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My Modsy Story: The Quick and Easy Way I Designed My New Home

When they moved to a new place, Kristen and her partner didn’t have time to shop for furniture. Here’s how they found a quick and easy way to design a home they both loved.

Homeowner: Kristen P, Sales Management

Location: Santa Barbara, CA

Room: Living Room and Guest-Turned-Master Bedroom

Her Style: Mod Visionary

The Backstory

Looking for a quick way to get their new home ready for a family visit

My partner and I recently bought a new home and wanted a quick way to design it before our families came to see it. Our previous space (a townhouse on the other side of the city) took us forever to decorate, and I knew we needed a quicker way to get it done this time around.

The Design Dilemma

When finding the time was their greatest design challenge

Unlike some couples, we typically can agree on one design style for our home. The problem for us is actually finding the time to get together and go shopping. We’re busy people, and this made decorating our first dwelling together painstakingly slow. This time around, I knew we needed a faster solution.

“We’re busy people, and this made decorating our first home painstakingly slow.”

To top it off, our new home was built in 1947 and has some odd nooks and crannies. Finding the right layout was a struggle and there were some dark areas we wanted to brighten up, but didn’t know how. All that to say, I was totally overwhelmed and had no clue where to start.

The Modsy Moment

Taking a chance on a low-risk, high-reward solution

I’d never worked with a designer before because I figured it would be too expensive and would take a long time. So when I saw an ad for Modsy on Instagram, I immediately decided to try it.

I work in technology, so I felt very comfortable embracing the online design concept. I also loved the idea that with Modsy it would only take a few weeks to do a mock up of our place and that I could incorporate pieces I already owned and loved.

Not to mention, the cost compared to hiring a designer was so low that I figured I didn’t have much to lose.

How Modsy’s Designs Helped Kristen

It was really just that easy

When I got my designs back, my first thought was “Love, Love, Love!” They nailed my style and the color palette was exactly what I wanted.

My favorite part was the artwork! My designer picked modern and sleek pieces that worked perfectly in the design. They also suggested the best sofa that I have ever owned (of course, I bought it), and even incorporated our love of vinyl records into the design!

I also loved that Modsy utilized the entryway as a place to put a bench. It gives us an awesome area to take our shoes off and hang up our coats and hats as well, and we wouldn’t have thought of it on our own.

The Real Results

Coming back for more

Modsy helped us find the perfect layout for our space, discover awesome furniture that matched our style, and helped us feel confident in making big purchases.

I’ve since purchased most of the items for our rooms! As a repeat customer, it was awesome to see how much the ordering process had improved since my first room. I’m excited to see where it goes from here!

My overall experience was truly a 10 out of 10 – I was blown away by my designs and will definitely be doing another room in the future.

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My Modsy Story: Creating the Perfect Home Office in a Brand New “Forever Home”

November 14, 2019/4 Comments/in Office Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

When she started working from home, Sarah was ready for a home office that she loved. See how she brought the space of her dreams to life.

Homeowner: Sarah O, Accountant

Location: Canandaigua, NY

Room: Home Office

Her Style: Refined Rustic

The Backstory

My husband and I were moving from a 2 bedroom condo in Boston, MA to a 4 bedroom home in Canandaigua NY. We brought a few pieces from our old space to the new one, but overall the house was a blank canvas and we had lots of empty space to fill.

We also knew we wanted to make this our “forever home,” so we were ready to invest in the design and wanted to get it just right. To top it off, I was starting a new role that meant I’d be working remotely and I wanted to make sure I had a home office setup that I loved.

Sarah’s space before

The Design Dilemma

Knowing that I’d be working from home a majority of the time, I wanted an office where I could stay focused and relaxed. I’ve never had my own office before and I was totally overwhelmed with no clue how or where to start!

I knew I wanted it to be something feminine but also not over the top. Since I was without a clear idea, I wanted to envision some different possibilities for the space before investing in furniture and getting it set up. But I’m such a visual person, all I could see was empty space and I couldn’t visualize any ideas for the room.

The Modsy Moment

I saw an ad for Modsy online and it sounded like the perfect solution to my problem! I read a few reviews and looked at pictures of how the process worked so I was very excited to get started.

It seemed like Modsy offered the ideal solution where I could see how everything would come together in a design without spending a fortune and having to deal with returns while I made up my mind.

How Modsy’s Designs Helped Sarah

I LOVED my first set of designs. They gave me totally new ideas for my office that I never would have thought of before. I really struggled with what would fit in the room, where to put things, and which elements would make the best use of the space.

I never would have thought of an open bookcase, but our designer, Rebecca, suggested it and it is the perfect solution. She answered my countless questions and was so attentive in listening to my feedback in order to create my dream room! She was also super helpful in finding pieces that worked for my budget and that I absolutely love.

I ended up keeping the exact layout and I purchased most of the items she suggested. My office looks pretty much exactly like my final Modsy design! The process of ordering furniture through Modsy was very seamless and the products arrived really quickly. It was so convenient to be able to do it all online – and the prices were affordable too.

The Real Results

My office feels amazing. It’s exactly what I wanted and I absolutely love going into my own work space every morning. It is so tranquil and organized, I have tons of storage to keep everything in its place so it doesn’t get cluttered.

Rebecca also helped me pick out the new paint color. With that and all the other pieces in the room the space has the perfect feminine touch I was looking for. Overall, Modsy helped me tap into my design style and feel confident that I was buying all the right things for my home office. Thanks Modsy!

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My Modsy Story: So Many Rooms, Not Enough Furniture

August 29, 2019/8 Comments/in Bedroom Design Stories, Bedroom Interior Design, Dining Room Design Stories, Dining Room Interior Design, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

After moving from the city to the suburbs, Michelle realized that none of her old furniture worked in her new house. She was overwhelmed and needed a design fix, stat.

Homeowner: Michelle L, Business Operations & Strategy Consultant

Location: Fairhope, AL

Room: Multiple Rooms

Her Style: Refined Rustic

The Backstory

My family and I had just moved from the city-center in Atlanta to Fairhope, a small town by the water.

I love playing around with interior design, but with so many new rooms and not enough furniture, I had no idea where to start! The rooms in our new space had completely different layouts and nothing from our previous house worked with the new space. We were starting from square one and it felt like an enormous job.

Michelle’s spaces before

The Design Dilemma

Finding the right layout for each room and coordinating the color schemes was really important to me. I knew I needed the guidance of a designer to feel confident that I was investing in the right items.

“We were starting from square one and it felt like an enormous job.”

To top it off, I was having a really hard time visualizing how everything would come together. I had to think about the master bedroom, dining room, breakfast nook, playroom, AND guest bedroom! I just couldn’t imagine how to fill all of these spaces and get the house to start looking like a home.

The Modsy Moment

I had worked with a few designers before and they were all very different experiences. One provided a book of ideas but then I was left to source the actual items myself, which was really time-consuming. Another designer came to our home but I found them hard to work with and was uncomfortable brainstorming ideas together.

These experiences left me feeling exasperated! So when I saw an ad for Modsy on Instagram I decided to give it a try. I’ll admit I was a little wary of paying for designs without any guarantees. What if I hated them? After the previous unsatisfying experiences with designers I definitely had my guard up but was willing to take a chance on something new.

How Modsy’s Designs Helped Michelle

Overall, I was super impressed with Modsy’s service. My first two master bedroom designs were awesome and got me excited for what else they’d come up with. After collaborating so well on that project, I had my personal designer, Isabela, tackle our dining room with her own choices. I was blown away by my first design! With that, Modsy put all my worries to rest.

Working with Isabela was wonderful – she was so helpful and never got frustrated with me. It was the perfect blend of me being hands-on and making suggestions while also getting the professional advice of an expert designer.

“It was the perfect blend of me being hands-on and making suggestions while also getting the professional advice of an expert designer.”

Isabela shared ideas I would never have thought of on my own. For example, the gallery wall and use of black in my master bedroom came from her, and I think this turned out wonderfully. And when I found a different bed frame, she still helped me pick out the perfect fabric color that would work with the overall design.

The Real Results

My dining room looks exactly like the design Isabela created. I’m still working on acquiring unique decor items to finalize the room, but all of the big pieces are there!

I’m also proud of how my master bedroom turned out. It was truly a collaborative effort between Isabela and myself. Her initial design ideas inspired me and got my creativity flowing. From there I was able to play around with my own ideas for the space.

Once pieces were chosen, I loved how easy and seamless the purchasing experience was with Modsy. It was so convenient to do everything online, and I found that they offered great prices and discounts.

“The value Modsy adds through the collaboration with a personal designer far surpasses the cost. Well worth it!”

In the end, working with Modsy helped me feel confident in my decisions – which for me is a major issue when decorating my own home! Isabela was open to any question and always patient. The value Modsy adds through the collaboration with a personal designer far surpasses the cost. Well worth it!

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My Modsy Story: The Easy Way I Designed My Daughter a Room That Will Grow Up With Her

July 23, 2019/0 Comments/in Kids Room Design Stories, Kids Room Interior Design, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

Kathryn wanted a way to combine her ideas with an expert’s guidance to design her daughter’s room. Here’s the magic formula she used to make it happen.

