During her first week at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, Shea McGee got a call from her brother asking if she would help him move into his new college apartment. Her brother warned, “My buddy Syd will be there and you’re going to like him, but don’t, because he’s my friend. And don’t you dare date him!” Not too surprisingly, the futile request was completely ignored.
Upon seeing each other, the sparks flew and Shea and Syd began dating the very next night. Their romance blossomed, and after a few years of courtship, the two were married. Soon the newlyweds were moving into their first apartment in Southern California.
“This was right in the midst of the recession, my marketing career was stalling, so I began using my extra time to decorate the new space,” Shea recalls. “Very quickly, however, home decorating became my main focus and passion. I became obsessed with interior design and found a new way to express my personal style.”
Thus began Shea’s new career journey and the foundation for what would eventually become the couple’s internationally known design house, Studio McGee, and later a product arm, McGee & Co.
For the next few years, Shea honed her interior design knowledge through college courses and trial and error. Slowly she formed a distinct and individual decorating style that can be described as classic interiors with a modern twist.
Then Shea and Syd had the opportunity to purchase their first house. As a fixer-upper, the property was the perfect place for Shea to experiment and sharpen her skills. “This was right at the time when Instagram was beginning to grow — not necessarily for businesses, but for personal accounts,” she says. “I began to realize that every time I posted little snippets about my home improvements, I would get a lot of engagement.”
Soon, friends and family were asking Shea to do projects for them. From there, third-party requests and referrals started coming through. As she continued to post renovations, her Instagram presence grew. Before she fully realized what was happening, Shea had become one of the most popular interior design influencers in the space. “This forged my path to grow my business through the use of social media,” she explains.
As her following increased, so did her design requests. Before long, the workload had exploded, and she needed support directing the operational and managerial side of the small company. Fortunately, a solution was right in front of her. “It became apparent that I required Syd’s knowledge and expertise to supervise the practical side of the business, which would allow me the ability to focus on the design and creativity side.”
Syd was working as the COO of a digital marketing company when he agreed to come on board, and the McGees created a mission statement that pledged “to make life beautiful for ourselves and those around us.” The determined couple promised each other they would be 100% invested in the company and plowed forward with their business plan. They sold their home in Southern California, relocated to Utah and launched Studio McGee. In 2014, Shea became chief creative officer, Syd was named chief executive officer and the company was ready for clients.
With Shea’s extensive social media presence, many Utahns were familiar with her decorating style and talent. Very quickly, Studio McGee began receiving design requests from homeowners all over the Wasatch Front and Back. Many clients and followers learned that Studio McGee was not just a decorating firm but also a multidisciplinary design house and content hub. An example of this is Studio McGee’s website, where Shea shares her tips, suggestions and advice to digital visitors.
Since its inception, the company has celebrated and embraced its social media roots. Studio McGee’s YouTube channel provides home tours, styling tips and McGee family content — all for the home viewer to watch on their favorite screen. From the moment the channel launched, it has been a favorite for interior design professionals and amateurs alike and grown to 450,000 subscribers, and received over 70 million views.
The YouTube channel’s meteoric rise caught the eye of Netflix and its network executives. Soon, the streaming mammoth was approaching Studio McGee with an offer for a series. After some deliberation, Shea and Syd decided to give it a go. In October 2020, Dream Home Makeover premiered to positive reviews. For four seasons, interior design enthusiasts watched as the charismatic couple helped homeowners update their living spaces with spectacular results.
The show highlighted Shea and Syd’s professional relationship, along with providing a peek into their personal life. This included a glimpse at the couple’s young family — the McGee’s have three daughters — and some of their household adventures. The mix of work with day-to-day life made the series a beloved streaming choice.
The popular series produced many fan-favorite moments. However, for Shea, one episode really stands out. “By far, the most rewarding makeover I provided happened during season three in episode two with Mary Daniels from Salt Lake City,” Shea says. “She is a woman who has given so much back to the community with her thrift store and philanthropic projects. Then on top of all that, after years of caring for her friend with cancer, her house burned down.”
Daniels was expecting a bedroom design, but Studio McGee gave her a total home makeover. This meant new furniture throughout, including items from Mary’s thrift store and the McGee & Co. collection. “With the rebuilding of her home, it was wonderful to give her a new remodel. She really deserved it, and it felt really good,” beams Shea.
She remembers another season three remodel but for a totally different reason. “My most over-the-top makeover occurred on episode three with Liz and Neal.” The design project was massive and included creative little touches to make each room unique — such as a kitchen chandelier, an oak-finished lounge and wine room, and a pink ceiling above a canopy bed. The overall design was intended to provide enjoyment for years to come. “To me that is what design is all about,” Shea emphasizes.
