer upon layer of artistry applied by hand to every inch of surface is our hallmark. And it's what makes every MacKenzie-Childs creation an original.

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