Homeowner: Kathryn A, City Government

Location: Seattle, WA

Room: Daughter’s Bedroom

Her Style: Playfully Serene

The Backstory

My family and I moved to a new home in Seattle and we wanted to give our 4-year-old daughter a “big girl” room. We planned to stay in this house for a while, so it was important to us that our daughter had a room that she could grow into over the years.

The Design Dilemma

Coming from our old house, we really just had a hodgepodge of furniture and decor items we’d accumulated over the years. We tried situating the old furniture in our new place, but between figuring out how to best utilize wall space and accommodate sleepovers, we weren’t having any luck. In addition to not having the right pieces, we were just too busy to devote enough time to it. I wanted to outsource the whole project to make sure we did the job right.

The Modsy Moment

When I realized we really needed help, I contacted a local designer but was taken aback by the high price and frustrated by the length of time it took to schedule a visit. I wanted something simpler that would allow me to provide a rough budget, offer some high-level direction, and then let the experts take care of the rest.

“I wanted [a solution] that would allow me to provide a rough budget, offer some high-level direction, and then let the experts take care of the rest.”

So when I saw an ad on Facebook for Modsy, I was intrigued right away! It sounded like a low-cost way to get the customized design support we needed. We decided to give Modsy a try with our living room first. To our delight, we loved the layout and items our designer selected and we decided to use them again for our daughter’s room.

How Modsy’s Designs Helped Kathryn

When I got the designs back, I was in love. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure that someone would be able to take my suggestions and create a room that met our needs and aligned with our design aesthetics. But I was so pleasantly surprised!

I love the patterned rug and fun wall hangings our designer chose for the space – we never would have thought of those ourselves. We were also initially convinced that bunk beds or twin trundle beds would be best in her room. It wasn’t until we saw our designs that we realized a queen-sized bed was actually the best choice.

It was really helpful to be able to communicate with our designer, request changes, and make the design a collaborative effort of our personal tastes and a professional designer’s guidance.

The Real Results

The room is just adorable and my daughter is so happy with it. Prior to Modsy, we’d been having such a hard time with the layout, but our designer knew just what to do. She was so thoughtful in responding to our requests for revisions, and she really did a great job!

Our daughter’s space is now bright, playful yet serene, and is perfect for a 4-year-old. The best part is we were able to purchase pieces that we can either easily update or will be able to keep in the space and let them grow with her over time.

We’ve now used Modsy for three rooms in our house and each one was a success. They each pretty much exactly mirror our original 3D designs! We bought basically everything and it was so easy to purchase all of the furniture through Modsy. Overall, we saved tons of time and money and are so happy with the outcome. Thanks, Modsy!

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My Modsy Story – A New Home Design for Newlyweds

July 10, 2019/0 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

Newlyweds Liz and Jonathan were excited to decorate their new apartment, but they wanted to feel confident in their new home design before investing.

Homeowner: Liz L, Art Director

Location: San Diego, CA

Room: Living/Dining Room

Her Style: Mid-Century Chic

The Backstory

My husband, Jonathan, and I got married this past April. Right after the wedding we moved into our new apartment together. We were so excited to set up our space and make it feel like a home!

We couldn’t wait to furnish our apartment with new, adult furniture and create a design that reflected this new phase of our lives.

The Design Dilemma

We live in San Diego, which means that square footage is limited so I knew we needed a design that would make the most of every inch! This was especially true for our open living area, which we wanted to be a beautiful, multi-functional space.

But when it came to actually designing the space, I was totally overwhelmed and had no clue how or where to start. Even as an Art Director, I’ve always hesitated to buy new furniture even if I think it looks great. Buying new items for your home is an investment, and I couldn’t imagine how those investments would actually look in our new space! Basically, I needed more confidence in the choices I was making.

“Buying new items for your home is an investment… I needed more confidence in the choices I was making.”

I quickly realized I needed some help choosing new pieces that would make the space multi-functional and look great. Unfortunately, there was no way we could afford to hire an interior designer, and browsing on Pinterest was about as far as I’d gotten on my own.

The Modsy Moment

So when I came across an ad for Modsy on Instagram, I thought it sounded like a good compromise between hiring a professional and trying to design it myself. I’ll say at first, I wasn’t sure how realistic the renderings would be and if the designs would match my style and tastes. But after I saw the before and afters from other customers and read that there were unlimited revisions, I was all in!

How Modsy’s Designs Helped Liz

We were so excited when we got our room back! Our first set of designs really helped us visualize and pick out exactly what we did and didn’t like in a risk-free way. We ended up with three designs total and were super happy with the final look.

“I mentioned that we often liked to host dinner parties, and my designer sent me a new design with a larger dinner table for 6 and a bar cart!”

And while we liked the initial designs a lot, it was so helpful to see additional revisions and play around with swapping new products into the design ourselves. We even used the 3D Style Editor tool to switch out certain pieces and the end result was exactly what we were looking for.

The Real Results

Now we are so in love with our new home design, and it looks almost exactly like our final Modsy render.

Our designer was super helpful and created an awesome and functional living space based on our suggestions. We’re obsessed with the mid-century styles she used and the accent wall color she suggested fits perfectly with the entire design. And overall, her help configuring our layout was exactly what we needed.

“Modsy took the anxiety out of the process. We now love our space and find every excuse to invite friends over and relax at home.”

The personalization and attention to detail also made my experience so memorable. For example, I mentioned that we often liked to host dinner parties, and my designer sent me a new design with a larger dinner table for 6 and a bar cart! Now, not only does our space look great, but it’s perfect for when we entertain.

Overall, we had so much fun working with Modsy to create our living/dining room. Our experience was excellent and it took the anxiety out of the process. We now love our space and find every excuse to invite friends over and relax at home.

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My Modsy Story – How I Turned My Unusual Living Room Into a Mid-Century Sanctuary

July 8, 2019/10 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

After moving to a new home, Julie needed a novel approach to design her beautiful but unusual living room.

Homeowner: Julie G + Writer and Media Relations Manager

Location: Palo Alto, CA

Room: Open Living Room

Her Style: Mid-Century Chic

The Backstory

My family and I live in Palo Alto and we recently moved to another part of town on a college campus. Our previous house was a 900-square foot cottage with a living room that could hardly fit more than a loveseat and armchair!

We brought our furniture from our old house to the new one but we knew that wasn’t going to cut it in the long run. Our new living room is a really unique and special place and we wanted to maximize its potential with plenty of seating and furniture that would let us stretch out and relax.

Julie’s space before

The Design Dilemma

Our living room is gorgeous but it’s also a very eclectic space. It really only has one “real” wall, and the rest are all made of floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the foothills and trees. The room also has a fireplace and a mid-century modern “screen” that divides the living from the dining space. It was a real design challenge to say the least!

All in all, our unusual living room was totally different from where we lived before and I knew it needed a redesign that would make the most of it. I knew it had the potential to be a sanctuary-like space, but didn’t know where to begin decorating!

Julie’s design for her unusual living room

The Modsy Moment

I’ve never worked with an interior designer or online design service before but I decided to try my hand at some very rudimentary 3D room design software. The experience turned out to be awful and completely frustrating, and I figured that in 2019 there had to be something better out there.

After a bit of internet searching, I came across Modsy! The service had so many great reviews from happy customers, so it seemed like a no-brainer. I was really excited to test it out. Plus, the overall cost seemed like a very reasonable price to pay for such a sophisticated approach to designing a room. Modsy was exactly the kind of thing I was looking for.

How Modsy’s Designs Helped Julie

I was honestly stunned at how accurately the 3D room design matched our actual living room. It was a precise rendering that showed every exact detail. And then, to see our room virtually reimagined with a fresh eye and all new furniture was so exciting! It totally blew away all my assumptions about what the room could or couldn’t be.

“Modsy totally blew away all my assumptions about what the room could or couldn’t be.”

I had so much fun designing my space with Modsy. I loved getting notifications that new designs were ready and it was so great being able to collaborate with Jennifer, my designer. Every time I gave her feedback, her revision was so spot-on that I could tell she was really listening to me and working to shape the room into something I would love.

One of the best parts was that my designer, Jennifer, seemed totally in touch with the elements of the room. Wood is the dominant material in our house – the space kind of has a treehouse feel – and Jennifer incorporated that element throughout the design in clever, subtle, beautiful ways – right down to petrified wood coasters.

I never would have thought of the West Elm C-table, which is a magnificent, practical addition that looks so elegant. She also threw a cowhide rug under the armchair and I absolutely loved that unexpected addition to the design.

The Real Results

My living room is a corner of paradise now! It’s a relaxing sanctuary where everyone finally has a place to sit, stretch out, curl up and read, fade into our weekend naps, or just watch the sunset.

“Modsy let me be much more experimental than I ever would have dared to be in the real world.”

We ended up purchasing almost everything from our design through Modsy – the sectional sofa, armchair, daybed, coffee table, pouf…everything right down to details like the coasters and tray.

unusual living room design

I loved using Modsy because it was so easy to do the whole design process online and get new ideas for my space and also because it was really so much fun.

