As the world binge-watched seasons one and two of Dream Home Makeover through the pandemic, it made Studio McGee – made up of Shea McGee and her family – a household name.
Despite having two hit Netflix shows, a collection in Target, a line of interiors and a new book to their name in 2021, McGee and her husband Syd are most ecstatic about the arrival of their third baby girl later this year. The duo are already parents to Wren and Ivy.
McGee talks to The National about how she makes her home work hard for her as she seemingly does it all – parenting, helming a TV show, designing for her clients, heading up a huge studio and working on a brand empire that will soon include a children's interior line – with a smile on her face.
With a new baby on the way, McGee has been considering her own home and how it may need to adapt. “We originally had a guest room planned upstairs, but luckily, I hadn’t quite gotten around to designing it. We’ll now be turning that space into a nursery for baby girl McGee. In the rest of the home, we are definitely going to be removing the decor from our ottoman, adding a baby gate and taking away the plates from the open shelves on our island."
I'm a big fan of performance fabrics that clean up easily
Baby-proofing a home is a big question for most parents. Is it better to move furniture around and hide everything to accommodate the baby, or teach them to respect their environment right off the bat? “I think it’s a balance,” she says. “Our home decor at a toddler’s reach is very minimal until kids are about 3 and just don’t really know any better. But then as they grow, we definitely teach them where the horseplay can take place – they can jump on their beds and build forts and make messes, but no eating on the velvet couch, for example. I’m also a big fan of performance fabrics that clean up easily.”
For many families, more than one child and a busy work schedule often means the home front is left to wilt and look rather unloved. Finding ways to make a space at once homely, well designed and functional is tough. But McGee has a top tip to counter this: "Everything has a place is my motto when it comes to teaching my kids to help clean up with me.
"With kids, you have to make storage easy. I love styling woven baskets around my house, they’re beautiful but also make for easy, functional storage – I hide toys, blankets and shoes in baskets around the home.
"I also keep storage bins in the children’s closets to keep their toys organised and out of sight. If everything has a place in the home, then it’s easy for the kids – or me – to pick up after play time.”
Storage baskets in the UAE
If you fancy taking a leaf out of McGee's book, here are a range of options of storage baskets available in the UAE, to suit various budgets:
Home Centre, Dh35
A handcrafted round storage basket that is stylish and eco-friendly, this is ideal to stash blankets or sort smaller items within a wardrobe. Its neutral tones fit into most interiors, while you can add different sizes or a trio for maximum display value.
H&M, Dh99
The brand's jute basket is also the perfect selection for storing toys or smaller items around the home. It's easy to walk around while adding to it, then stash away for another day. It looks great and can be easily grabbed by its top handles for on-the-go play dates.
Zara Home, Dh159
A great novelty basket for the children's room, this is made with woven seagrass and features a fun colourful design with a toggle closure. It will look great on a shelf to store little trinkets.
Bound No82, Dh282
Local to Abu Dhabi, Bound No82 sources baskets and design elements from all over the globe including some stunning woven gourd bowls. The baskets are handwoven using natural plant fibres such as Llala and Indaza, which are grown in Bulawayo. Each is unique in size and shape, adding individuality to the display design, and is perfect for storing all those entranceway items such as keys, wallets, glasses, masks and all those smaller items that often clutter the home.
West Elm, Dh625
If you're looking to store larger items, then this lidded modern weave basket in handwoven rattan peel and whitewashed is the one. The stylish neutral basket can magic away all those extra cushions and large toys that litter the home and get it tidy quickly.
More coverage from the Future Forum
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20front-axle%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E218hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E330Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20touring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E402km%20(claimed)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh215%2C000%20(estimate)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeptember%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Read more from Mina Al-Oraibi
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
Arctic Monkeys
Tranquillity Base Hotel Casino (Domino)
