EP 6 "Designing with Heart", A conversation with Dorothy McGhee of McGhee Studios

In this episode of On the Move: The Art of Interior Installations, hosts Kelly and Caralee Caudelle sit down with rising design star Dorothy McGhee, founder of McGhee Studios. Known for her warm collected aesthetic and fearless use of materiality, Dorothy shares her unique journey from the vendor side of the industry to becoming one of Atlanta's most exciting designers to watch. 

From her philosophy of "accessible luxury" to the importance of trust and collaboration with trade partners, Dorothy reveals the behind the scenes challenges that shape every project. She opens up about her inspirations, her superpower for reading clients, and the emotional impact of that magical "final reveal" moment.

Listeners will also hear about Dorothy's participation in the Serenbe Showhouse, her big plans for McGhee Studios and why relationships are the foundation of great design. 

As always, Kelly and Caralee weave in their perspective from the installation side, proving once again that white glove service isn't just what Caudelle does, it's they are Always at Your Service.

Tune in for inspiration, insider stories, and a witty, heartfelt look at the art of design and installation. 

Thank you for tuning in to On the Move – The Art of Installation. If you’re as passionate about details as we are, hit “subscribe,” and join us for insights, stories, and strategy from the field. If you’re ready to work with a team that moves with purpose, professionalism, and polish. Reach out to us at www.caudelle.com or follow us on, Instagram @caudelle_installation. Check out our BLOG, The “WHITE GLOVE JOURNAL”, where you can find our show notes and updates.

Transcript

KELLY: [00:00:00] Welcome back to On the Move, the Art of Interior Installations. I'm Kelly Caudelle. 

CARALEE: And I'm Caralee. And today we have a very special guest who knows exactly how to transform ideas into environments with style, soul, and artistry. 

KELLY: Joining us is the incredibly talented Dorothy McGhee founder of McGhee Studios. Dorothy has built a reputation for blending timeless design with fresh creativity and her studio's work has become a touchstone for clients who want spaces that not only look beautiful.

But truly feel lived in and loved. 

CARALEE: we will be talking with Dorothy about her design journey, her inspirations, and the behind the scenes challenges and triumphs of installations that most people never get to see. Her bio says that she is a rising star in the design world. Recently named one to watch for her bold, yet approachable perspective. With a unique background on the vendor side of the industry and a recent full-time transition into design. She brings a layered understanding of both product and [00:01:00] process that sets her apart, known for her warm, collected aesthetic, and sharp eye for materiality.

She creates a space that feels both elevated and effortless. At McGee Studios, Dorothy focuses on making luxury accessible and helping homeowners, builders and developers see the beauty in every detail while streamlining the process. No matter the project, her focus remains the same. Clarity, creativity, and a lasting sense of vision.

KELLY: It's so greatly talking, settling on list, diving into the art of design and installation with Dorothy McGee of McGee Studios. So tell us a little bit about yourself and your design background. Where are you from? What got you interested in design? Just expand from there. 

DOROTHY: First of all, I just wanna thank you guys for having me.

CARALEE: Of course. 

DOROTHY: So happy be here. I, was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I am of Caribbean descent. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up my inspiration for design actually comes from that. My grandmother was always making custom pillows and custom [00:02:00] drapery and changing the art in the house.

KELLY: So, you obviously didn't take a traditional route on, interior design, so what prompted you, I guess, to make the leap into interior design? 

DOROTHY: I fell into interior design. my background is on the vendor side, so I assisted with spearheading a project called Design Services with a local vendor, and I was working as a liaison between homeowners and third party contractors.

And I was like, wow, I'm really good at this. coming from the vendor side in sales I was always really emboldened by the client experience. when I realized that I had a knack for design and creating the client experience was really important to me I said, why not put those two together?

so MCG Studios was formed. That's amazing. congratulations. That's great to see, somebody. appreciate that about themselves and be able to make that leap and put those steps together. even as a professional artist, I'm always like, I think I could do that.

And then, you [00:03:00] know, you're just like, I'll get to it, I'll get to it. And the confidence 

KELLY: to that. that to me, is such a big part of things because, you know, like you just said, everybody. Talks about, yeah, I'm pretty good at this. Yeah, I think I could do this. Well, maybe, what do you think?

But to have the oomph to go, you know what, let's do it. Let's rock and roll with it. 

That's, that's, that's powerful. 

That's awesome. 

CARALEE: That's a major leap of phage. but you know. I mean, you never know unless you do and you are now. It's awesome. So, you told us a little about, how, family has really helped with your, vision behind McGee Studios, but what, else influences your design philosophy and how has it evolved over time?