Creatively, it let me be much more experimental than I ever would have dared to be in the real world. I could try things out virtually and then click ‘undo’ if I didn’t like them. And the 3D renderings were so accurate that it truly felt like I was playing house with my own place!

I wanted to get the design exactly right so I could envision just how my home would look – Modsy absolutely helped me make that happen.

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My Modsy Story – Finding Creative Design Solutions for My Small, NYC Home

June 17, 2019/1 Comment/in Bedroom Design Stories, Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

After moving from a large home in Ohio to a small NYC apartment, this couple was in need of creative design solutions to whip their new home into shape.

Homeowner: Miguel P, New York Academy of Medicine

Location: New York, NY

Room: Living/Dining Room, Master Bedroom, and Guest Room

Their Style: Mod Enthusiast

The Backstory

My husband and I (and our dog), moved from a 2600 square foot home in Columbus, OH to a much smaller apartment in New York City.

We were super excited about the move and starting a new life in New York! We were planning to settle in the city for some time so we wanted to make smart design and furniture choices to create a place that would feel like home.

Miguel’s space before

The Design Dilemma

We’ve both always liked design, but our new space was a challenge for both of us. Our last home was huge in comparison, and we’d lived there for 23 years. We weren’t familiar with how to decorate small spaces and needed help getting ideas for our new home.

Plus, we were both starting work soon and simply didn’t have a lot of time to play around with design concepts, shop for furniture and decor, or even look for designers to work with. We needed a quick and efficient design solution that would help us get creative about our layout and furniture choices.

Miguel’s living room design

The Modsy Moment

I came across Modsy on Instagram and, as soon as I saw the ad, I thought it looked great! I didn’t have any reservations about using it – it sounded like just what we needed.

We were totally open to ideas but didn’t have enough experience with small spaces to trust our own choices. We also needed help with pretty much every room in the house and, like I said, I was starting my job soon and felt very pressed for time.

I had a strong sense of what we wanted for the overall “style” of our home, but no idea where to start with layout ideas. All that to say I needed help designing our new, and much smaller, space on a short timeline.

Miguel’s master bedroom design

How Modsy’s Designs Helped Miguel

When our first Modsy designs came back we loved all of them right away. I couldn’t believe how spot-on they were! They matched our style perfectly and made use of every inch of the small apartment space.

Each of the designs our Modsy designer sent us were great, but there was a clear winner for each room. We ended up purchasing all the furniture and a number of accent pieces and decorative items through Modsy. We have a lot of art that we brought from our last home and were able to incorporate it all into the designs, so it worked out perfectly.

Miguel’s guest bedroom design

The Real Results

I especially loved how Modsy found creative design solutions for each room in our small space. Lining up shelves high on the walls and using a floor length mirror, for example, really helped to make our apartment feel much bigger.

Plus, purchasing through Modsy was an excellent experience. The customer service and follow up was incredible! They were diligent, friendly and personal, and knew every detail about our purchases, delivery, design…everything.

We had never used a design service before because we really take pride in decorating ourselves and our own personal aesthetic and style. But for this project, Modsy was exactly the right partner and we are completely satisfied with the service and the way our apartment turned out.

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My Modsy Story: How I Designed My New Home in Record Time

June 11, 2019/2 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

Klara upsized to a new home but she didn’t have any time to design it. Instead of living out of boxes for months, here’s how she found a quick and easy way to make her new place feel like home.

Homeowner: Klara N, Marketing Manager

Location: Glenview, IL

Room: Living/Dining Room, Basement Family Room

Her Style: Refined Modern

The Backstory

My family and I recently bought a new home that was larger and better suited for our needs. Our previous home was much smaller so we had a lot more space to fill this time. I didn’t want to feel like we were living in an empty house, so I wanted to get it designed as quickly as possible!

Klara’s rooms before

The Design Dilemma

But between my job and family duties I had zero time to think about how to decorate our new space. Even though I love home design, I was too busy to go to furniture stores and spend time browsing for inspiration.

“between my job and family duties I had zero time to think about how to decorate our new space.”

It was important to me to make this house beautiful and make sure that every room felt really put-together and professionally designed. I wanted to pick the right accessories and furniture to get a cohesive look without every room feeling like a hodgepodge of random stuff. And while I really wanted to be involved in the work, my busy schedule made it impossible. I needed help!

Klara’s living/dining room design

The Modsy Moment

I saw an ad for Modsy on Facebook and thought it sounded like a great idea! I honestly wasn’t exactly sure what I would get back, but I was willing to give it a shot. It seemed like it could be just what I needed to easily and quickly make my new house beautiful.

I had some ideas for the style and design but didn’t have a clear picture of exactly what I wanted so I loved that Modsy offered me the ability to request changes and alter my designs as much as I wanted.

I was hoping it would be a quicker, more affordable version of working with a designer in-person, which was exactly what I needed.

Klara’s basement family room design

How Modsy’s Designs Helped Klara

And as it turned out, my Modsy designs were amazing right from the start. I instantly fell in love with designs for both my living/dining room and basement family room. I was so impressed that I showed them to everyone!

“I loved how they suggested items so I didn’t have to do any of the legwork – It was perfect for helping me visualize my home in a new way!”

I asked for two fairly different versions of each room in order to stretch my thinking about what I could do with the spaces. They both looked so great in my space as a complete look that I wanted to buy them right away. I loved how they suggested items so I didn’t have to do any of the legwork – It was perfect for helping me visualize my home in a new way!

Klara’s living/dining room in real life

I also really enjoyed that Modsy let me make unlimited changes to my rooms. This helped me fine tune the designs I liked instead of starting from scratch or going with design options I didn’t 100% love. I got to check out a few different layouts and pick my favorite. And I got so excited every time I got an email notification that my new designs were ready!

The Real Results

Modsy helped turn my house from an empty space into a beautiful home. The space looks amazing and I purchased almost all of the items that my designer suggested. I can’t even express what a relief it was to do it all online, including shopping from multiple brands in one place. I never would have found time to do all of this on my own!

“I can’t even express what a relief it was to do it all online… I never would have found time to do all of this on my own!”

Ordering furniture was so easy, and I think that was actually the best part of the experience for me. One order, one point of contact, and great communication on when I could expect my items to arrive. I was dreading having to shop and buy furniture from different stores and deal with a bunch of different customer service issues. Modsy made it all super easy.

All in all, Modsy saved me tons of time and money and also helped me with ideas for my space that I never would have come up with on my own. Thanks Modsy!

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My Modsy Story – When It’s Time to Invest In New Furniture

May 29, 2019/0 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

After buying their first apartment, this couple was ready to invest in furniture and embark on an in-with-the-new design project.

Homeowner: Justin and Amanda, Mechanical Engineer + Lawyer

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Room: Living Room

Their Style: Industrial Visionary

The Backstory

My wife, Amanda, and I were super excited to buy our first home – an apartment in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. Before this, we’d moved apartments every few years so we always bought cheap, simple furniture just to fit the current space.

As soon as we moved, we realized it was time to invest in ‘real furniture’ because we knew we wouldn’t be leaving this apartment anytime soon. We wanted to create a more permanent design where everything in the room fit together, instead of a hodge-podge of old furniture from previous apartments. Plus, our new living room is a lot bigger than others we’ve had so we wanted to find creative ways to use the space.

All in all, we were excited to a space of our own have the funds to furnish it, so we wanted to come up with a design and invest in furniture that we’d absolutely love.

Justin and Amanda’s space before

The Design Dilemma

While we were great at picking out individual pieces of furniture, designing our new apartment was a challenge because we wanted to make sure everything would look good together.

To top it off, our new living room layout is completely different than any place we’d lived in previously, so I was having trouble visualizing ideas in the new space. We quickly realized we needed some help choosing new pieces and designing the room.

Justin and Amanda’s final Modsy design

The Modsy Moment

I came across an ad for Modsy on Facebook and, as soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to use the service. We had a pretty good idea of how the space should be laid out, but I wanted to see if the designers at Modsy could contribute any new ideas.

Modsy sounded great because we both enjoy home design and wanted to be very hands-on with the project. We liked the fact that we could ask for revisions on our designs and also go into the editor and move/swap things around ourselves. I wanted to feel confident that the furniture we chose would come together to create an awesome space.

Justin and Amanda’s final Modsy design

How Modsy’s Designs Helped Justin and Amanda

We’d only focused on the living room as one big, open space, but our Modsy designer created a beautiful little coffee and reading nook, which we fell in love with instantly.

Also, we’d struggled for months to decide on one of the biggest pieces that sets the mood for the entire room – the rug. Amanda liked smaller patterns while I preferred more solid colors. In one of the two first designs, Modsy showed us a rug that we both loved!

“It was so easy to visualize our home from all angles without missing any of the details.”

I was also really impressed at how closely the 3D images replicated our apartment. The living room is open to the kitchen and our designs even included 3D models of kitchen cabinets in the background. It was so easy to visualize our home from all angles without missing any of the details.

The Real Results

Modsy helped us incorporate our own design style with new ideas we never would have come up with ourselves. We ended up purchasing almost everything in our designs through Modsy because the volume of discounts was so much better than anything the individual stores offered.

