The One Affordable Trick Shea McGee Uses to Elevate Every Room in Her Home
When it comes to making a home feel effortlessly polished and put-together, few names carry as much weight as Shea McGee. The co-founder of Studio McGee and star of Netflix's Dream Home Makeover has built an entire brand around the idea that good design doesn't have to be out of reach. But while most people focus on her furniture choices or her signature neutral color palettes, there's one surprisingly modest habit that quietly transforms the way her spaces look and feel — and it costs just $15.
The secret? A professional linen pressing service. That's it. A simple, old-fashioned service offered by most dry cleaners and laundry shops that most of us walk right past. According to McGee, having your towels, bedding, and napkins professionally pressed and finished is the single most underrated upgrade you can make in your home — and once you try it, you'll never go back.
Why Professionally Pressed Linens Make Such a Big Difference
You might be wondering how something as simple as pressing fabric could possibly transform the feel of a room. The answer lies in texture, structure, and the psychology of luxury. When you stay at a high-end hotel, one of the first things you notice is how crisp and smooth the sheets feel against your skin, how the towels seem thicker and more plush, and how even the folded napkins at a nice dinner feel weighty and intentional. That sensation isn't just about thread count or fabric quality — a huge part of it comes down to how those textiles have been finished.
A professional pressing service uses industrial-grade equipment and techniques that home irons simply can't replicate. High-heat steam presses remove deep-set wrinkles, restore the natural body of the fabric, and produce that tight, hotel-quality fold that makes everything look more expensive on sight. The result is linens that feel crisper, look cleaner, and drape with a kind of architectural precision that immediately elevates the rooms they're in.
How to Use This Trick in Your Own Home
The good news is that you don't need a designer budget to get the same results Shea McGee does. Here's how to work this simple upgrade into your regular home routine:
- Find a local dry cleaner or laundry service that offers linen pressing or "wash, press, and fold" services. Most neighborhoods have at least one, and pricing is typically very reasonable — often between $10 and $20 per set depending on your area.
- Start with your guest room or dining table linens if you want to test the results before committing fully. Guest towels and dinner napkins are small investments that deliver an immediate visual payoff.
- Ask for starch if you want extra crispness. Light starch on napkins or pillowcases gives that unmistakably tailored look without making the fabric feel stiff or uncomfortable.
- Learn the designer fold. Even after pressing, how you fold and display your linens matters. McGee is known for using spa-style rolled towels in bathrooms and precise tri-fold napkins at the table — small styling details that signal luxury without costing a thing extra.
- Make it a seasonal habit. You don't need to press every single load of laundry. Consider taking your decorative linens, guest bedding, and dining napkins in once a season, or whenever you're preparing for guests or a special occasion.
The Rooms That Benefit Most From This Upgrade
The Bedroom
Nothing says "boutique hotel" like a perfectly made bed with crisp, pressed sheets and pillowcases. Even if your bedding isn't a top-tier brand, professional pressing removes the tired, lived-in look that even freshly washed sheets can have when they come out of a home dryer wrinkled and soft. Pressed duvet covers in particular take on a whole new life — they hang and drape in a way that makes the bed look styled rather than simply made.
The Bathroom
Towels are one of the most overlooked styling elements in a bathroom. McGee has long advocated for treating your bathroom like a spa, and professionally pressed and folded towels are a cornerstone of that aesthetic. Even standard white cotton towels from a big-box store look and feel genuinely luxurious when they've been properly finished and displayed on a towel bar or stacked on a shelf.
The Dining Room and Kitchen
Linen napkins are one of the easiest ways to make a table setting feel special, but wrinkled napkins can undercut even the most carefully arranged tablescape. A quick professional press transforms a casual cloth napkin into something that looks like it belongs in a fine restaurant. The same applies to linen tablecloths, which can be notoriously difficult to press smoothly at home.
Why This Approach Fits Perfectly With the Studio McGee Philosophy
One of the core principles Shea McGee returns to again and again — in her designs, her books, and her television work — is the idea that thoughtful details matter more than expensive price tags. Her aesthetic is built on layering accessible pieces in intentional ways to create spaces that feel curated and considered. The $15 linen pressing service is a perfect expression of that philosophy: it's not about spending more, it's about caring more. It's about treating the everyday objects in your home as worthy of attention and upkeep.
This mindset shift — from viewing linens as purely functional to seeing them as design elements that deserve the same care as a piece of furniture or art — is what separates a beautiful home from a merely furnished one. And the fact that it's achievable for roughly the cost of a latte makes it one of the most democratically elegant design tips out there.
The Bottom Line
Great design is rarely about dramatic transformations or limitless budgets. More often, it's about small, intentional choices made consistently over time. Shea McGee's $15 linen pressing secret is a perfect example of that truth. It requires almost no effort, costs less than most takeout meals, and produces results that guests will notice immediately — even if they can't quite put their finger on why your home feels so put-together. Try it once, and there's a very good chance it becomes a permanent part of how you care for your home.