This Arizona Home Expertly Blends Traditional New England Style with a Desert-Inspired Palette

It takes a sure hand to translate that classic New England, formal architectural style for a home in the American West and not make it feel sorely out of place. This five-bedroom Arizona house built for homeowners with roots back East is a master class in how it’s done. 

Lucy Call

“The home is designed to be a really beautiful blend of both styles: a desert-inspired earthy-organic palette with East Coast heritage details throughout every space,” says designer Shea McGee. McGee, the Salt Lake City-based phenom, has spent the last decade working her way to household-name status. She and her husband and business partner Syd were among the first generation of Instagram users to harness the power of sharing personal home renovation stories back in 2014. And their telegenic looks and classic good taste were tailor-made for the multi-platform interiors era. They produce and star in the Netflix show Dream Home, wrote two best-selling books, and have had successful collaborations with Studio McGee for Target, Kohler, Ann Sacks, and Master Class. 

Lucy Call

However, their first love—designing elegant but practical and family-friendly homes—is alive and well, and their team is busy interpreting the brand’s aesthetic for clients across the country. This Arizona new-build for a family of six embodies the McGee sensibility, incorporating a limited color palette of ivory, warm gray, earthy clay, and soft greens; light, low-sheen wood; a mix of vintage and contemporary furnishings; and smart proportions that respond to a modern family’s needs.

Lucy Call

With five bedrooms, five-and-a-half baths, and a private guest suite above the garage, the home balances grand scale with intimate spaces. A green-painted front door sets the tone for an interior defined by traditional wood paneling, parquet floors, intricate tile work, and details one might expect to find in homes built in the last century.

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“We were lucky to have such trusting clients who knew the value of wall paneling,” says McGee. “Paneling and molding add so much character to a space and help it feel more intentionally designed.”

Lucy Call

A large hangout space with a pool table, a TV, and an oversized sectional was created for family time with their two teenagers, their adult children, and the two dogs. Each of the kids’ bedrooms reflects their hobbies, like music, fishing, camping, and sports. 

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The stand-out feature of the house has to be the dual kitchen concept. The main, more formal kitchen that’s part of the open-plan living area features custom cabinets and a sprawling five-by-thirteen-foot island. There’s also a pass-through window over the sink designed for indoor/outdoor entertaining. A built-in plate rack displays vintage porcelain, collected locally at secondhand shops. Then the back kitchen, which is like an expanded butler’s pantry, is a cozier place to house the mess. 

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“It’s a pantry/prep kitchen,” says McGee. “We’ve done a lot of these over the years, and this is one of my favorites. Our client says it’s the most used room in the house! It stores most of their food and baking supplies. She says it ends up being a space they all congregate in to chat as she’s cooking.”

Lucy Call

Set against the backdrop of the Sonoran Desert, it’s an approachable, comfortable house that feels elevated enough for large-scale entertaining without feeling precious. And while it honors the past with design rooted in tradition, it’s a contemporary interpretation that meets a modern family’s needs.

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