“It also gave us confidence in the design because we had a chance to see the final project and purchase everything at once.”

It also gave us confidence in the design because we had a chance to see the final project and purchase everything at once. We transformed the space from a lackluster sitting room into a gorgeous living space that reflects our tastes and style. It was amazing to do a complete redesign in one go!

The experience was quick and seamless and we created a design that we both love and will feel good about for a long time. We’ve already recommended Modsy to our friends who are interested in redesigning their homes and want to invest in furniture they’ll love.

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My Modsy Story – How to Design Your New Home When You Have No Time

May 23, 2019/0 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

With a new job keeping her busy, Stacy didn’t have time to design her new home. Here’s how she used online home design to take the work off her hands.

Homeowner: Stacy M, Marketing Professional

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Room: Family Room

Her Style: Refined Rustic

The Backstory

I’d just moved into a new house in Philadelphia and was excited about having a gorgeous new home! It had so much open space, a working fireplace, and windows overlooking the beautiful backyard. I fell in love with it right away.

I felt like finding the right house was a huge success – now I just needed to figure out how to fill it with furniture and turn it into a home.

Stacy’s family room before

The Design Dilemma

My new home was the ideal space for me but I just couldn’t picture what to do with it! I don’t have much of an eye for design, especially starting from scratch in a brand new place.

And I knew I had my work cut out for me because I wasn’t bringing any furniture from my last apartment. On top of that, I was also starting a new job and had zero time to think through the design and shop for furniture.

“I was also starting a new job and had zero time to think through the design and shop for furniture.”

I was at a loss for where I should even start. There was so much to love about the space but it also presented some unique challenges. The windows and door to the backyard took up a lot of wall space and I had to figure out how to arrange furniture around the fireplace in the center of the room.

The thought of planning it all myself, shopping for individual items, and getting everything to come together the way I wanted was completely overwhelming. I needed help!

The Modsy Moment

I first came across Modsy via an Instagram ad and I thought the online design would be interesting to try. I was in a position where I just wanted to outsource the entire project and let the experts tell me what to do!

And because I was so short on time, I loved that I could do the design online and purchase all my furniture together in one cart. Modsy seemed like the perfect solution to my design problems and I hoped they would help me come up with ideas to make the most of my space.

How Modsy’s Designs Helped Stacy

I loved using Modsy! They made it so easy to upload photos of my home – all I had to do was sit back and wait.

I was blown away when I got my designs back. Modsy sent two options and I loved them both. My designer took all of my feedback into consideration and then incorporated her own touches to create a beautiful design. It was so easy to use the service and request revisions to the design to get it just right.

“It was so easy to use the service and request revisions to the design to get it just right.”

And when it came to shopping, I just had to click on each piece in my design and add it to my cart! There was no need to go out and look for the exact items in a store or online, which saved me a ton of valuable time. It was such a relief being able to do all the shopping and design online when I was trying to juggle so many things at once.

home design online

design online

The Real Results

I am so happy with the way my home turned out and I purchased almost every item in my design. All of the pieces are perfect for the space but my favorite part is how it they all came together to create a room I love.

“And when it came to shopping, I just had to click on each piece in my design and add it to my cart… which saved me a ton of valuable time.”

I was super impressed with Modsy’s support team. I had some challenges with pieces arriving damaged, but the team was quick to help me resolve the issues with each retailer. All in all, it was a really fun process.

Outsourcing the work was the best decision for me – it saved me so much time and even helped me come up with great ideas for the room. Details like this helped pull it all together and I couldn’t have done that on my own.

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My Modsy Story – Graduating From IKEA to a Design of My Own

May 15, 2019/2 Comments/in Bedroom Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

When she moved to a new condo, Audra was ready to trade in her IKEA furniture for something more sophisticated.

Homeowner: Audra, Education Administrator

Location: Boston, MA

Room: Master Bedroom

Her Style: Contemporary Minimalist

The Backstory

After moving to a new home, this family was ready for a furniture upgrade

My family and I had just moved into a new condo and we were ready for a furniture upgrade from our old IKEA set to something more adult. We wanted to celebrate our new home and create a space that reflected our unique design aesthetic.

Audra’s space before

The Design Dilemma

She knew what she liked, but couldn’t put it all together

I actually have a good sense of my own style and know what I like when I see it. The problem for me was putting all the pieces together. I remember browsing online at places like West Elm and Crate & Barrel and finding pieces I liked but struggling to imagine how they would look all together.

“I couldn’t visualize how my ideas would translate to our exact space.”

To top it off, our new condo is on the smaller side and figuring out how to make the most of our master bedroom was particularly challenging. I wanted to maximize storage but I couldn’t visualize how my ideas would translate to our exact space.

Audra’s Modsy design #1

The Modsy Moment

Too good to be true or the cure to her design blues?

One day, an ad for Modsy showed up in my Instagram feed and I decided to try it out. I took their Style Quiz and, to be honest, was incredibly skeptical about whether or not that exercise would accurately help a designer understand my aesthetic.

“My first thought was, ‘It’s like our bedroom if it were in a magazine!’ I was in love!”

Additionally, the service struck me as very affordable, so I had to wonder if the price might be a reflection of a low-quality product on the other end.

Luckily that was not the case! When we go our master bedroom designs back, my first thought was, “It’s like our bedroom if it were in a magazine!” I was in love!

Audra’s final Modsy design

How Modsy’s Designs Helped Audra

Unlocking new ideas for a small space

The layout that our Modsy designer suggested completely solved our storage concerns and changed the way we thought about the room. They gave us some creative solutions that I never would have come up with on my own.

I loved the bed, nightstand, and lamp ensemble from the first design design, and the wall art and dresser configuration from the other. Both designs reflected our style and I could easily see us settling into the room as a retreat each evening. The hard part was deciding between the two!

Seeing exactly how the design would look made us so confident in our choices. We ended up combining our favorite parts of the first two designs and purchasing it all. It is crazy to see how closely Modsy’s 3D images look like our room in real life!

The Real Results

Getting the HGTV treatment for her home

We thought that our room’s small footprint and lack of storage space would prevent us from having the bedroom of our dreams. Our Modsy designer showed us that with the right furniture and layout we could have more than enough storage space without compromising on style.

“Modsy allowed us to fall in love with our new master bedroom before all of the pieces even arrived at our door!”

This experience was a game changer for us. I’m an HGTV junkie and Modsy is the next best thing to being on one of those shows! The 3D designs are incredible and the designers are so talented. Those two things combined allowed us to get expert design ideas, make changes on our own, and see it all in an impressively-accurate 3D version of our space.

Basically, Modsy allowed us to fall in love with our new master bedroom before all of the pieces even arrived at our door!

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My Modsy Story – Downsizing our Space, and Up-Leveling our Style

April 10, 2019/0 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

After downsizing from a single family home, Leann and her husband were ready to invest in a design they loved.

Homeowner: Leann M, Executive Assistant

Location: Santa Clara, CA

Room: Living Room

Her Style: Rustic Warmth

The Backstory

After downsizing, this couple was ready for a design change

Four years ago my husband and I decided it was time to downsize. So we made the move from our single family home into a townhouse, which was the perfect size for just the two of us.

But we soon discovered that our old furniture wasn’t going to be as easy to move as we’d thought. The pieces we had were just too big and didn’t fit well in our new space.

We finally had the funds to make a redesign happen, so we decided it was time for us to make a change.

The Design Dilemma

A tricky living room layout threw her for a loop

When I started thinking about a design for our new space, I realized I had no idea where to start. Our new living room is an odd shape and I was at a total loss when it came to finding a layout and furniture that worked.

“I wanted it to be the best. But actually figuring out how to do that was overwhelming.”

Additionally, since I knew we wanted to make an investment in our new design, I wanted it to be the best. But actually figuring out how to do that was overwhelming.

The Modsy Moment

Diving headfirst into a new design solution

Actually, I first heard about Modsy on a podcast, Young House Love, and decided to give it a go. I really wasn’t skeptical at all – the process seemed pretty straightforward and the cost was so reasonable I figured that even if it didn’t work it was worth a try.

When I got my first set of designs back I was so impressed with how they were able to recreate our living room in 3D. I loved the suggestions but wanted to see a few more ideas.

My designer was great and showed me that if I increased my budget slightly I could get the look I wanted. She also encouraged me to purchase pieces over time, which I thought was really nice.

downsizing our living room

How Modsy’s Designs Helped Leann

Discovering ideas that highlighted their new home’s features

I loved that my design was so cohesive with our actual space. We have a large brick fireplace and rustic barn door, which my Modsy designer incorporated into our design. We purchased pieces we never would have thought to on our own, and the results are amazing.

Moving the television to another location was also such a good idea that we never would have thought of on our own. The new location makes our space feel so uncluttered and we love it.

“We purchased pieces we never would have thought to on our own, and the results are amazing.”

I also loved the fact that I was able to purchase all my new furniture in one cart with exclusive discounts through Modsy. I was not prepared for the amazing follow-up from Modsy on the status and delivery of our items. It was so nice to hear from the Modsy team, who continued to check in on us to make sure we were happy with the deliveries.

