How I Go Columbia: Anna Kemper and Marnie Clayton

Anna Kemper and Marnie Clayton worked independently as interior designers in Columbia for years before joining forces in 2009 to create MACK Home (named for their initials), their interior design firm and the name of their interiors shop at 4840 Forest Drive in Trenholm Plaza.

Kemper and Clayton design interiors of homes and commercial spaces all over Columbia and South Carolina with their signature look of organic accents, artisan-quality furniture, unique lighting and a mix of materials, textures and design periods.

MACK Home stocks everything from jewelry, candles and table-top items to tables, bedding and lighting. This spring, MACK has items in spring tones including pale pink champagne flutes and wine glasses as well as a selection of new luxe accessories, lamps and chandeliers and the latest collection of Lee Industries upholstery.

EAT

Anna: We both love attending farm-to-table dinners at City Roots Farm. The vibe is great, and you never know exactly what’s going to be on the menu, but it’s always fresh, local produce and ingredients.

Marnie: When my family can all get together, we love to go to Cola’s on Assembly, especially when the weather is nice and the restaurant’s front doors are open.

DRINK

Anna: Blackberry mojitos at Tazza Kitchen. They start crushing the ice as soon as they see us headed across the parking lot.

PLAY

Anna: We love people-watching and spending a Saturday morning at Soda City. It’s great that we are getting that urban vibe in more and more venues in Columbia.

Marnie: MACK is in Trenholm Plaza, so we can do some serious retail damage in our own backyard. In addition to some of the wonderful larger stores, we have great local retailers as neighbors such as Gwen Rawls for amazing shoes and Fab’rik for fun and stylish clothes at a great price point. And M Boutique at Cross Hill Market is another locally owned boutique where we can always find unique, on-trend clothes.

SEE

Anna: We’ve been fans of The Nick for ages and are proud to have a MACK seat at the “new” Nick. I just have one child left at home, so we love watching him play basketball and tennis at Heathwood.

Marnie: We love to support and celebrate all the local arts, so when we have time, it’s great to see anything at Town Theatre or Trustus. Columbia has amazing talent. We also love to see movies at the Nick. We are so lucky to have such a great art house theater in Columbia. We both have children in school, so seeing mine play lacrosse or golf for A.C. Flora (High School) is top on my list. This time of year, we love seeing the South Carolina coast. We always have a couple of beach house projects going in the spring and summer, and a change of scenery for the creative process is always a good thing.

LISTEN

Anna: We helped Pasta Fresca design their new space when they moved to Forest Drive a few years ago, and they feature the Reggie Sullivan Trio on Tuesday nights. It’s a great place to grab a drink or dinner and unwind after a long day.

Marnie: We’re also really fortunate to have a venue like Music Farm in Columbia now. Great place to catch a show.

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 11:03 AM with the headline "How I Go Columbia: Anna Kemper and Marnie Clayton."