Chele Mckee has a way of turning spaces into more than just places to shop or stay—they become unforgettable experiences that captivate and inspire.
As a highly sought-after creative leader and designer, she crafts brand experiences for some of the world’s most iconic names. Her style stands out for its blend of sharp, modern structure and eclectic, vintage charm. This blend reflects her personal journey shaped by rich experiences, a love for travel, and a deeply ingrained appreciation for meaningful design.
Global Layers in Design
Chele’s eclectic style is defined by a mix of clean lines and unexpected textures. She loves the simplicity of modern design—think smooth surfaces and hidden storage—but can’t resist adding a quirky vintage piece or building with a natural element like driftwood.
As the curious global citizen and traveler she is, Chele describes her personal design style in global terms: Big Sur meets Jodhpur in Copenhagen for Thai food at Tivoli Gardens.
It’s a fusion of Big Sur’s organic, coastal feel, Jodhpur’s bold colors, textures, and movement, and Copenhagen’s clean and well-organized sophistication, with a dash of novelty and playfulness reminiscent of Tivoli Gardens or India's vibrant hues. You see this in her fully restored 1970s beach house home, where sleek cork floors and handcrafted redwood walls and ceilings meet her cherished human nest and driftwood cathedral fort she has lovingly dubbed her “Twigitecture.”
Chele’s love for travel inspires many of her design choices. Time in Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Copenhagen taught her to value powerful sightlines and functional beauty—spaces that guide you without feeling cluttered. India’s bustling streets, alive with color and motion, showed her how to infuse emotion and texture into her work. These lessons pop up everywhere, whether she’s designing a retail store or refreshing a hotel space.
Her holistic creative approach feels more like storytelling, articulating an idea or feeling through the combination of different textures, forms, and colors and bringing an experience to life.
Bringing Experiences to Life
Chele’s career and personal projects show how her style adapts to the mission at hand.
Take her work with The North Face to launch a new urban street style "off the mountain" experience, focusing on iconic fashion pieces and brand storytelling in Williamsburg and NYC stores. Or her work reinventing the Disney Store brand experience and evolving the princess category for the global brand.
Then there’s the Sanctuary Beach Resort, a project close to her heart. Chele brought the laid-back California vibe to this coastal spot, but the real gem was the Dog Stick Library, a clever setup where dogs grab sticks from a beachside stand. It’s simple, a little quirky, and totally her: modern utility with a vintage, organic twist.
Her time in India offers another perspective. While working on a men's fashion brand and a store in Mumbai for the country's first mall, she faced cultural challenges as the only Western woman on-site. Embracing the local energy, she created a space brimming with texture and life—a stark contrast to her sleek Copenhagen-inspired work, yet still bearing her signature blend of clean design spiced with bold, vintage flair.
Designing for Reality
Her home, with its mix of modern calm and global textures, mirrors this approach—everything has a purpose, it’s always changing, and it’s never boring. She draws inspiration from her travels and her hands-on reality in the moment.
During a five-year remodel, necessity often dictated the next transformation. For instance, she created an outdoor cabana when the old deck suddenly collapsed. Owning an architect's 1970s beach house demands scrappy ingenuity and endless patience.
Recent joys include her "Twigitecture" and the spontaneous creation of a "human nest" when her favorite 70-foot eucalyptus tree, damaged by a storm, threatened her house.
Chele mindfully (and tearfully) salvaged most branches and trunk sections, lovingly "reassembling" them into a carefully woven human nest. This new addition boasts a spectacular ocean view and enough room for two to enjoy the sunset, gaze at the full moon, or do yoga asanas. Now one of the most beloved spots on the property, this nest embodies Chele's thoughtful intention and ability to create beauty from unexpected circumstances.
With her holistic, reality-centric approach and global design perspective, Chele McKee reminds us that truly inspiring spaces always have a compelling story behind them.
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