The Real Results

The unexpectedly easy way she brought it all to life

Now I think our space looks amazing. It feels so open and light, and both my husband and I LOVE the new look.

“Modsy exceeded each and every one of my expectations and made downsizing so easy.”

From taking the style quiz to seeing my 3D designs, Modsy exceeded each and every one of my expectations and made downsizing so easy. I don’t usually feel so pleased with a choice, but I am so happy that I decided to try Modsy.

We now have quality furniture, in an extremely functional living room layout, all in a design style that fits us perfectly. What more could you ask for? Thanks Modsy!

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My Modsy Story: How I Designed a Home I Love Without Doing Any of the Work

April 8, 2019/5 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

When designing her new home wasn’t sparking joy, Allison found a way to outsource the whole thing.

Homeowner: Allison S, Sales Manager

Location: Rochester, MI

Room: Awkward “room and a half” living space

Her Style: Rustic Traveler

The Backstory

A new home with an odd layout had her totally stumped

I’d recently moved to a new home with my family, and needed to fill it with furniture. I wanted to turn our new living room into a space where my spouse, two girls and I could hang out, watch TV, and play. But the room is long and awkward and I had no clue how or where to start.

The Design Dilemma

Out of ideas, Allison just wanted her space to be done

The previous owners used the living space as a “pub room” with a bar and a pool table, but I didn’t think that set up would work with my lifestyle.

“I honestly just wanted to outsource the whole project and have it be done.”

Feeling out of ideas, I couldn’t visualize an outcome that was both functional and visually appealing. I honestly just wanted to outsource the whole project and have it be done.

The Modsy Moment

When an Instagram ad knew exactly what she needed

I’d never tried an interior designer before and didn’t really think the experience was for me. But when I saw an ad on Instagram for Modsy (they know me too well!) I decided to give it a go.

I’ll say I was a little hesitant because I wasn’t sure if the results would be something I actually liked and if they’d match my style.

How Modsy’s Designs Helped Allison

Nailing her style and finding the perfect layout

But, when I got my designs back, I absolutely loved them! I was shocked at how accurate the 3D images looked – I felt like I was actually standing in my room. I was seriously impressed and I showed my designs to everyone I knew and posted them to my Instagram.

My designer also totally got my style right – a little splash of color, a little quirkiness, and the perfect wall art. I loved how they broke my room up into two main sitting areas. That was something I never would have thought of, but it’s the perfect way to use my long, seemingly awkward, space.

The Real Results

Outsourcing the work and enjoying the results

I bought almost everything Modsy recommended minus a few pieces that I found on my own. My room is almost finished and it’s already looking amazing.

“I’m a working mom with two girls (ages 1 and 3) and my time is my most valuable asset. Modsy took the work completely off my hands and I’m so happy with the results.”

Spending my time on interior design doesn’t necessarily “spark joy” for me. I’m a working mom with two girls (ages 1 and 3) and my time is my most valuable asset. When I’m home, I want to be with my family. Modsy took the work completely off my hands and I’m so happy with the results.

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My Modsy Story: A New Marriage Deserves a New Design

December 20, 2018/1 Comment/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories /by Modsy

Newlyweds Liza and Dave were ready to merge their styles into one new design, but they were nervous about making a big purchase that wouldn’t work out.

Homeowners: Liza and Dave

Location: San Francisco, CA

Room: A living/dining room combo in need of a refresh

Their Style: Atomic Industrial

The Backstory

After their marriage, these newlyweds were ready to embrace a mutual aesthetic

Although my husband Dave and I just got married about a year ago, we’ve actually lived together for several years. Luckily for us, we’re pretty accomplished at merging our styles and furniture into one space. After our wedding, we decided it was time to change things up and design a new space that reflected this huge step in our lives.

new design

Liza and Dave’s Space Before

The Design Dilemma

Too much of a good thing

Dave and I were in agreement about our design goals, and we decided to focus on giving our living/dining space a fresh look. I enjoy home design and wanted to be super hands-on with the process, but found it surprisingly difficult to envision how all the different pieces of furniture would look together in our space.

“I found it surprisingly difficult to envision how all the different pieces of furniture would look together in our space.”

We were also a bit nervous about buying new furniture only to discover our space might feel too cramped. What we really needed was to see the design before committing to any changes.

Liza and Dave’s Modsy Design 8

The Modsy Moment

The friend connection

Luckily, one of my good friends actually works at Modsy and raves about the company all the time. A few other friends had told me about their positive experiences as well, so I was confident this would be the perfect solution for us.

Going into the process I was super excited and had zero skepticism. I think the company brings a really valuable piece to the design equation, as it’s so important to see how new furniture will look before spending more than a month’s rent!

Liza and Dave’s Modsy Design 8

How Modsy’s Renderings Helped Liza and Dave

Building their confidence to make a major purchase

I immediately loved our Modsy designs. Our first had a layout that matched our existing one and our second design showed us something totally new. It was nice to see these options, and we would never have thought of the alternative layout if Modsy hadn’t suggested it.

Liza and Dave’s Modsy Design 8

Additionally, I loved that I got the chance to express my creativity by creating multiple designs on my own. I wound up with eight designs total, and the final one was my favorite. It truly encapsulated everything Dave and I wanted in our new space.

“Modsy helped me, and especially my husband, feel confident about making major furniture purchases.”

Modsy helped me, and especially my husband, feel confident about making major furniture purchases. We knew that each piece they suggested would not only fit in our living/dining room, but that they would also capture the look and feel of what we wanted for that space.

new design

The Real Results

New design ideas, realized

In the end, we decided to go with the new layout Modsy suggested. It was totally different than the layout we’d been living with before and we would never have thought of it on our own.

The furniture our designer suggested was also right on target with the style we were going for. I wanted to buy a couch and a dining table, and we ended up purchasing both from our final Modsy design. We got a round dining table (thanks to our designer’s suggestion!) instead of a rectangular one, which is another idea I never would have considered!

All in all, we saved so much time using Modsy as we didn’t have to shop around and struggle to find the right furniture pieces. Thanks Modsy for bringing our vision to life!

Check out Liza and Dave’s space now!

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How 5 Bloggers Designed 5 Different Rooms With Modsy

November 20, 2018/0 Comments/in Behind the Scenes, Living Room Design Stories, Modsy 101, Real Online Interior Design Stories /by Modsy

Bloggers! They’re just like us. Even those who write about design, decor, and home trends all day long can still struggle with actually brining their ideas to life. While every Instagram post might be #homegoals, it’s almost guaranteed that they too have at least one room that’s been a “work in progress” for years.

Sound familiar? Continue reading to peek inside the homes of 5 bloggers and see how they used Modsy to transform these challenging spaces once and for all.

A Living Room Revamp with Anika’s DIY Life

The Blog: Anika’s DIY Life

The Room: An asymmetrical living room

Her Style: Chic Collector

The Challenge: Turning this space from awkward to totally chic

Anika from Anika’s DIY Life loves sharing her home projects on her blog. But there’s one room in her house that’s been a complete head-scratcher forever. The culprit? Her living room!

The long space has not been easy to decorate, especially with it’s asymmetrical fireplace, so she never really shared the room with her readers.

Anika came to Modsy with a few key pieces she knew wanted to keep in the space but was looking for ideas on how to make it feel a bit less awkward and more refined. With the addition of some warm colors and a dining area, the room finally came to life!

“I have made mood boards in the past but nothing compares to actually being able to see the design like it was real and knowing exactly what will work in a space.”

Shop Her Look

Master Bedroom Planning with Love & Renovations

The Blog: Love & Renovations

The Room: Master bedroom

Her Style: Modern Rustic

The Challenge: A cramped bedroom that needed a refresh

Amanda and her husband Corey have struggled with their Master Bedroom for years. While the room is big, it felt cramped and they weren’t sure how to refresh the space.

Amanda said, “we want to add more to it to turn it into more of a retreat, but we’re worried that adding anything would just make it feel even smaller than it already does.”

Modsy Examples

After seeing some refreshed wall art, a sleeker and slimmer mirror, wall sconces that take up no floor space and plant life to liven up the room, Amanda was inspired! It’s amazing what a few key changes can do in a space to make it feel brand new.

Shop Her Look

Creative Kids Room Design with Reality DayDream

The Blog: Reality DayDream

The Room: A shared bedroom for their two daughters

Her Style: Mid-Century Chic

The Challenge: Designing a cute and cohesive space for two girls

Bethany and her husband recently purchased a phenomenal historic home in Iowa (seriously, check this house out). And while it has been a whirlwind of renovations and planning, one room they really wanted to finish was a shared bedroom for two of their daughters.

Two girls…easy right? Not so fast. Bethany explained that she was “really struggling with layout and how to fit ALL THE THINGS in this room with it still looking cute and cohesive.”

Modsy Examples She teamed up with Modsy to come up with a game plan. Bethany had a few things she knew they were keeping (like the bunk bed, rug and the bright orange chair) but outside of that needed cute and functional pieces and layout ideas!

