Here Are 5 Design Lessons We’re Taking from Shea McGee’s Holiday Home
Now that December is here, I can finally start decorating for Christmas. Despite the decorations going up earlier and earlier every year, I am a traditionalist and have to wait until December before a fir comes anywhere near my home. So I have patiently waited, watching all my favorite designers decorate their homes, and now that it’s time to do my own, the inspiration is abundant.
This year, I’m being inspired by the iconic designer Shea McGee and her charmingly decorated holiday home. For me, it’s the perfect balance of chic yet charming, and it nails the trend for a nostalgic Christmas without going too kitsch.
As Shea walks us through the home, I couldn’t help but take note of the many holiday design ideas that she’s implemented to make each room come to life with seasonal charm. A grand porch display, a welcoming entry, even an intricately embellished 10-foot-tall tree – all of these ideas and more just radiate timeless festive energy that I, for one, want to try out in my own home.
5 Design Lessons We’re Taking From Shea McGee’s Holiday Home
Although there are tons of design ideas to take from the 14-minute-long holiday house tour that Shea’s uploaded to the Studio McGee website, I’ve pulled out five that I’d consider to be the most easily replicable. With these ideas, your Christmas home will look as stunning as Shea’s in no time.
1. Create a Grand Exterior Display With Classic Decorations
Before even setting foot inside Shea’s home, we’re greeted with the most stunning exterior decor display, featuring an array of wreaths, garlands, and mini evergreen trees. These outdoor Christmas decorations are rather traditional, and Shea’s kept the styling minimal by adding just a few red bows here and there. So what makes this exterior holiday display so grand? Its scale.
‘The exterior this year is a little bit different than I’ve done in years past in that I went really large with the wreaths on the windows, and then I did a massive one on my garage,’ Shea explains in her video. The large size of these wreaths makes an impressive impact – not only on the windows themselves, but on the overall vision of the home. Paired with long strands of garland that wrap the porch columns and frame the front door, the wreaths aid in developing a design scheme that’s as striking as it is visually appealing.
Shea’s exterior decor is proof that you don’t need to go crazy with your outdoor holiday display – quite the opposite, actually. With a few simple and slightly oversized wreaths (like this Artificial Pre-Lit Fir Christmas Wreath from Target), some complementary bushy garlands (like this Mixed Evergreen Foliage strand), and a few red ribbon bows here and there, your Christmas porch will look just as classic and timeless as Shea’s, with a hint of grandeur.
2. Allow the Entryway to Set the Tone
Shea used a mix of antique silver photo frames to create a stylish setup on her entryway table. You can use this Antique Style Photo Frame from Amazon and this Round Metal Picture Frame from Macy’s to achieve a similar look.
(Image credit: McGee & Co)
As soon as we’re brought into Shea’s house, she stops us in the entryway. Complete with a console table decorated with all sorts of charming objects, this display ‘sets the tone for my Christmas vision this year,’ Shea explains.
It’s a healthy mix of old finds and new pieces, colorful details as well as sleek metallics. To make the scene come to life, Shea incorporated a miniature evergreen tree that’s been cleverly placed in a Chinoiserie ginger jar (like this one from McGee & Co.) and decorated it with glistening gold pears. ‘I always like to have a tree in my entryway on the tabletop, and instead of doing an eclectic mix of ornaments, I went all in on these gold pears,’ the designer says. These Gilded Pear Ornaments may be sold out on the designer’s website, but this Sugar Pear Glass Ornament from Crate & Barrel can help you achieve a similar look.
Also on her entryway table is an assortment of vintage silver picture frames (like these Blanche Pewter Frames from her site) filled with black and white photos of her family and some silver bow taper candle holders to match. These silver details tastefully contrast the gold fruit hanging on the tree to create a distinctly warm and unique setup.
Rather than a meticulously curated assortment of perfect decorations, this tabletop display of Christmas decor feels layered, collected, and full of character – just like the rest of the holiday decor in Shea’s home. It teaches us that sometimes the best holiday displays are the ones that value authenticity over perfection.
3. Use a Tall Tree to Anchor the Room With Festive Flair
Don’t forget about the presents! You can wrap yours with Shea’s Hestercombe Floral Gift Wrap, the Forager’s Gift Wrap, or the Highland Plaid Gift Wrap for a traditional holiday look.
(Image credit: McGee & Co)
The Christmas tree is usually the focal point of any holiday decor display, but Shea’s tree is the ultimate show stopper – not only because of its size, but because of its decorations, too. At 10’ tall, this Grandis Fir is McGee & Co.’s tallest artificial tree to date. With its height and its elaborate decorations, this tree tastefully grounds Shea’s living room with festive style and sets the tone for the room itself.
As for the tree’s design, Shea and her team started by incorporating an unusual addition – hydrangeas. ‘I love my hydrangeas so much. They bring me so much joy in the summer, and now they’re going to bring me joy through the holiday season,’ the designer explains as she fills gaps in the tree with McGee & Co.’s Green Hydrangea Stems.
