I read territories; as places and as practices.

Black background with a large white five-pointed star in the center.

A woman sitting in a wicker chair outdoors, smiling, with a scenic landscape of trees and rolling hills in the background.

Valerie Gregori McKenzie

designer and design editor

Then the Seto Inland Sea in Japan, the Vientiane–Vang Vieng corridor in Laos, the island of Nevis in the West Indies, and Mauritius. Each a reading of a specific place at the level of its materials, gestures, climate, and commons.

She works with architects, interior designers, hotel groups, brands and officials who want their projects to belong to the places where they are built. For commissions and conversations.

Two women standing in a wheat field with hills in the background, wearing hats and casual clothing, smiling.

Born in France, raised between France and the Caribbean, she founded Maison Song in Saigon (1998–2016), a lifestyle brand built around hand embroidery and the living crafts of Vietnam.

Since 2016, her practice has moved across territories. Thailand, with Jim Thompson: contemporary collections drawn from Thai silk printing and hand-weaving. Myanmar and Tibet, with the UN and UNESCO: working hands-on with artisans to bring traditional knowhows into contemporary design. India, with Alamwar in Hyderabad.

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She is currently developing 3 parallel practices:

Nu-Pieds :

Tourism & territorial regeneration.
See consulting →

Waste & Habitat :

Field research on waste management in small island states and their impact on human environments. Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Pacific. ESG framework.
See the project →

McKenzie Marine :

3D ergonomic objects for boats and shores. See the project →