The result? Colorful designs with ample space to play, study, and lounge. We can’t wait to see the final reveal.

Shop Her Look

Moody Home Office Makeover with 17Apart

The Blog: 17Apart

The Room: A bedroom turned home office

Her Style: Atomic Industrial

The Challenge: Reimagining their son’s old bedroom into a functional office

A well designed home office should bring peace, productivity and inspiration – right?

Unfortunately, that couldn’t be said about Tim and Mary’s office, which had been a “holding ground and storage space over the last several months.”

Modsy Examples

The space, which was originally a bedroom for their son, hadn’t evolved since he moved out.

Tim and Mary were huge fans of Chris Loves Julia, so when they heard about Modsy’s exclusive collection, they knew they had to sign up. They were most excited about seeing the office in a completely new way, and designed in a style they loved.

Shop the Chris Loves Julia x Modsy Collection

Bringing a Nursery to life with Practically Functional

The Blog: Practically Functional

The Room: A nursery for her second baby

Her Style: Rustic Warmth

The Challenge: Incorporating a hand-made crib and vintage dresser into a new nursery design.

With a baby on the way, Jessi was looking forward to creating a beautiful nursery but needed help putting all of her ideas together. She knew she wanted to keep the crib her father had made and a gorgeous old dresser, but otherwise she had no clue where to begin.

Modsy Examples

Being able to see those two pieces in her exact room (in 3D of course), alongside decor and other nursery staples recommended by Modsy was a total game-changer. Jessi loved the pastel color palette and open layout, making going to-and-from the crib as simple as possible.

Shop Her Look

You don’t have to be a blogger to have a beautiful home!

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My Modsy Story: How I Designed a Space Under Construction into a Cozy Home for Mom

November 16, 2018/3 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

Brittany was designing a space under construction into a home for her mom. See how she transformed the empty room into a gorgeous living area.

Homeowner: Brittany G, Interior & Architectural Photographer

Location: Florida

Room: An under-construction carriage house for mom

Her Style: Mod Visionary

The Backstory

Designing a space under construction into a comfortable home for mom

My design struggles began when my family took on the task of constructing a carriage house in our backyard. This was going to be for my mother to live in, so we wanted to make sure she had a space that felt homey and beautiful from day one.

designing a space under construction

Brittany’s Space Before

The Design Dilemma

Needing a design solution for an unfinished space, and needing it fast

The space I was designing was under construction, which made it so difficult to visualize as it only had subfloor and sheetrock. I didn’t know how to get started!

Mostly, I needed help figuring out the right layout for the living area, as it’s a fairly small room. I knew it could be an amazing space but I didn’t want it to feel overcrowded or too sparse.

Brittany’s Modsy Design 2

The Modsy Moment

Envisioning a bare space transformed into an inviting and elegant apartment for mom

I actually found out about Modsy through Instagram – I was scrolling through my feed and saw an ad that looked amazing!

I had some vague ideas about how to fill the room but was reluctant to invest in furniture without knowing how it would look in the space. So when I saw the ad, I knew the ability to design in 3D was exactly what I needed.

“I was reluctant to invest in furniture without knowing how it would look in the space… When I got my Modsy designs back, I was shocked! The renderings were identical to my actual space!”

Of course when I first started with Modsy, I was skeptical of liking the results and being able to implement them. But when I got my designs back, I was shocked! I didn’t expect to love the designs to much and had no idea the renderings would look so real – they were identical to my actual space!

Brittany’s Modsy Design 2 Top Down View

How Modsy’s Renderings Helped Brittany

Figuring out how to outfit a small, empty space while it was under construction

The carriage house still had subfloor and no paint or cabinets when I sent the photos to Modsy. I couldn’t begin to imagine how it would look as a finished space. It was so helpful and fun to see the possibilities of how it could turn out!

From the start I knew that I wanted to have more seating than just a single couch, but I had no idea what we could fit without making it feel too cramped. Modsy helped us “try out” four different layouts in the space so we could see all of the options.

Brittany’s Modsy Design 2

“It was so helpful and fun to see the possibilities of how it could turn out… I couldn’t have done it on my own.”

Overall my second design was my favorite. Modsy suggested a couch plus two comfy chairs, which worked perfectly! We also needed to hang the TV on a specific wall so the layout and design direction turned out to be exactly what we were looking for! I couldn’t have done it on my own.

Brittany’s Modsy Design 2

The Real Results

Finding the ideal furniture layout for a small space

I loved being able to visualize and shop for the finished living room before construction was complete. My Modsy designs helped me get a head start on ordering furniture, which I loved because some items had a long lead-time.

Modsy definitely helped us turn our dreams of having a comfortable and beautiful space for my mom into reality. We set up the house almost identical to Design 2 and we are so happy with it! The 3D renderings definitely helped us settle on furniture, decor and layout and we couldn’t be happier with the results.

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My Modsy Story: New Apartment, New Furniture, and How it All Fit Together

October 11, 2018/0 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

When he moved into his new apartment, Alec wanted to make sure all his furniture would fit before he made the commitment.

Homeowner: Alec O, Software Engineer

Location: Boston, MA

Room: Brand New High-Rise Apartment

His Style: Mod Visionary

The Backstory

A brand new apartment called for brand new furniture

When I moved into my new apartment I had a single sofa, a coffee table, and a lot of empty space to fill. I knew wanted to create a space to entertain friends and relax in. Having a small dining area as well as a space for a group to gather and watch TV was part of the plan. I was also planning to adopt a dog soon, so furniture that was pet-friendly was top-of-mind for me.

So with all that in mind, I knew I needed some more seating, a dining table, and functional lighting, but I wanted to figure out what the furniture looked like in the room before I bought anything.

Apartment design

Alec’s Apartment Before

The Design Dilemma

Struggling to imagine the possibilities without seeing it all together

Finding the right layout for my room and coordinating the colors of my furniture were super important to me. Since I was planning to purchase some quality foundational pieces, I wanted to make sure they all worked together before I bought anything.

The problem was I had a really difficult time visualizing how everything would look together. The art of pairing things, like a rug and artwork in the same room, totally escaped me – I just couldn’t imagine how it would look.

Alec’s Modsy Design 1

The Modsy Moment

When a word-of-mouth recommendation came at just the right time

A coworker of mine mentioned that he’d recently used Modsy to design his living room. He told me that it really helped him figure out whether or not everything would fit in his existing space.

At the time, I was set to move into my new place in a matter months, so I was eager to get a head-start on the apartment design process. I decided to give Modsy a go in the hopes that the service could help me plan a layout as well as figure out which new pieces to get.

I’ll admit I was a little unsure about the whole thing – I wasn’t convinced they could really recreate my room virtually, and I wasn’t quite sure how much furniture they’d have available for me to choose from.

Alec’s Modsy Design 2

How Modsy’s Renderings Helped Alec

Discovering new layout, color, and accent ideas to create his own apartment design

It turned out that Modsy was able to recreate a perfect 3D version of my room, and I was impressed by how lifelike the renderings were. I loved the colors in my first design and I how my designer took my suggestions into consideration when creating the space.

For example, I mentioned that I was getting a puppy and I thought it was cute that they incorporated a dog bed into my design.

Alec’s Modsy Design featuring a “Wouf” dog bed

There were layout ideas in both designs that I would not have thought of on my own which was incredibly helpful.

“I mentioned that I was getting a dog and I thought it was cute that [my Modsy designer] incorporated a dog bed into my design.”

The 3D renders allowed me to see that I could fit an extra side chair in my living space, so I’d have more seating when I had people over. They also showed me I could fit entire dining set, which I hadn’t thought I’d have space for.

I also didn’t realize that I liked more of a blue color scheme with mid-century furniture, but my Modsy designs totally sold me on the look!

Alec’s Modsy Design 2

The Real Results

Welcoming new furniture – and a new puppy – into the mix

The first design worked best for me. I liked that it was functional but still had some style to it. I loved the layout and the use of brass and natural textures.

And while my initial set of designs didn’t 100% fit my style (I’d expected that I would need to make some tweaks), I ended up combining the two together to create my final design. I liked the organic textures from the first design so I kept the jute pouf, bird of paradise plant, and swapped in a side chair with a more natural weave.

Alec’s final Modsy Design

I also kept a lot of the brass accents from my second design, and I ended up getting the artwork from the that design as well. I also really liked the look of white ceramic accents so I pulled that into my final look too.

The visualization of the final space was super helpful when deciding what pieces to purchase. I bought most of the furniture in my final renderings, and was able to see how they looked with the sofa and coffee table I already owned (which, I found, were available in the Modsy 3D catalog).

Arthur, my new corgi pup, and I are enjoying breaking in the space together.

See Alec’s Apartment Design In Real Life!

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My Modsy Story: How I Balanced Raising My Baby and Designing My Living Room

October 10, 2018/2 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

When designing her new living room and caring for a newborn became overwhelming, Monica let Modsy step in to help with the heavy lifting.

Homeowner: Monica F, Editorial Director

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Room: Awkward Living Room in a New Home

Her Style: Atomic Industrial

The Backstory

Moving all her furniture from an apartment to a new home

When I first moved from my old apartment into a new home, I assumed that all of my old furniture would easily make the move with me. After all, we had more space, why wouldn’t it work?

