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.

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

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).

Looking for a way to overcome your unique home dilemmas? Work one-on-one with our expert interior designers for just $159 per room. Get started today with our style quiz.