Mark D. Sikes and Mary McDonald’s Debut Indoor/Outdoor Collections Make the Case for Going Green

Two of our favorite West Coast designers, Mark D. Sikes and Mary McDonald, are giving new meaning to the concept of “bringing the outside in” with their brand-new collections of garden-fresh indoor/outdoor fabrics for Schumacher. Find out how their verdant new offerings sprung to life.

Mark D. Sikes

Nature has always inspired interior decorator Mark D. Sikes’s projects, “especially being based in California, where the outdoors is a way of life,” he says. While famous for his predilection for blue and white, his own home in the Hollywood Hills is also immersed in green, from ivy-strewn walls to boxwood topiary.

The bohemian feel of his new collection of indoor/outdoor textiles echoes through his range of vintage-style paisleys, ikats and tree-of-life florals, which have been produced slightly off-register on the fabric to evoke the handmade feel of traditional Indian block printing. “They are beautiful prints that are subtle and quiet, perfect for outside because I always think, when designing an outdoor space, it should be a little more restrained to allow nature do most of the talking,” says the designer. “There’s no compromise—I want this collection to help people surround themselves with as much beauty and happiness as possible, inside and out.”

He also loves the versatility that comes with the scheme, “mixing and matching them in layers, one on top of the other; incorporating the pattern’s border into the box pleat of a cushion or along the leading edge of drapery; or picking just one pattern and using it on everything, from walls and drapery to furniture,” he enthuses. “There’s no compromise – I want this collection to help people surround themselves with as much beauty and happiness as possible, inside and out.”

Mary McDonald

Her name might be synonymous with Los Angeles glamour, but when it came to designing her first collection of indoor/ outdoor fabrics, Mary McDonald found inspiration on the opposite coast: Her home away from home in New York’s Hudson Valley, where the landscape’s lush hues create a scenic backdrop.

Versatile stripes and gingham checks shine in a verdant palette, which McDonald chose for the decoration of a backyard oasis in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she paired her collection with an elegant set of Quadratl outdoor pieces by Janus et Cie. “Green echoes the beauty of nature—it feels timeless,” she says. She complemented the simpler motifs with an array of paint splotches, octagonal geometrics and zippy Greek keys, all of which traverse “classical to whimsical, just like me,” she laughs.

Thanks to the high-performance quality of the fabrics, the collection offers “the best of both worlds,” says McDonald. And she’s already dreaming up new schemes: “You can use my checks and stripes as easily in a bedroom as you can for the patio without sacrificing style. Not having to worry so much about the wear and tear of a fabric in a multiuse room is huge—you get the look of an interior textile but woven for resilience.”