My Modsy Story: How I Designed My Unique Living Room All Online
When Annika and her family moved into their first home, designing their unique living room was a major challenge. See how an online home design tool helped her find her inner designer.
Homeowner: Annika C, Recruiter
Location: Northern California
Room: A spacious central living room with unique features
Her Style: Modern Rustic
The Backstory
My husband and I just purchased our first home. We were relocating from an apartment in Berkeley, CA, to a family house in a small town a little farther away.
We like our home to be tidy with minimal clutter (ie. we don’t like a lot of “things”). I wanted our new space to be warm, inviting, and family-friendly. We have an adjoining dining room and kitchen, so I wanted to create flow between those spaces.
ANNIKA’S LIVING ROOM BEFORE
The Design Dilemma
Figuring out baby-friendly furniture and a design plan with the help of online home design.
We have a 14 month old, so it was important to me that the space was child friendly. That meant avoiding side tables that she could push over and hard edges that she could bump into. I was super interested in ideas for extra storage so that we could take out or stash toys as needed.
As a busy mom who works full-time, I rely a lot on the internet for online purchases. Buying home decor online is always tricky because you never know exactly how it’s going to look in the space. Not to mention returns are a pain when the item is large. And although I love being in spaces that are stylish and inviting, I don’t have a flair for decorating.
When I set out to design our new living room, I wanted someone else’s help finding inspiration. But I didn’t want to stray so far that the style didn’t feel like me. I also wanted the freedom to swap out items in my designs if they weren’t quite right.
ANNIKA’S LIVING ROOM BEFORE
The Modsy Moment
When a friend found success designing her own space online, she was sold.
A friend of mine, who was closing on a home, told me how amazing Modsy was. She raved about how she was able to design her new living room from her computer. We’d just put the offer in on our house, and while I had some decorating ideas, the living room in particular had me stumped.
Making the transition from the apartment to our first home was definitely a process. With all that new space, I knew we’d need to buy many items to fill it up. I thought that Modsy would be a great way for me to play with different ideas so that I could see the final product before committing to any big purchases.
Once I started, I found it very easy to use. We wanted to keep our sofa, and I sent Modsy a link to the exact product which they incorporated into our designs.
BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF ANNIKA’S MODSY DESIGNS
How Modsy’s Renderings Helped Annika
Seeing the perfect layout and building on furnishings that match her style.
I was eager and anxious to see the designs! And it was surreal! It was our living room, but it was fully decorated and looked amazing.
From the two designs Modsy gave us, I loved Design #1 the most. The layout perfectly fit our needs and it gave me some great ideas for the space. I took the layout from the first design and made some tweaks when it came to the actual products.
ANNIKA’S MODSY DESIGN #1We kept our couch and decided to keep our coffee table as well. It’s a hand-made piece by my father and is really beautiful, so we decided we couldn’t part with it. I was able to include a similar coffee table in my Modsy designs. This helped me get a sense of how it would look in our living room with the new pieces I was trying.
I made some other edits to Design #1, including a darker carpet because I have a toddler. The original design was a great source of inspiration. It was the calm, uncluttered but still warm, and stylish look I wanted.
ANNIKA’S MODSY DESIGN #2Designing Around Unique Features
Finding solutions for her home’s unique features.
ANNIKA’S MODSY DESIGN #1One item that I fell in love with in particular was a shelving unit that attached to the wall. It was in an area of the living room that had stumped me, and as soon as I saw it I knew it was a perfect fit for the space.
I also loved it because it’s super child-friendly for my toddler. She can’t pull the unit down from the wall, and I can store non-breakable items on the lower shelves. The more delicate items can go on the top, which means we don’t have to hide all our breakables away until she gets older.
ANNIKA’S MODSY DESIGN #1The wall directly across from our couch is quite large and that is where we have the TV. I didn’t know how much or how little to decorate, but the design that we received was perfect. It’s balanced and stylish without overwhelming the space.
ANNIKA’S MODSY DESIGN #2Modsy was amazing and a really fun experience. It helped me find my “inner decorator” as I can experiment with my space and see what looks great and what doesn’t.
Your place looks so peaceful. I’m considering using Modsy for our house but I feel like I would want to have the freedom to buy the furniture myself. If I can’t afford CB or Restoration Hardware, I would like to find something that’s close enough without the big price tag. Does Modsy allow that?
Hi Rich,
You are under no obligation to shop directly through Modsy. We simply want you to enjoy your designs. That said, we are happy to work with you to find products that meet your budget.
I know I’m late to ask, but I thought I’d try anyway – can you tell me the source of the bench under the round window in design #2? Thanks!
It’s the wrap bench from CB2! Cute, right?
Where can I find the large woven wall hanging?
Hi Amy! The woven wall hanging was from Wisteria. Looks like it’s since gone out of stock but here are some similar options: Woven Wall Hanging from CB2, Geo Tapestry from Anthropologie.
Hey where can I find that table a tray?
Hi Gloria, thanks for asking. The tray on the round coffee table is actually part of the table itself (it has hidden interior storage)! It’s called the Ya Ya Coffee Table from CB2. You can see it in your space (and shop it with exclusive discounts) through Modsy. Happy styling!
I LOVE that shelving unit!!!! Source?
Hi Abby, thanks for asking. It’s the Helix Bookcase from CB2!
Awesome!! Thank you so much. I thought it might be CB 2 but couldn’t find it for some reason!