A home's entryway serves as its first impression – whether it's stylish and chic, or cluttered and dark, it sets the tone for the rest of the space. And with Studio McGee's latest project reveal, a 10,000-square-foot new build surrounded by Park City's mountainside views, the design team took this fact to heart.
Shea McGee, founder and principal of the renowned interior design studio, shares that her clients were after 'an eclectic style that still had the Studio McGee perspective.' And the vacation home's entryway delivers on that promise, featuring nature-inspired finishes, characterful artwork, and loads of natural light.
Each detail is intentional and warm, a preview of the rest of the impressive Summit Estate reveal. To share more about the space, Shea took to YouTube – here's everything she had to say about putting the Park City home's gorgeous, transitional-style entryway together, from preliminary plans to the final reveal.
A look inside Summit Estate's entryway
'The architecture is modern, but we've softened it through textural materials and lots of interesting layers,' says Shea of the massive Park City home. 'There is so much more beyond this massive pivot door, so come on in.'
Expansive and marked by natural light, the entryway is cozy, organic, and a stunning example of transitional style. Opening up vertically to the rest of the home, it feels airy and bright, but Shea wanted to make sure she was grounding the space at the same time. By replacing drywall with a locally sourced stone finish, which wraps around the whole room, she sought to counteract the high ceilings and transom windows above.
'I didn't want it to feel cold when you walked in the door, so we decided to carry the stone from the exterior onto several walls, and then also add a temper detail. It helped lower the line of sight so that the entryway felt cozier, and it also just added texture and warmth that wouldn't have been there if we had just white walls,' she says.
The stone combined with dark wood beams and bright white paint makes the final design scheme read warm and inviting rather than cold and stark. The charming decor layered on top only adds to the welcoming atmosphere.
Instead of opting for a classic rectangular console table here, Shea went with something a bit different. Bringing in a round table into the middle of the space allowed her to vary the heights of the room's surfaces, and create an eye-catching focal point front and center. Two shorter benches live against the room's walls as well, offering refreshing contrast.
When it came to styling the table, Shea used one of her go-to styling tricks for round consoles: adding in a bit of height. A characterful, textured vase full of foliage acts as a 'central point of height,' she says, while small stacks of books and two bowls create 'levels and layers around that center point.'
A vintage area rug grounds the design scheme, adding texture and depth. 'One theme that you will see carried through the entire home is our clients' love, and our love, of vintage rugs,' says Shea. 'We take clients on trips to Round Top so they can scour the market with us and find pieces that really have meaning to them.'
Artwork makes this whole space sing, and Shea opted for two statement pieces. One, an oversized ski patrol flag in striking red lettering, is hard to miss: 'We went big and bold, and you have this shot of red when you first walk in the door.' On another wall, a small piece with a matching red velvet mat demonstrates how much impact playing with scale in interior design can have on an entire space.
'I love mixing up and surprising people with scale when we are designing homes,' says Shea. 'Once you know this, you'll start to notice designers playing with scale when it comes to artwork. And sometimes it's really big, sometimes it's perfect, and then sometimes you'll intentionally go too small because it feels interesting and makes you tilt your head to the side and look at the artwork more closely.'
Shop the look
This space is just the start of all the Summit Estate reveal has to offer. With nature-inspired details and thoughtfully chosen artwork, it's a stunning preview of the rest of Shea's masterpiece.
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