Dream Home Makeover wrapped in December 2022, which has allowed Studio McGee to refocus on the “the design side of things” and continue to build their following with more in-depth video content on their own YouTube channel. Today, the company has more than 200 employees and is internationally known for its interior design service and extensive portfolio of brands.
Shea is the creative lead for their product line, McGee & Co. Clients, fans and followers of Shea’s interior designs can go online to purchase individually created pieces and incorporate them into their own home decor, often buying directly from projects in the Studio McGee portfolio. Available options range from large items such as sofas and desks to small accessories like wreaths and vases.
Studio McGee has also maintained select partnerships with preeminent brands including Target, Kohler, Ann Sacks and Pura. Shea elaborates, “The Target line has been very successful. We launched in 2020, and I am the creator of the furniture, lighting, rugs and decor. We come out with a new collection seasonally, and it’s very fun and exciting.”
She teases, “I have a few more partnerships that are in the works. I can’t talk about them yet but let me just say, I am thrilled about them.”
Shea and Syd also wrote a book, Make Life Beautiful, sharing their creative process and the lessons they have learned along the way. In 2023, Shea followed it up with a second book, The Art of Home. In the coffee table book, she takes readers through the design process of each room of a house while weaving in personal stories and inspirational advice.
Speaking of advice, Shea grew her Instagram following by giving design advice, so we wondered what upcoming trend she is most excited about? “I’m embracing stripes as a neutral this summer. Striped upholstery is often put into the pattern category, but I love pairing them with heavier patterns and florals and letting them ground the assortment as if it’s a neutral,” she shares. “This summer, you’ll see me using a lot of sophisticated pinstripes, bold cabana stripes and even multi-striped patterns like gingham and plaid.”
With how far they have come and with everything that is going on, is there anything that Studio McGee would still like to accomplish? “Since it was launched, McGee & Co. has been an e-commerce only brand. I would love to open brick-and-mortar retail stores to give our clients a place to go and to experience our products in person. I want a space where they can see and feel the pieces,” she says. “With Utah being McGee & Co.’s headquarters, I see us starting in the western United States — think Texas and west to the Pacific — and then expanding from there.”
An additional focus of the company is to enlarge their YouTube channel. “We want to deliver more in-depth design content. I love products, and I love creating experiences in people’s homes,” Shea says.
She also wants to incorporate other aspects of her life into the mix. “I love to travel. Once our girls get a bit older, I hope to be able to do much more of it and perhaps incorporate some of that into the YouTube channel.”
The McGee’s lifestyle embraces experience, style and the celebration of living. Shea shares, “Our hope is to help our followers see the world through the Studio McGee lens.”
Once you spend time in Shea and Syd’s world, it does seem that everything is brighter and more beautiful. In fact, you could compare it to seeing the world through McGee-colored glasses.
Tips for Designing a Mountain Home
Shea’s success as a social media influencer laid the groundwork for what has become Studio McGee. Known for giving ideas and advice to her followers, she shares six ideas for creating a mountain sanctuary.
Consider durability
Mountain homes are largely defined by their surroundings, which are usually on the more rugged side. When designing a mountain home, it’s important to consider how the materials you choose and the areas you carve out will stand up to the home’s surrounding environment. It’s important to have spaces of utility like mudrooms and laundry rooms and depending on the area, I love adding locker rooms and ski rooms for extra storage of the equipment that inevitably comes alongside outdoor living.
Go organic
When designing mountain homes, I lean toward materials that are neutral, natural and play off the surrounding environment. On the interior walls, I love using exposed stone with heavy grout, raw wood beams and plaster. For the furniture, look at linen, leather, wood, marble and wool.
Highlight a local artist
From a styling perspective, one of my favorite things to do in a mountain home is look for local artists to feature. They usually have a good pulse on the local aesthetic, and it’s the best way to tie culture to the design.
Embrace the mix
Mountain homes can carry a mix of design styles and eras — you can pair a new sofa with sleek legs with an antique side table and vintage rug. One of my favorite things to do in a mountain home is redefine what the typical mountain aesthetic is, and the easiest way to do that is to mix in your own personality and not get bogged down in a specific design theme. You can have timber beams (and we love these), but mix in something contemporary such as an antique piece that’s a bit ornate or a piece that’s on the funkier side.
Consider the views
If you’re building from the ground up, mountain homes give you the unique opportunity to design the footprint of the home around the views. If you’re in a more secluded area, go big on the windows and even consider doing a wall of windows if you can. The views in mountain homes can act as art.
Maximize outdoor living
Treat the exterior living spaces of your home just as you would the interior. Maximize your mountain surroundings by creating spaces where you can host, eat dinner or just sit and enjoy the view on the exterior of your home. I love adding soft goods like pillows and rugs that can be brought indoors when not in use.
