{{short description|Interior design and home decor firm}} '''Studio McGee Inc.''' is an interior design and home decor company. Founded by couple Shea and Syd McGee in 2014, Studio McGee came to prominence through social media and developed a signature style that the company would later dub "New Heritage." Starting in 2020 with their Emmy-nominated Netflix show ''Dream Home Makeover'', the company attracted an even wider audience, leading to ongoing partnerships with Target and Kohler, and publishing two New York Times bestselling books. {{Infobox company | name = Studio McGee Inc. | type = Private | industry = {{Unbulleted list|Interior design|Product design|E-commerce}} | founded = 2014 | hq_location_city = Salt Lake City, Utah | key_people = {{Unbulleted list|Shea McGee (Chief Creative Officer)|Syd McGee (CEO)}} | brands = {{hlist|Studio McGee|McGee & Co.}} | num_employees = 76<ref>{{Cite web |title=Studio Mcgee - The Shorty Awards |url=http://shortyawards.com/12th/studiomcgee |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=shortyawards.com}}</ref> | num_employees_year = 2020 | website = https://studio-mcgee.com/ }}
==History== Studio McGee co-founder, Shea McGee, was raised in Texas. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in public relations. She met her husband, Syd, in Utah while he was attending Utah Valley University. The couple married and moved to Southern California, where Syd was originally from. Shea became interested in design and enrolled in classes at a community college in California.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Utah couple is giving ‘Dream Home’ makeovers on Netflix |url=https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/2020/10/15/utah-couple-is-giving/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=The Salt Lake Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>
After documenting the design and renovation of their first Los Angeles home on Instagram and attracting a following, the McGee's used the momentum to start an interior design firm called Studio McGee in 2014. They sold their home and reinvested the money to established the business in Salt Lake City, Utah, living in rental houses in the city over the next few years while the business grew.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Gore |first=Sydney |last2=Henry |first2=Jason |date=2025-11-05 |title=Nothing Is Too Casual for Shea McGee’s Living Room |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/realestate/shea-mcgee-dream-home-makeover.html |access-date=2026-04-05 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Kaysen |first=Ronda |date=2020-10-09 |title=Looking for Escapist TV? Try Home Design Shows |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/09/realestate/netflix-home-improvement-shows.html |access-date=2026-04-05 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
In 2016, the company established the product design and e-commerce brand McGee & Co. That same year, they launched a YouTube channel to expand their content creation.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=About Studio McGee - Learn More About How It All Started |url=https://studio-mcgee.com/the-studio/about/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=studio-mcgee.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Design style == Studio McGee is known for its self-described "New Heritage" style.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Malson |first=Molly |date=2025-11-15 |title=Inside Shea McGee's latest kitchen project, a layered, neutral design |url=https://www.homesandgardens.com/kitchens/shea-mcgee-charming-neutral-kitchen-with-curves |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=Homes and Gardens |language=en}}</ref> Shea McGee has described her company's signature look as "all about mixing styles – juxtaposing modern and traditional, old and new, and layering lots of textures."<ref>{{Cite web |last=eleHOME |date=2024-08-11 |title=Meet Studio McGee Style Influencer, Shea McGee |url=https://ele-home.com/2024/08/12/meet-style-influencer-shea-mcgee/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=ele HOME |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Partnerships == In 2020, Studio McGee launched a line of home furnishings in partnership with Target.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nicolaou |first=Elena |date=2020-10-16 |title=What Syd McGee of "Dream Home Makeover" Admires Most About His Wife, Shea |url=https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/a34387035/dream-home-makeover-syd-shea-mcgee/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=Oprah Daily |language=en-US}}</ref> The company acquired an investment from investment firm Strand Equity Partners.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kreutzer |first=Laura |date=2021-03-16 |title=Design Brand Studio McGee Inks Deal With Strand Equity |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/design-brand-studio-mcgee-inks-deal-with-strand-equity-11615894207 |access-date=2026-04-05 |work=Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> In 2023, the studio partnered with Kohler to launch a collection of bathroom and kitchen furnishings.