New Winter Collection: Shea McGee's Living Room Breakdown
Winter is coming and so is the new Winter Collection from Studio McGee! In a video released today, Shea McGee of McGee Studios takes viewers through a home styled with pieces from the new collection and also offers home styling and design tips.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of her process, which blends modern and traditional aesthetics to achieve a stunning, cohesive look, as well as key pieces in the collection:
Table of contents
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Choosing Large Furniture Pieces
The foundation of any living room design starts with the largest furniture pieces. In her living space, Shea begins with a classic velvet English roll-arm sofa featuring brass casters, a more traditional piece that adds elegance to the room.
Lucille English Roll Arm Sofa 91"
To balance this, she introduces modern Clegg chairs in a textured linen fabric, creating a dynamic contrast between the traditional and modern elements.
Clegg Lounge Chair
At the center of the room, Shea places a large organic modern coffee table with interesting leg details and a round shape.
Harvey Coffee Table
Not only is this table visually appealing, but it’s also practical—especially for families with children, as the rounded corners provide safety. Shea emphasizes how this round table breaks away from the expected rectangular form, offering a fresh and contemporary feel.
How to Create a Cohesive Color Palette
A key component of the room's design is the Vanderwood rug, which ties the space together with a blend of golden tones, creams, and grays. This rug serves as a neutral yet warm base that allows for the layering of various colors and textures throughout the room.
Vanderwood Hand-Knotted Wool Rug
Shea explains how the pillows and textiles coordinate with the rug, with subtle hints of green, blue, purple, and red. Though the colors are subdued, they bring life and depth to the space. Even in a largely neutral room, these small bursts of color help create a cohesive color palette that feels unified but not flat.
Timpleton Pillow Cover
Tips for Balancing Luxury and Comfort
Shea’s signature style combines luxurious materials with relaxed elements, creating a balance between formal and comfortable. The striped slipcover swivel chair in the corner is an excellent example of this balance.
While the traditional velvet sofa provides a touch of luxury, the linen slipcover chair adds an inviting, casual element to the room. Slipcovers are particularly valued for their imperfect, lived-in feel, helping to soften more formal pieces in a room.
Trudeaux Slipcover Swivel Chair
Round Coffee Table Styling Tips
For styling the round coffee table, Shea recommends grouping three sets of objects. On the table, she uses different heights and textures, including a tray filled with objects, a vase, and a set of taper candle holders in a bronze and copper finish. (Priced at $36 they're probably some of the most affordable pieces in the collection.)
Courtland Taper Holder
This combination of colors and textures adds warmth and visual interest to the room. By using a mix of materials that tie back to other elements in the space, the coffee table becomes a focal point without overwhelming the design.
Bookshelf Styling Tips
The bookshelves behind Shea are another opportunity to tell a personal story through decor. Shea encourages selecting objects that spark a memory or represent personal experiences.
For example, a small horse figurine could remind someone of a cherished memory from a family vacation. Thoughtfully curated objects create a more meaningful and cohesive look.
Equestrian Pedestal Object
Shea also advises using picture frames sparingly. While frames are a classic way to display memories, they should be spaced thoughtfully across the shelves to avoid clutter. Balancing personal items with neutral decorative pieces helps maintain the overall design aesthetic while keeping the space personal.
Choosing Decorative Pieces
When choosing decorative pieces, Shea emphasizes the importance of mixing materials and shapes. She points out the vases styled on the bookshelves, which feature varying glaze and handle details. Ranging from $48-88, these vessels are actually very competitively priced compared to other home interior brands.
Victoire Vase
Shea loves using unexpected objects like a marble hand sculpture or polished stone accents to add an organic touch. Incorporating asymmetrical shapes, such as a woven bowl, alongside glossy ceramics creates textural contrast and visual interest.
Goulding Woven Bowl
Conclusion: Balancing Form and Function
Shea McGee's living room design showcases her ability to balance luxurious and relaxed elements, combining modern and traditional styles in a way that feels cohesive and inviting. Her approach to mixing different materials, textures, and shapes provides depth and character to the space while maintaining practicality.
For more inspiration and design ideas, view the full McGee Studio Winter Collection here.
Which pieces did you like most? Let me know in the comments below.
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