Boy was I wrong. So wrong, in fact, that I had to replace almost everything.

Monica’s Living Room Before

The Design Dilemma

Trying to design her new living room and care for a newborn

What I really wanted was to turn our new living room into a family-friendly space that still looked like an adult home. But most importantly, I just didn’t know how to do all that while taking care of our first baby.

As a brand new mom, I found designing a home to be incredibly overwhelming. Just finding the time to browse furniture online was a challenge, let alone making sure it would all fit in our space.

What I really needed was someone to do the heavy lifting for me.

Monica’s Modsy Design 1

The Modsy Moment

When it all seemed too good to be true…

I saw Modsy in a subway ad and decided to look it up. I was shocked by how affordable it was. So affordable that I wondered if the designs would be really bad and cheap looking.

But holy cow, it was totally way better than I expected!

Monica’s Modsy Design 2

How Modsy’s Renderings Helped Monica

Sometimes the best design solution is having someone else to do the heavy lifting

The most challenging thing about Modsy for me was trying to get myself to stop playing around with it for hours. It was really addicting!

I had planned on getting a neutral couch and had been looking for some comfortable chairs to go across from it. I didn’t think a couch facing our fireplace would work originally, so I was pleasantly surprised to see how well it did in one of my Modsy designs.

For me, seeing our space designed virtually just really showed me that there’s always a way to make a difficult layout work.

The most challenging thing about Modsy for me was trying to get myself to stop playing around with it for hours. It was really addicting!

Monica’s Final Modsy Design

The Real Results

Putting all the pieces together with ease

The ability to visualize everything in my exact room made me feel so much more confident about making large purchases. Instead of spending time measuring, researching, and stressing, I was able to just see if it would fit and know right away if I liked it.

This really took the stress out of designing our home and let me focus on more important things, like caring for my new baby.

I know I’ll be following the layout to the T, but I’m planning to purchase a combination of pieces from my two favorite designs. You can bet I’m planning on using Modsy for my bedroom next when I’m ready.

See Monica’s Favorite Design in 360!

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My Modsy Story: How I Fell In Love With My Bedroom Again

September 28, 2018/0 Comments/in Bedroom Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

Nothing was working in Stephanie M’s master bedroom and there was no clear path forward. See how Modsy gave her a bedroom redesign that changed everything.

Homeowner: Stephanie M, Education Professional

Location: Arizona

Room: A Spacious Master Bedroom

Her Style: Elegant Connoisseur

The Design Dilemma

The furniture didn’t feel right, neither did the space, and she was stuck with no solution

My spouse and I live in a big family house with an Italian rustic style. The decor scheme is largely transitional and clean, but when it came to designing our master bedroom, I wanted it to feel like a resort.

Our bedroom is spacious, but up until this point it has existed mainly as a lot of empty space that has been a struggle to style. My greatest challenge has simply been a lack vision for the space. But I wanted to finally create a place with intention and vision that was as sophisticated as our home and representative of our lives.

Stephanie’s Bedroom Before

The Modsy Moment

When all other ideas failed her

It was actually my daughter who recommended that I try Modsy. I wasn’t skeptical at all, especially since everything I’d tried prior to Modsy missed the mark. Once I got started, it was very easy to understand and use.

Stephanie’s Modsy Design 2

How Modsy’s Renderings Helped Stephanie

Finally seeing clearly (and being reminded of) the possibilities and beauty of her space

The first Modsy designs I got back took my breath away. They showed such masterful uses of our bedroom and the designers really hit everything on my wish list. I wanted to keep my bed in the same spot but upgrade to a king size that goes with my style, and they found the perfect option.

Stephanie’s Modsy Design 3

Another request was that I wanted the other half of our room to be a relaxing gathering space. I never imagined a full sofa, two chairs, a table, and a side table would go in my master bedroom. But when I saw them in my Modsy design I knew that was exactly what needed to be in the space.

The Real Results

Bringing her designs to life

My favorite part of the design, though, is the beauty of light, space, and purpose it brought to our bedroom. So I bought all the pieces, exactly as designed in my favorite design.

The whole design experience gave me a sense of really being in my room, but totally reimagined into my perfect space.

Stephanie’s Modsy Design 3

See Stephanie’s Favorite Design in 360!

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My Modsy Story: Taking the E-Design Leap of Faith For My Basement Turned Family Room

August 16, 2018/5 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

Zack S. was at a loss when it came to transforming his large empty basement into a functional family room. See how we helped him complete the space once and for all.

basement family room

Homeowner: Zack S, Computer Whiz

Location: North Salt Lake, Utah

Room: Blank Slate Basement Family Room

His Style: Discerning Collector

The Backstory

Finding the perfect family home with a blank slate basement, ready to be decorated

When we first toured our house, it was completely empty. It has a huge basement and we knew from the moment we saw it that it would be our family room. We also knew that we wanted to make it a beautiful space where our kids could play and we could relax — all with budget in mind, of course.

basement family room

Zack’s Basement Family Room Before

The Design Dilemma

Struggling to visualize how an unusually large space could be family and pet-friendly

Our basement was truly a blank slate and it proved to be a real design challenge. We simply had no sense of what furniture to purchase or how we would arrange it in such an enormous space.

Also, we have two young daughters and two insanely hyper dogs, so we wanted everything to be as functional and destruction-proof as possible.

Zack’s Modsy Design 1

The Modsy Moment

Trusting a friend’s word to take the e-design leap of faith

I told a friend we were renovating our basement family room and that I had no idea where to begin with decorating it. He recommended Modsy, so I looked into it. The more I learned about how it worked, the more intrigued I became!

So finally, I decide to give it a go.

A word of advice on getting started with Modsy: It’s super important that your Modsy designer has your exact room dimensions, so get ready to measure. If you can provide them with a floor plan (even a hand-drawn one), even better!

Zack’s Modsy Design 2

How Modsy’s Renderings Helped Zack

Seeing the multipurpose potential of his large basement family room– with furniture he loved!

We were totally blown away when we got our designs back. The attention to detail was crazy. I had no idea the 3D renderings would be so accurate — they captured everything right down to the tiny motion detectors we have in our basement!

I’m so happy I trusted our designer’s intuitions because the designs and the furniture they chose for our space were perfect.

I’ll admit that at first I wasn’t sure if Modsy would be able to design a space that truly catered to my design preferences since it felt like there were so many unknowns that our Modsy designer was working with. But I’m so happy I trusted our designer’s intuitions because the designs and the furniture they chose for our space were perfect.

Zack’s Modsy Design 1

In particular, Modsy’s designs really helped us envision how a large room like ours could have multiple entertainment spaces. Our designer did a great job separating the TV area from the kids activities area while still keeping the room flowing in a way that made sense.

Our second Modsy design was awesome, and ultimately it was the design we went with. Modsy really hit the nail on the head with it.

We loved how there was a sit-down space for our kids to create beautiful art and finish homework. We also really enjoyed the seating area setup with a comfy sectional that will allow us to watch TV and play games as a family.

The Real Results

Shopping has never been this easy

Since we got our Modsy designs back, we’ve literally purchased every single piece of furniture suggested in our second design. Seeing exactly how things would look in the space was a game-changer for us. It made all of our purchasing decisions so incredibly easy.

We’ve literally purchased every single piece of furniture suggested … Seeing exactly how things would look in the space [made] all of our purchasing decisions so incredibly easy.

Zack’s Modsy Design 2

Designing our basement family room from scratch felt like such an immense undertaking. We were at such a loss in the beginning. I feel like Modsy truly helped us make the best use of the space we had. And I love how our designer introduced us to some new ways to use the space that we hadn’t considered before.

Going forward, I couldn’t imagine decorating another room without Modsy’s 3D renderings.

See Zack’s Favorite Design in 360!

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My Modsy Story: How I Designed My First Home From Scratch – and Did It Right

August 7, 2018/1 Comment/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

When she moved from a small city apartment to a 3000 sq ft home, Nicole was ready for a grown-up living room. Here’s how she made it happen and made it look easy.

Homeowner: Nicole T, Sales and Development

Location: Phoenix, AZ

Room: Open “Grown Up” Living Room

Her Style: Modern Rustic

The Backstory

Scrapping all the old furniture from their 650 sq. foot apartment and designing their grown-up living room from scratch

My family and I had just moved from a very tiny apartment in the Mission District of San Francisco to a new home in Phoenix, AZ. As such, NONE of our furniture was suitable for our new 3000 sq ft home.

Additionally, after 7 years of apartment living, we were ready to finally have a grown-up living room. We were over buying small, cheap furniture and were ready to take the plunge and invest in some more substantial pieces for our new place. We were starting from scratch and wanted to do it right.

Nicole’s Living Room Before

The Design Dilemma

Creating a space that was both beautiful and family-friendly, without spending a giant fortune

Our new home has a very large, beautiful family room. We weren’t bringing any furniture from our old apartment, so it was hard to know where to start with such a large space. Plus, despite the place being so spacious and comfortable, there were some odd features we just didn’t know how to design around.