DOROTHY: my ethos as a designer has always been accessible luxury. I think that everybody in every walk of life deserves to have a space that feels really luxurious to them. when you walk in your home, you deserve to feel comforted. At the end of a long day, people work really hard.

that has always been a driving factor in the types of services that I [00:04:00] provide and the types of clientele that I service. Growing a business, you live and you learn. how to approach the services that you are providing. has been curated a little bit, but at the foundation, it's always about providing a service for clients that make them feel peace, essentially.

KELLY: And that's the difference between working for. an average person, or a high end client, it doesn't matter how much money they spend on an installation or design, it matters what they feel like when they come through the front door, 

DOROTHY: 110%.

I think that's why, especially coming from the vendor side and you guys being trade partners, you absolutely understand it's so important. Who you work with in the industry, Like having a trade partner, an installation, a white glove delivery service for example, where when the homeowner comes in, the team is nice and friendly and they make the homeowner not feel uncomfortable during install you can tell that they really care about [00:05:00] your pieces and your products, that were already in the space or that they're placing in the space. it all goes back to client experience at the end of the day. 

KELLY: Yeah, absolutely. 

As a designer, you have to get the client to make you feel comfortable. You have to get them to trust in you. You've got to get them to let you do your thing. we've seen so many times where, a client hires a designer and then questions every. Yeah, exactly. It's a nightmare.

What you have in a successful project, in my opinion, is when the, the client has full trust, respect for you, the designer. And then what entails from that is you have to have the same trust and respect for the trade partners.

Because at the end of the day, no matter how good you are, no matter how tight you and your client are. One of your trade partners screws something up or messes up. It's on you. 

DOROTHY: So I have a saying and I'll attribute this to a good friend of mine, Paul. [00:06:00] Michael. this is a business of relationships.

KELLY: Amen. 

DOROTHY: And I always tell homeowners when I come in their house, first of all, thank you for welcoming into your home. You have to trust me. Right. Trust the expert that you're paying thousands of dollars to do the job. And then I also have to trust the experts that I hire. 

Because the thing about it is, I'm not gonna tell the contractor what size lumber to buy. I'm not gonna tell the hfi where to put the vents. Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? we all work as, Felt well. Yeah, exactly. A cohesive, well-oiled theme. Absolutely. Gotcha.

Hundred percent. 

CARALEE: What do you think inspires you most when starting a new project? do you think it's the architecture, the client lifestyle? 

DOROTHY: Where do you really start with your work? Oh my gosh, it really is just such a mixture of things, you know, the person. Is always the inspiration, right? Because like I'm looking at you, I'm like, oh my God, she's so cool. So I immediately have kind of an idea as the type of lifestyle that you lead.

You've told me about your daughter and the side of town that you live on and things like that. reading people is [00:07:00] really important. Coming from vendor sales. Oh yeah. Sales. Like you have to know how to read people. Right. Hundred percent. So that always is kind of like a jumping off point.

But then yes, you mentioned like the architecture of the home is so important, and then how the client lives. Do they like to host, how many kids do they have? How old are their children? Are we designing for a multi-generational family? what. Are the uses for all of these different spaces and then functionality?

Yeah, functionality. It's where function and form intersect is the service that I provide. but you always want to, respect the architecture of homes it's a fine balance of mixing everything the client wants. And designing something that's functional, beautiful.

And authentic. coming from a sales background I think is what helps. And is probably like a superpower 

CARALEE: for you, is being able to see and take immediate reads of people and their life and working all of that in together.

those are all things that affect your daily life and how you spend your life. So that's really great that You have that in your back pocket too. 

DOROTHY: I definitely consider it a superpower. I feel [00:08:00] so lucky. for the path that brought me here.

all of my different experiences, I've learned how I want to run a business and how I don't want to run business, you know, so I feel super, super blessed, to have taken this specific path. 

KELLY: Well, and nothing that I wanna add to that is. It is you listen to your clients, whether you're in sales, design, no matter what it is.

And that follows through even onto our end. like you said, you try to learn more about their lifestyle. You try to learn, what are all things they do? You're listening, you're paying attention, you're formulating in your head. And the thing that I look at that and and respect.

From a designer is because believe it or not, we have to do the same thing as an installation company. your first project with somebody, you're both trying to basically fill each other out. it's so funny, we work with so many [00:09:00] different designers.

