Named for family friend and Virginia diplomat James Rives Childs. A Renaissance man for the ages, he was the world authority on Casanova and Chargé d'Affaires for Morocco during WWII. Our great aunt Ootie, remarkable in her own right, was close pals with Rives and his wife Georgianna. We wanted an inspired story for a very special pair of outdoor chairs.
The Tangier signature eight sided columnar base reflects our Virginia roots. This estate furniture collection recalls the octagon, a favored form of Thomas Jefferson, representative of perfect symmetry and efficiency of materials. We named our Tangier for an unchanged island in Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay, whose inhabitants still speak with traces of an English accent.
We named the Otey Collection for our dear family friend – the cosmopolitan, brilliant Elizabeth Otey Watson. Nicknamed “E,” she combined stylish elements from her time in Shanghai with her native Virginia charm, and the resulting combination was electric. Our signature Otey back design is inspired by Chinoiserie fretwork with arms that reference the Regency period.
This high style contemporary table has characteristic McKinnon and Harris clean lined understatement. Ziggurat geometry inspired the stepped base edges. The Carroll name comes from our great grandmother’s brother-in-law, John W. Carroll, reputedly the very first millionaire in our home town. He was a cabinetmaker before he became a wealthy tobacconist.
Every day growing up, we walked through a portico supported by fluted columns with tobacco leaf capitals. The proportions were perfection. We channeled this classical vibe into our Suhling. The name Suhling comes from the builder of our childhood home – Shirley Moore Suhling – who, we were always told, had flawless taste.
We named these sleek modern pieces for our forward thinking and tenacious French ancestors. We love stripes and the Perrow raised banding is our translation in enduring aluminum. The highly edited details are pure McKinnon and Harris style and high performance.
The pieces that started it all. We founded our workshop to build the most enduring garden furniture in the world. Our grandmother always said, a garden wasn’t a garden until it had a bench. Our signature Virginia crest rail, drawn from a prized family chair, alludes to a pagoda roofline. There are certain things only a small workshop can do, little details that must be undertaken by hand, and this is one of them. Drawn from our archives, the garden bench collection shares complex design elements masterfully executed by our workshop.
Our artisans shape the robust Albemarle base by hand. Solid aluminum feet and extra heavy wall construction bring additional stability. And for something so enduring, we named it for a place very close to our hearts – Albemarle, county seat of our birthplace.
Our Scottish roots inspired the Buie Collection, named for Ella McPhail Buie, our grandmother’s charming and erudite niece. Pronounced “boo-ee,” the name derives from gaelic “buidhe” for the color yellow. Perhaps best known is "golden drink" Drambuie, famed honeyed whiskey of our McKinnon clan.
The Wyatt Collection of tables continues our Grandmother Wyatt’s Sunday afternoon tradition of al fresco celebrations, when a hunt board heaped with refreshments would be moved into her boxwood garden at Lone Jack Farm. Her unique style and hospitality was the epitome of unfussy, rustic elegance and is something we try to duplicate in our own garden entertaining.
