It’s Studio McGee’s Six Year Anniversary!
A timeline of the six years that built us
18 September 2020 -
It’s the sixth anniversary of Studio McGee, and we can hardly believe it!
To celebrate, we’re sharing a timeline of the years that built us, from a spare bedroom to an overflowing (virtual) office and everything in-between.
2012
Shea’s always been interested in design and decides to start taking design classes from her local community college.
2013
Employee count: One! Shea starts her design journey remodeling her own home and sharing each step of the process on social media. In her new book, “Make Life Beautiful,” she shares even more about the stories and humble beginnings of Studio McGee.
Location: Southern California
June 18, 2013:
Shea announced her business, Shea McGee Design on instagram!
2014:
What life looked like: Shea running all parts of the business. From actual design work to ordering, and even billing.
Employee count: Two! Welcome Syd.
Location: Southern California
July 2014:
We announce that Syd is joining the team! Syd was at a pivoting point in his marketing career, and Shea was getting more and more clients. Syd took on the business side, so Shea had time to be creative! This is also the time they coined their signature “Make Life Beautiful.”
September 2014:
Team McGee begins work on one of our first, big projects: The Modern Mountain Home! This is the home that was featured on Arch Digest, and has been reposted hundreds times on instagram!
2015:
What life looked like:
How many employees we had: 11
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah!
Instagram Followers: We hit 150,000!
January 2015:
The McGee’s took a risk, and moved to Utah to give Studio McGee their all. They sold everything and moved our small family to Salt Lake City! Here they are in their first studio in the downtown area. See the photo tour here.
“My favorite thing about Studio McGee is the team feels like one big family. The fondest memories I have were when we were at the old office. It was small and intimate, and you could hear and see everyone at all times, and we would have discussions and conversations as a whole office. It was so much fun.” – Michelle Kim, Sr. Manager of Customer Experience
June 2015:
The launch of Studio McGee Home Collection. It featured pillow designs by both Syd and Shea!
October 2015:
We’ve already outgrown our space and start working on our next office space, located in Holladay, Utah!
December 2015:
We welcomed baby Ivy to the McGee team!
2016:
How many employees we had: 28
Location: Holladay, Utah!
Instagram Followers: we hit 300,000
We move into our new office! Tour that space on the blog here.
Modern Mountain Home:
Windsong Project:
July 2016:
We launch our Youtube! We start with a series called “House to Home” and kick it off with a teaser:
And then we showed you how me made our rental feel like our own:
August 16, 2016:
We launch McGee & Co.!! We announced: “We’ve handpicked our favorite pieces to create a shop that embodies Studio McGee’s signature style: bright, clean, and collected. It features tailored pieces mixed with organic elements that are both classic and modern.“
This picture of Wren walking into Heritage Mercantile is really special. The McGee’s had no idea that one day this would be our future McGee & Co. store!!!!
2017:
How many employees we had: 39
Location: Holladay, Utah / Costa Mesa, CA
Instagram Followers: we hit 600,000
Our first ever catalogue! It had a cozy, winter holiday theme. You can still view it online here!
“My favorite thing about Studio McGee is the people!! I love coming to work and being surrounded by some of the smartest, funniest, most talented people I know. One of my favorite memories is of Christmas time in 2017. It was my first year with SM and we had our first BIG company holiday party at an amazing restaurant downtown. The team decorated everything so beautifully and we all had such a blast! The icing on the cake was a lovely hand written card from Syd and Shea. I will always remember the night with such a feeling of gratitude and love. And yes, I still have the card!: – Teresa Keck, Sr. Director of Customer Experience
2018:
How many employees we had: 55
Location: from Holladay to Lehi, Utah! / Costa Mesa, CA
Instagram Followers: we hit 800,000
April 21, 2017
We opened our storefront! It was a last minute opportunity we couldn’t pass up, and we were so in love with our little shop in Costa Mesa, California. See the photo tour and read more about it, then watch the webisode!
Recognize this door?
We outgrew our Holladay location, and relocated yet again! We took the office to Lehi, Utah. You recently shared the photo tour on the blog! (It only took us a year to shoot the space)
The McGee’s begin working on our own home! After years of making homes for others, they finally got to start working their our dream home.
2019:
How many employees we had: 80
Location: Lehi, Utah / Costa Mesa, CA
Instagram Followers: We’re at 900,000
The happiest of site visits!
“I love walking into a beautiful space every single day, whether it’s our office space, or a clients home. Nothing feels more rewarding than leaving a home (or a life) more beautiful than you found it.” – Kristine Metcalf, Director of Visual Merchandising
“One of my favorite things about Studio McGee is the diversity of projects. I’m consistently in awe of all the beautiful, yet unique, spaces that the team produces project after project.” – Ruth Yohannes, HR Director
2020:
How many employees we have: We’re up to110!
Location: Lehi, Utah / Costa Mesa, CA
Instagram Followers: We hit 1 million this year! We’re at 1.3 now!
This year we worked on and finished more dream projects, completed The McGee Home, wrote a book, launched our partnership with Threshold for Target, and will be releasing a show! (more details to come on that soon).
We got to shoot our winter catalogue in The McGee Home! You can see the full digital version here.
Syd & Shea in front of the completed McGee Home exterior in McGee & Co.’s Summer Catalogue.
“I love working at Studio McGee because I always feel like my work and my creativity are valued. Everyone is so vocally supportive and appreciative of each other’s contributions.” – Laura Smith, Visual Content Producer
The cover of our first book! “Make Life Beautiful,” comes out in a little over a month and we couldn’t be more excited!
“My favorite thing about Studio McGee is all the kind-hearted and extremely talented people we get to work with. I remember my first week of working at the company, being blown away how appreciative, warm, and supportive everyone was towards me and my work. Almost three years later, I still feel the same! Happy 6th Anniversary, Studio McGee. Cheers to many more years!” – Madison Mansfield, Executive Assistant