The Studio McGee Effect

The Studio McGee Effect: When your favourite things become oversaturated, is it time to end your relationship and move on?

I saw a recent post on Instagram where the woman behind a home styling account talked about how she was craving individuality. Simply stating that she had begun to feel like she wanted her home to feel more personal and less trendy earned her the immediate loss of 200 followers, many who rudely announced their departure. This woman, let’s call her Natasha, wasn’t saying that popular things are bad; she was merely saying that she felt like she was seeing a lot of the same things over and over and she was feeling uninspired. I didn’t send hate mail to Natasha because I also understand feeling a little bit bored of potted olive trees (and I don’t make a habit of sending hate mail to people).

For the record: I love olive trees. They remind me of traveling up the Italian Riviera on my Honeymoon, and they remind me of charcuterie; what’s not to love? If I came to your home and I saw an olive tree I would love that too (though in this scenario I would prefer if I was visiting your home on the Italian Riviera). My point is that it is absolutely okay to like things that are popular and to partake in popular trends. Not everything you do has to be Art House or one of a kind or provocative. What really matters is that you like the things in your home.

White Marble

It is tricky to reconcile liking something that is oversaturated. It is not simply a case of wanting to be the only person who has something cool. Sure, it might bring out some complicated feelings when people start jumping on your band wagon. It might feel irritating when your treasured item suddenly has knockoffs of varying quality in every store. For me, it is simply a matter of being overexposed to the point where I stop seeing beauty in the object because I stopped seeing the object. Appreciating the beauty in white marble was easy before there were white marble patterned phone cases, leggings, towels, water bottles, mugs, etc. everywhere you looked. I wouldn’t have blinked if Jeep had come out with a white marble Wrangler in 2018, in fact I’m surprised they didn’t. White Marble was the hottest thing around and the more Pop Sockets I saw the less I found myself needing it in my home. When I misplaced my Swell bottle I was ready to move on. Jokingly I referred to this as the Studio McGee Effect.

The “Studio McGee Effect”

I say “Studio McGee Effect” in a lighthearted way and with zero shade. Shea and her design team have created a style that is recognizable and approachable. I feel no negativity towards her work, regardless of whether or not it is to my personal style. You cannot deny that she is talented nor that she is creating a look that people love. I simply refer to the phenomenon that is being overexposed to something to the point where you develop a complicated relationship with this thing. You probably can easily name a song that you loathe for this very reason, especially if you’ve ever worked in retail. The Studio McGee Effect is when you don’t really like something, or do you just not like it because you are being contrarian? Or it is when you do like something. Wait, do you just like it because it is popular? This is how I feel when I look at Studio McGee’s work. Do I like it because everyone else does? Do I dislike it because I want to dislike it?

Many online have shared similar feelings. Some cited their dislike of blind mimicry of designers who make it big, some were just begging to see shelf decor they hadn’t seen before. Nobody really found carved wooden chains hideous they would just be happy to not see them again. When I nosed around the internet there were few specific grievances with Studio McGee designs; it wasn’t the quality of transitional/modern farmhouse homes, it was the quantity. The sheer amount of white walls and board and batten and gold pendant lamps was enough.

Defining Your Own Style

Defining your personal style is complicated when you have thousands of inspirational photos available at any moment. One beautiful gold mirror creates waves of imitations and DIY attempts. There is an inexplicable pressure to have a home that everyone wants balanced with a desire to have a home that nobody has.

Here are a few ways to avoid falling into this trap:

1. Thrifting and DIYing give you one-of-a-kind results. Instead of buying popular brass “found objects” from a big store see if you can actually find some unique brass objects that you love.
2. If you truly love something don’t buy a dupe if you do not actually want the dupe. This is the interior design equivalent of being in an unhappy relationship because you don’t want to be alone. It’s better to live with no carved wooden bowls than a carved wooden bowl you hate.
3. If a trend doesn’t go with your style you have three options: 1. Say “Cute, but not for me” and move on. 2. Say “I love it” and embrace it. or 3. Say “I love it” and try to force something that isn’t working. Again much like a relationship, don’t choose to force something that isn’t working.
4. Don’t take it too seriously. Enjoy things while you enjoy them and move on when you don’t.

Is there anything that you used to like before it was popular? Let me know below!