After buying our first home, my husband and I needed to get creative to accommodate for our tiny but charming bedroom. Calling it “master” would be an exaggeration of epic proportions, ‘epic proportions’ better describing our existing dresser that would need to be jettisoned in favor of something a little less bulky (and certainly more stylish).
By fate, or by Google, we stumbled on MegMade, that same day racing to her sunny shop in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago to bring home a chest of drawers more suited to our new space. It was like touring a gallery, Yves Klein blue and bright vermillion popping against the blank canvas of the shop’s crisp white walls.
Meg Piercy’s one-of-a-kind furniture designs, from refinished and reworked vintage finds to original must-haves, are collectible and covetable go-tos for homeowners and designers alike. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBIN SUBAR
We quickly honed in on a Midcentury Modern design, accented in soothing gray, that became the focal point of our bedroom. This special piece caught the eye of our neighbors, themselves making the pilgrimage to MegMade that very weekend and coming home with a work of art all their own.
My story echoes the experience of everyone who discovers Meg Piercy’s designs, from first-time home buyers to experienced designers: Purchasing a MegMade piece is not unlike curating and collecting the art that goes on your walls, except this art is not only high design, but highly practical.
“As an interior designer, I love working with Meg to find original, one of a kind pieces for my clients. She has such an amazing eye and is so great with details—the sky is really the limit when you create a piece with Meg!” shares Alex Kaehler of Alexandra Kaehler Design.
Born in Kansas City, Piercy moved with her family to London in high school, crediting the historic city with introducing to her to art, architecture, and design. “Without realizing it, it made an impact,” she reveals. Though she landed in public relations after college, she admits she always had a passion to do something with her hands.
This passion was realized while pregnant with her first child: “I couldn’t find a changing table I liked, so I decided to make one myself,” Piercy shares. Friends first took notice of what she was doing—transforming vintage furniture finds into unique designs—and from there a business was born.
“Meg knows exactly what paint, wax, technique, etc. is needed to achieve the look I’m after for my client. She is one of my favorite people to collaborate with, and I use her pieces in almost every single project!” says Claire Staszak, owner of Centered by Design.
From her first little storefront on Montrose Avenue, Piercy and her husband have grown what was an “artistic hobby” into a successful business, her designs are sold across the country, out of her 8,000-square-foot showroom, via her website, and on Instagram.
Jeannie Balsam, Principal, Winnetka’s Jeannie Balsam Interiors, shares, “One of our favorite selections was a gorgeous dresser we repurposed as a powder room vanity in a distressed black with the original antique brass hardware. It is wonderful that these previously owned pieces are finding new life with a new generation that wouldn’t specifically have the vision or talent that Meg brings to the market.”
Piercy credits fashion, architecture, and her favorite design magazines as inspiration. But most of all, she turns to nature when she is running dry creatively, particularly a trip to the ocean or mountains where she can think clearly.
Looking for pieces to repurpose, she seeks out clean lines and character, often Baker or Midcentury furniture, though her latest project includes designing and producing original designs. Piercy was ready to answer the call to further flex her creative muscle, and the result is spectacular: twelve styles thus far rendered in solid mahogany, teak, walnut, and burlwood, with a variety of finishes and hardware, stained or painted in “any color under the rainbow.”
The production process begins with sanding and stripping down to original woodgrain (“I like being able to see the grain through and within the paint”), priming, sanded again, and ends with four coats of lacquer. It takes 72 hours to dry and cure before a piece can be delivered to its new owner.
“We’re combining quality with creative outlet; it’s a real collaborative artistic process,” describes Piercy of her work. “Every piece becomes a story.”
For more information, visit megmade.com.
Loved the story, the furniture, the collaboration of designers with the client as the winner and of course, capturing a little of Meg Piercy.