After the flowers, Shea added clip-on candles (like this set of 10 from Grandin Road), garland strands (McGee & Co.’s Batavia Brass Garland is sold out, but the Petite Gold Garland is still in stock), and ornaments. Because she wanted to create a warm palette, Shea chose baubles in shades of brown, tan, and red. She added some personality pieces, too – including this Greenhouse Ornament and a set of Stoneware Ginger Jar Ornaments. Finally, Shea tied long red ribbons in bows around the tree to stylishly drape over the entire display.
Because of its substantial size, Shea’s tree acts as an anchor for this Christmas living room. If you don’t have the space for a 10′ tree in your home, take inspiration from Shea’s decorating and incorporate flowers, garland, neutral baubles, and personality ornaments on the tree, as well as long ribbons to top off the entire look. This will help your Christmas tree feel like the statement piece it deserves to be.
4. Create an Asymmetrical Mantel Statement
Don’t forget about the coffee table, too. Shea styled hers with two Tottenham Taper Holders, a Polished Brass Bell, and the Ashcroft Wicker Tray, among other things.
(Image credit: McGee & Co)
Shea gave us a sneak peek of her asymmetrical Christmas mantel a few weeks ago, but in her latest Christmas decor video, she went into further detail explaining how this setup came to be.
‘I wanted this really huge statement off to one side of my mantel,’ Shea says. Because her mantel is already so large (it’s almost as tall as the designer herself!), the proportions of her decorations were an important consideration. That’s why she chose to layer three garland strands to build up the display, making it appear much more substantial. She finished the look with a large, draping white bow that ties the scene together.
Instead of playing it safe and stringing a singular strand of garland across your Christmas mantel this holiday season, use Shea’s asymmetrical display as inspiration to try something new. With a couple of strands of garland (like McGee & Co.’s Pinecone and Berries Faux Garland and the Norfolk Pine Faux Garland) and a spool of white velvet ribbon (like this White Velvet Wired Ribbon), you can make your very own rendition of Shea’s asymmetrical Christmas mantel.
5. Use Extra Decorations to Style a Second Tree
If you decide to style a second, more sentimental tree in your playroom, consider hanging this McGee & Co. Advent Calendar in the room, too. It’ll give the children something to look forward to every day of the Christmas season.
(Image credit: McGee & Co)
While the main tree in Shea’s house is decorated with a specific, classic Christmas look, the designer decided to feature a second Christmas tree in her craft room for personal ornaments that might not fit the aesthetic of the main tree.
‘[This tree] is where I put all of my handmade ornaments and lots of the playful, charming, and colorful ornaments that we’ve collected over the years,’ Shea explains. The tree is adorned with lots of handmade ornaments made by her children, along with other, more personal decor details. To create a sense of cohesion amongst these handmade pieces, Shea leaned into the playful theme by adding colorful bows onto branches around the tree itself. Even with all of the child-made decor, this tree still looks very sophisticated and charming.
If you’re focused on creating an aesthetically pleasing Christmas tree display in your living room, that might mean that some of your more personal, sentimental ornaments get neglected. So, if space permits, take a page out of Shea’s playbook and consider setting up a smaller tree in a different area of your home (perhaps a hallway, a playroom, or a reading nook). Decorate this tree with the nostalgic, sentimental, handmade ornaments that speak to your family’s story – just like Shea has done.
Shop The Look
West Elm
Red Velvet Clip-On Bow Ornaments (set of 6)
If you’re not interested in making your own Christmas bows with ribbon, you can always buy them pre-made, like this set of six red velvet bows. These are designed with clips on the back, so they can be attached to tree branches, wreaths, or anywhere you’d like.
Pottery Barn
Plaid Stockings
In my opinion, there’s no pattern that speaks to the Christmas season quite like plaid – especially plaid in shades of red, green, and white. This stocking just radiates Christmas spirit with its plaid pattern, and can act as a charming addition to your mantel this holiday season.
Macy’s
48″ Norwood Fir Wreath With 200 Clear Lights
Despite its faux fabrication, this wreath looks as real as can be. That’s because it’s made with significantly more branch tips to give it a fuller look. This wreath is pre-lit, too, so you don’t need to worry about stringing lights through its design. Hang it outside, inside, or any place you want to spread seasonal cheer.
McGee & Co.
3″ Assorted Flocked Baubles (set of 4)
For the main tree in Shea’s home, she used an assortment of ornaments in a similar color scheme. You can do the same with this pack of neutral-toned baubles. From their color to their velvet fabrication, they can set the tone of your tree’s style and complement your more colorful decorations, too.
McGee & Co.
Mccallister Tree Skirt
Any Christmas tree needs a tree skirt. This one from McGee & Co. is a stylish option with its all white look and subtle red detailing. It has a vintage-inspired appeal to it, too, and can become a timeless addition of Christmas decor.
Pottery Barn
Frosted Tabletop Faux Pine Christmas Tree – 2′
On her entryway table, Shea included a miniature Christmas tree as an inviting decorative element. Do the same in your entryway with this mini faux tree. Designed with frosted needles and pinecones, this tree can make your entryway tabletop look like a winter wonderland.
Shea McGee’s home decorated for Christmas is a clear demonstration of how timeless Christmas decorating ideas can make for the most impressive holiday displays – whether that be large wreaths, substantial garland displays, or tall trees brimming with classic ornaments and decorations. So thank you, Shea, now I know just how to decorate my home for the holiday season.
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