Some are very direct. not. ugly or anything, it's just they say what they want. Mm-hmm. Then you have some that are indecisive. You have some that ask your opinion. And all of that is fine. It's just the learning curve and you want that curve to be as quick as possible.

DOROTHY: I'll tell you, for me personally, it goes back to what we were saying earlier about trusting the expert, I, as a designer. Only want to work with trade partners that I have full trust and confidence in. 100%. 'cause again, I don't know everything. So I come to my general contractor and say, Hey, here's this pretty thing that I imagined.

Will it work? How do we make it work? Do you have a recommendation on how to make that work? I was talking to Kai about these window treatments that I need to install. here's all the specs. You guys let know, what I need to order. because I trust you guys 

To tell me this is how we best make it work. I expect the same respect from, my on the other side. 

KELLY: it all boils back down to listening. 

DOROTHY: [00:10:00] hearing internalizing. We talk kids that all the time. I want you to hear me and process, 

KELLY: Well, we tell our spouses that, or there's clients 

DOROTHY: to tell us. 

KELLY: But you know, it is just, once you connect on that level, and. People listening, look, your first, jobs together, whether you're an installation company, whether you're a designer, it's, and we keep talking on it, is finding the trade partners that work.

So, what my suggestion is, meet somebody, talk to 'em, get to know 'em, like, any other, situation. And then just work together. by doing that, you'll both develop trust in each other can depend on each other and can always look out for each other for sure. I guess what I'm curious about also is on an install day, what do you think the biggest challenges designers [00:11:00] face?

DOROTHY: If you've prepared yourself and you have a good team, there's really not a ton of challenges, right? Yes. Hundred percent. that's answer I was looking for. There shouldn't, there shouldn't be, right? I like to go into an install day with a very.

Loose plan, You have your schedule. You know, your window that you can expect your truck. Your 

clients homeowners hopefully are not there. When you're doing the install, you know what you're bringing yourself. you have a good team, so you have a patch list of things to attack once you're on site.

of course nothing ever goes as planned. One of the challenges that I personally face that I think maybe a lot of other designers face too, is that we try to be a little bit too in control. you give yourself anxiety and you need to be able to go with the flow a little bit.

If your electrician's late, there's 10 other things that can happen, while you're waiting on the electrician to get there. You know, he shouldn't be late. Things happen. And so, just being able to glow with the flow and like take a deep breath. But I think overall the most important thing, is just the logistics.

there's a lot of deliveries coming in. and just [00:12:00] overseeing making sure that everybody's doing what they're supposed to do. 

CARALEE: Yeah.

CARALEE: the final reveal, talking about installs is very emotional. sometimes your electrician doesn't show up on time or he's a little late.

how do you ensure that the moment your client gets to see the final product is, seamless and magical for them.

DOROTHY: that's a really good question. I think what we do as designers is about creating an experience, So when you open the front door and they walk in it's that, oh my gosh, my vision has been realized.

I don't know if I can tell you exactly. How I ensure that happens. I mean, I follow the rendering

plan and I know surprises, I think it's like a culmination of the entire process, right? 

I told you a was gonna happen then I executed a and then you see a and you're like, oh my gosh, I couldn't visualize a, but it's here and this is my space. that whole welcome to your new home moment is.

It's really emotional, you know, you are creating something for somebody. and it's making them emotional. [00:13:00] That's like a big deal. You're really lucky to be able to create that for someone. it 

CARALEE: Ties back into what you're saying too, that, when you meet with your client, you're really seeing them, you're really listening, you're really hearing, and then you're able to take all of that and produce what you've talked about.

And that's, getting someone to actually see what they've been talking about Guess what I'm trying to say is having someone realize or see what you've seen or see what you expect to see is being seen in general. I know that's circular. Yeah. I, 

DOROTHY: I think what you're trying say is I, and I'll, reference like a, a client of mine project in town.

We did her entire first floor, but the kitchen was.

It was actually on the cover of Modern Luxury Magazine. Last year. I remember when we did that final install and she came in and she was like, it is better than I could have ever even imagined. You did exactly what I wanted, but I would not have been able to do that. because. You don't know what you don't know.

Right. You have to tell me you like [00:14:00] these colors together. And then the way that I actually make the colors mix Is like, oh my God, I had no idea that this was even possible. And that's why people hire designers for sure. You could have a good taste, but are you able to really.

Create mature, radiated space with your good taste. 

KELLY: Well, 

and you hit very good point there and seeing all the things that, that come through the warehouse. from orange pianos to pink chairs to all this different stuff. I've been doing this 40 plus years, 

DOROTHY: and sometimes you still are like, what's that?

