Max, The Heart Behind Mac & Lilly
2015 - 2025
Like many others, Mac & Lilly began in lockdown, born from stillness, uncertainty, and a need to create something good in the quiet.
We had no work, the world had paused. And one day, my husband said, “Come on, let’s go into the workshop and make something.”
The very first thing we made? A sign for Max, to hold his leads.
That was the start, Max was the start.
From that moment, Mac & Lilly grew, and Max came into work with us every single day, he was there through every idea, every mess-up, every packed order, he slept under benches, greeted couriers, and watched quietly as we built something from nothing, and all the while, he gave us what he always did: his calm, his steady presence, his unconditional joy.
He was the one who made our space feel grounded, when things got stressful, he brought stillness, when we needed a pause, he reminded us to walk, when we were figuring things out, he was right there under the desk, our steady shadow.
Toward the end, we began working from home a little more, for him, he was tired, his heart was enlarged, arthritis slowed him down, and all summer we watched, our hearts quietly breaking, as our boy who once walked for miles could only manage short potters, but still he wagged his tail.
He loved his food, he greeted everyone, he still wanted to walk, just not as far.
And last week, we let him go, gently, at home, with love.
He was joy. He was grace. He was everything.
Everyone here is grieving him.
The workshop is quieter.
The days feel longer.
Max was our calm, our joy, our centre. He was our heart.
He gave us 10 years of pure magic.
He was our beginning and he will always be the heart of mac and Lilly ♡