Shea McGee Shares The #1 Living Room Design Mistake She Always Sees

Kelsey Clark · August 26, 2024

Modern living room with charcoal sectional, warm neutrals, exposed brick, and layered lighting creating a cozy, inviting atmosphere.

Few people have made a mark on the design world quite like Shea McGee of Studio McGee. The Salt Lake City-based interior designer started out by sharing personal home projects on Instagram in 2014, and now owns her own successful design firm, sits at the helm of its retail outpost McGee & Co, hosts the Netflix show Dream Home Makeover, and is overall one of the biggest names in the industry. What’s more, the designer has popularized the warm transitional look marked by cozy earth tones, traditional details, and soft florals that team Havenly knows and loves.

Serene minimalist living room in soft cream and beige tones with shiplap accents and natural textures throughout.

So when she shared the most common living room design mistakes she sees in people’s homes, we were intrigued. In a conversation with Domino about her new design Masterclass, Shea revealed that there are two mistakes she notices when people are laying out a living room: “One is buying furniture that doesn’t fit in the space, and the other is not considering the flow of the room and how it leads into the rest of the home,” she told the publication.

Let’s Break It Down

Transitional living room blending warm leather seating with brick fireplace, arched windows, and contemporary black accents for timeless elegance.

The first design mistake has to do with scale. “Too-small furniture can leave a living room feeling cold and bare, and adversely, too-large furniture can make it feel closed in and unwelcoming,” she explains. It’s crucial to take note of the size of your living room — including ceiling, door, and window height — and select pieces that feel proportional to the space. For example, a large living room with tall ceilings will need larger pieces of furniture, like a sprawling sectional, to feel complete and cozy — a two-seater sofa, scattered accent seating, and a 30-inch coffee table just won’t do the trick.

The second faux pas is all about proper flow and functionality. “How the space functions is just as important as how it looks and feels, and often, fixing the function will organically fix the look,” notes Shea. That means leaving breathing room between furniture pieces and carving out space for proper walkways when designing your living room. The room should feel finished, but not crowded — you should easily be able to move through one room and into the next without interruption (or confusion).

Want a designer to catch your own scale and flow issues before you buy?

Shea's two mistakes, wrong-scale furniture and poor flow, are two of the easiest to make and the hardest to see in your own room. A Havenly designer can walk through your space and catch them before you commit to a purchase.

Take the Havenly style quiz — it takes 10 minutes and matches you with a designer who'll help you get scale and flow right the first time.

Not ready to commit? Try Havenly AI — snap a photo of your living room and see a better-scaled layout applied to it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the most common living room design mistake?

Buying furniture that's the wrong scale for the room. Too small and it feels bare, too large and it feels cramped, and both are hard to notice until the piece is already in the room.

How do I know if my furniture is the right size for my room?

Look at your ceiling, door, and window heights along with your square footage. Taller ceilings and bigger rooms call for larger-scale pieces, like a sprawling sectional instead of a two-seater sofa.

What does 'flow' mean in interior design?

Flow is how easily you can move through a room and into the next one. Good flow means clear walkways and enough breathing room between furniture pieces.

How much space should I leave between furniture?

Aim for at least 30 to 36 inches in main walkways so people can move through the room comfortably without turning sideways.

What's the easiest way to test scale before buying furniture?

Tape out the dimensions of the piece on your actual floor with painter's tape. It takes five minutes and catches most scale mistakes before they become an expensive return.

Can a room have good flow but still feel cramped?

Yes, if the furniture itself is oversized for the space, even with clear walkways. Flow and scale are related but separate problems, and both need to be right.