I'm 

KELLY: like, I don't know how they're gonna pull this off, but, okay. And then, You get it out there and you start setting everything up, and then the colors are starting to mesh and then you didn't know what the wall was painted or the paper, all that. There's 

DOROTHY: so many elements that tie it all together and then all of a 

KELLY: sudden, you lay the roads, you get the furniture set down, you get the art hung, and then you're like.

Wow, this is freaking awesome. 

DOROTHY: for any homeowner listening, [00:15:00] this is why designers don't like to piecemeal installations. 

CARALEE: Sure. 

DOROTHY: Right? Because if I just put a, a orange piano down and some pink dining room chairs, you're gonna be like, what the heck is going on here?

Whereas I send everything to my receiver And I get it all delivered at one time. The vision comes together. So seamlessly versus you trying to figure out how this is all gonna work together. And it goes back to that whole client experience.

KELLY: Yes. exactly. 

You miss, The, birth taking moment, when you're one of your onesie, two things. you don't get that. It's 

DOROTHY: part of the experience. 

KELLY: Right. Exactly. 

CARALEE: kind of shifting gears real quick, I know we are probably needing to wrap up, we've talked about your individual approach to, designing and creativity, but what are your thoughts on the Atlanta design community and where do you see yourself as well as the design industry in the next five-ish years?

DOROTHY: I love being a part of the Atlanta interior design community.

We're a, Group mm-hmm. Of designers. there's so [00:16:00] much community and collaboration, any design event or CEU or anything. It's just like seeing friends and family. Great. So, I, I love being a part of the design community McGee Studios. in the next five years I have, I have big, big plans for making studios.

That's great. one day we will be a design build. we'll be doing a lot of production design here in the city. there's a lot on the horizon Alright, 

KELLY: well let's have some fun. we've talked our ears off, but let's have some fun now.

Alright, Dorothy, what is your favorite project to date? 

DOROTHY: My favorite project to date, it's called Project Firefox out in Smyrna. And we just had a lot of fun. She, like, loved color pattern play. so it was a client that really no revisions to the presentation. 

CARALEE: Awesome. 

DOROTHY: and it was a real, expression of personality.

KELLY: Awesome. Okay, let's go off of design here. What's your favorite Atlanta restaurant? 

DOROTHY: My favorite plant, a restaurant has got to be Lala over in Virginia Highlands. It's a really. Cute. Small Italian restaurant, very moody [00:17:00] vibes. great mushroom ragu. so yeah. 

KELLY: Awesome. 

Alright, back to design.

What's a guilty pleasure item that you cannot resist? 

DOROTHY: Oh God, I'm a natural stone girl down. I'll spend all day in slab yards. I have. So many samples that I'm just waiting for the right person to let me use this pink onyx, its in their house. Oh, there you go. Yeah, I'm, I'm a natural stone sample girl all the way.

Love it. 

KELLY: Alright, so if you weren't designing, what would you be doing? 

DOROTHY: If I wasn't designing, I would still be in the creative industry, either as a creative director for an agency or. Maybe a talk show host. 

CARALEE: Yeah, 

DOROTHY: something like that. 

KELLY: Cool. Alright, last one. What advice would you give to a new designer that's wanting to enter the Atlanta Market 

DOROTHY: Network?

Network? Go to the events, work under people in the industry. Learn your trade. Continue to hone your [00:18:00] craft. this industry is a luxury. so a lot of times it's who you know. Not only what you know. definitely create those relationships, and Don't burn bridges. 

CARALEE: So Dorothy, thank you so much for sharing your time and insight with us today. hearing how you personally approach design, but also the way McGee Studios, brings such warmth and elegance into every project is truly inspiring. And it's been great to spend time with you today. 

DOROTHY: I really appreciate you guys having me. For everybody out there listening, you can find me on Instagram, Dorothy dot McGhee Studios. I'm also on TikTok at McGhee Studios. and if you wanna see my work, I will be at the Serenbe show house running September 19th to October 12th.

we're open Thursday through Sunday, so I'd love to see you there. Awesome. 

CARALEE: And to our listeners, thank you for joining us on another episode of On The Move, the Art of Interior Installation.

If you enjoy today's conversation, be sure to follow along. Leave us a review and share this episode with the fellow design lover. Until next time, keep creating, keep designing, and keep [00:19:00] raising the standard of what interiors can be. 

KELLY: White glove installations aren't just what we do, they're who we are always at your service.