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-02 |title=Introducing Kohler X Studio McGee - Studio McGee |url=https://studio-mcgee.com/kohler-studio-mcgee-2/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=studio-mcgee.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Weiss-Hills |first=Samantha |date=2026-02-18 |title=Shea McGee Designed a Smart Toilet That's Genuinely Elegant |url=https://www.domino.com/design-by-room/studio-mcgee-kohler-claude-bathroom-collection-2026/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=domino |language=en-US}}</ref> That year, Shea McGee also launched an interior design course on the Masterclass platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dawson |first=Kelly |date=May 16, 2023 |title=Shea McGee’s New Class Is Offering You a Shot at Her Design Wisdom |url=https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/shea-mcgee-sessions-by-masterclass-37254823 |access-date=April 5, 2026 |website=Apartment Therapy}}</ref>
== Media ventures == The McGees were initially hesitant to break into the TV business. After an unsatisfying experience with a production company that wanted the couple to conform to "the quintessential husband-and-wife design construction duo,"<ref name=":2" /> Studio McGee began talks with Netflix in 2018 to create a TV series.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-19 |title=10 Fun Facts From Dream Home Makeover - Studio McGee |url=https://studio-mcgee.com/10-fun-facts-from-dream-home-makeover/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=studio-mcgee.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Filming lasted from August 2019 through July 2020.<ref name=":2" /> The reality series ''Dream Home Makeover'' premiered on Netflix on October 16, 2020 and lasted four seasons.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Agate |first=Samantha |date=2023-12-19 |title=Shea and Syd McGee Will Not Be Returning for Another Season of Netflix’s ‘Dream Home Makeover’ |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/shea-syd-mcgee-not-returning-131335147.html |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=Yahoo Entertainment |language=en-US}}</ref>
Shea and Syd McGee released a memoir and design book, ''Make Life Beautiful'', on October 27, 2020. The book became a New York Times bestseller on November 15 of that year.<ref name=":4">{{Cite magazine |last=Chubb |first=Hannah |date=November 13, 2020 |title=From Flat Broke to Netflix Fame: How Dream Home Makeover’s Syd and Shea McGee Risked It All |url=https://people.com/home/from-flat-broke-to-netflix-fame-how-dream-home-makeovers-syd-and-shea-mcgee-risked-it-all/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113222847/https://people.com/home/from-flat-broke-to-netflix-fame-how-dream-home-makeovers-syd-and-shea-mcgee-risked-it-all/ |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |access-date= |magazine=People}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous Books - Best Sellers - Books - Nov. 15, 2020 - The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2020/11/15/advice-how-to-and-miscellaneous/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 2023, the Shea McGee released ''The Art of Home'', her company's first coffee table design book, making the New York Times bestseller list on October 1.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Donovan |first=Blair |date=September 19, 2023 |title=Shea McGee Says This Controversial Color Is the “New Neutral” |url=https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/shea-mcgee-the-art-of-home-book-review-37304822 |access-date=April 5, 2026 |website=Apartment Therapy}}</ref>
== Awards and recognition == By 2020, Studio McGee had acquired 1.3 million followers on Instagram and 235,000 YouTube subscribers.<ref name=":3" />
Studio McGee was nominated for a Shorty Award in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Studio Mcgee - The Shorty Awards |url=http://shortyawards.com/12th/studiomcgee |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=shortyawards.com}}</ref> Studio McGee's Netflix show, ''Dream Home Makeover'', was nominated for Outstanding Instructional and How-To Program at the 49th Daytime Emmy Awards in 2021.
== Further reading ==
* {{Cite web |last=Feinblatt |first=Rachel |title=Shea McGee's Dreamy Utah Home: A Design Journey |url=https://www.modernluxury.com/shea-mcgee-cover-story-interiors/ |access-date=2026-04-05 |website=Modern Luxury |language=en-US}} * {{Cite web |last=Melle |first=Megan O'Neill |date=Oct 30, 2020 |title=Netflix Newcomers Studio McGee on Forging Their Own Path to Interior Design Success |url=https://parade.com/1111524/meganoneill/studio-mcgee/ |access-date=April 5, 2026 |publisher=Parade}} == References == {{reflist}}
Category:Interior design firms Category:American companies established in 2014