We knew that we wanted to compliment the style of the house, which is a contemporary custom home with mid century modern features. And at the same time, we are expecting our second child in 2 months, so we needed furniture that could stand the test of a toddler and a newborn.

Ultimately, we wanted to create a thoughtful looking space that we’d be happy living in every day.

Nicole’s Modsy Design 2

The Modsy Moment

When a friend’s success story sealed the deal

A friend recommended I try Modsy after she used it to decorate her new home. I was skeptical at first – my friend had purchased “everything from West Elm,” so I was worried the items selected would all be fairly expensive.

However, I learned that Modsy works with a great mix of high and low cost retailers, so we definitely would have lots of choices.

How Modsy’s Renderings Helped Nicole

Seeing the possibilities and embracing new ideas for her space

When we got our designs back we were very impressed with Modsy’s renderings! It was crazy to see a digital image of our exact space designed by someone that had never been there.

Nicole’s Modsy Design 2

I really liked the layout of design 2 – we hadn’t thought of facing our couch towards the fireplace, as we were afraid it would cut the space in half. But after seeing the designs, we went for it! Now we think it fits so much better than the design the previous owners had.

Modsy’s designs also showed us that we don’t have to be afraid to go bold with color. Neither my husband or I would have ever considered the color scheme that our designer first introduced us to, but after seeing the results, we were sold.

It was crazy to see a digital image of our exact space designed by someone that had never been there.

I also learned that you can design a space with a lot of color while still using mostly neutral furniture. We went with grays and whites for many of the chairs and tables, but also found that the design looked amazing with the bold green couch. We wouldn’t have thought of that ourselves and are very happy with it.

Nicole’s Modsy Design 6

The Real Results

Bringing her new, grown-up living room to life

Modsy definitely helped us envision the possibilities for our space in a way that we wouldn’t have been able to do on our own.

Neither my husband or I would have ever considered the color scheme that our designer first introduced us to, but after seeing the results, we were sold.

We loved the layout featured in our initial design and were very happy with all the views of our space and attention to detail in the renderings. We worked with the Modsy team to make a few tweaks to our original designs (we ended up with 6 in total) to get the colors just right. Now we are so happy with the overall design of our new house!

grown-up living room

We bought a lot of items from our final Modsy design. We ordered our furniture directly through Modsy and appreciated the Insider Rewards discounts!

Modsy’s designs helped us tremendously. Not only did it change our perception of how to lay out our furniture, but it helped us fill some odd spaces. Thanks Modsy!

See Nicole’s Favorite Design in 360!

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My Modsy Story: Making A Small Living Room Work For My Family Of Five

July 9, 2018/2 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

With a oddly shaped space, Christina craved a small living room layout that worked for her family of five. See how she found the perfect solution for her space.

Homeowner: Christina M, University Business Officer

Location: North Logan, Utah

Room: Small, Awkwardly Shaped Living Room

Her Style: Comfortably Chic

The Backstory

Living in a charming home where comfort and practicality are paramount

We are a family of five and we’ve lived in our current home for about a year. We love the all the natural light and the vaulted ceiling, but that was about it.

Our living room is the center of our house. We’re big on movie nights and use the space to watch TV throughout the day, and it’s also where we entertain guests. Unfortunately it’s become a sort of waiting room and a playroom. And while it’s the most-used space in our home, it’s also the least functional.

small living room layout

The Design Dilemma

Dealing with a small living room that needed to work for a big family

I wanted this room to be a comfortable and inviting space since it’s the center of our home. But it’s so long, skinny, and just plain awkward that it seemed impossible to make it work. After six months of hating this room, I decided we definitely needed some professional help to make it into a space we loved.

But when it came to designing the space, we really needed help with everything – A functional small living room layout, some storage for kids toys and games, an awesome couch for movie nights and afternoon Sunday naps, seating for guests, and not to mention a space that was pretty.

The Modsy Moment

How a Podcast led her to the ultimate living room solution

I heard about Modsy on the podcast, Young House Love. I was slightly skeptical at first — what Modsy could do sounded awesome, but I wasn’t ready to commit. That’s until I got desperate enough for a design solution for my strange and small living room. Once I got started, it was so easy to use and I was totally convinced this was worth it!

How Modsy’s Renderings Helped Christina

Getting the exact furniture and small living room layout she asked for — and more!

We LOVED the first two designs Modsy sent us. They were spot on with everything we needed! The 3D renderings looked just like our living room and it was so helpful to see the space with all the furniture in place.

It was amazing how our Modsy Designer was able to incorporate pieces in our designs that fit our style while factoring in all our needs as a family. Altogether, the designs were so doable and the small living room layout ideas were just so much more functional.

“We LOVED the first two designs… they were so doable.”

At first, we liked the simplicity and open look of the first design because it would work with the sofa we already had. We immediately rearranged the room with our existing furniture the very next day, and it made such a HUGE difference in the feel and function of the space.

Then in the second design, our Modsy Designer incorporated a console table opposite the sectional. This was so great to see because I had a very similar console table that I hadn’t thought would work in the space. After seeing that it could work, I pulled it back out and I’m now using it in the room!

Modsy’s idea to put chairs by the window in our second design was genius; it’s the perfect place for them! The round side table was one of our favorite pieces, and we ended up bringing this element to life in our space.

small living room layout

We also loved the mirrors above the mantle in both our designs — it was just what we needed for that space. Everything was just perfect for us.

Ultimately we really wanted a super comfortable space where we could put our feet up, relax, and cuddle with our kids. I had specifically requested to see an option with a sectional, and our Modsy Designer made it happen! Seeing that the right-sized sectional could absolutely work in our space and still look great was a huge eye-opener.

We ended up purchasing a super comfortable small sectional in order to make the sectional layout design happen—and we are so happy with all of it!

See Christina’s Favorite Design in 360!

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New Home, New Living Room, No Idea Where to Start

September 14, 2017/67 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

New homeowners, Cristina and her husband, wanted all the right furniture—but they just couldn’t decide on anything.

Homeowner: Maria Cristina, global marketing director

Location: New Orleans, LA

Room: A bare living room in a new home

Her Style: Contemporary Collector

The Backstory

Graduating from a rental to her family-of-four’s first owned home

I live with my husband and our kids, and we purchased a home in New Orleans after renting for several years. The house is huge and when we moved in, we needed lots of help figuring out how to design the space.

The Design Dilemma

Designing one room was too much work and making decisions became impossible

Our living room was a blank canvas with just a wall-mounted TV. We knew we wanted it to be comfortable and practical, but style and budget were also very important to us.

To say we didn’t know where to start would be an understatement. Should we tackle the floor plan first? Or would it make more sense to start by finding a sofa? But then how do we arrange things and make the room look cohesive? We couldn’t decide.

Deciding where to buy the furniture was another hurdle. We kept going from store to store, taking pictures, trying to match pieces together. In the end, it was too much work and we could never make a decision.

In the end, [designing the space ourselves] was too much work and we could never make a decision.

Christina’s Modsy Design 1

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The Modsy Moment

After two failed runs with online design services, one happy Modsy review caught her eye

I’d tried two online interior design services before coming to Modsy. The experience was unsuccessful to say the least. We worked with designers but the renderings were poor-quality and didn’t help us with anything.

I’d seen Modsy on my Facebook feed, so I did a little research and read many positive reviews of the service. One in particular caught my eye, from a man who noted that the designs took 10 days to complete. This made me a little nervous at first, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of the Modsy service. They took their time to create two very thoughtful concepts for my space, and that was a big differentiator for me.

Christina’s Modsy Design 1

How Modsy’s Renderings Helped Maria

Discovering new ideas and having the confidence to know EXACTLY what to buy

My reaction to our first Modsy designs was a huge WOW! I had such a big happy smile on my face. I couldn’t believe that I was seeing my living room furnished in such a realistic way. Every detail of my room was there.

Christina’s Modsy Design 2

When I showed my husband that night, he couldn’t believe that we got such great work for $59. (Then he had to remind me how much money I wasted with the other online design services.) Modsy’s renders helped us think outside the box for our space.

My reaction to our first Modsy designs was a huge WOW! I couldn’t believe that I was seeing my living room furnished in such a realistic way.

We ended up combining a couple of our designs together for our final look. It was so great to know exactly where to go to get the furniture I wanted. We bought a lot of pieces from our design but we also added a few items we found ourselves.

living room design

The sofa Modsy suggested was great, but after our entire family of four sat on it, we decided we wanted a wider option. But we liked the one Modsy recommended, so we bought a sofa in that same color.

We also purchased the patterned area rug from our final design. I know we would not have been brave enough to choose something like that if we hadn’t seen how it would look in our space. Likewise, we wouldn’t have thought about putting the sun mirror on the wall or adding the artwork and plant.

I would never have thought of putting bookcases on each side of the french doors. But Modsy suggested it and we ended up loving it, so that was a huge surprise. We’re planning on purchasing those along with the lamps and the sun mirror Modsy suggested!

See Christina’s Favorite Modsy Design in 360!

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My Modsy Story: Overcoming Self-Doubt When Designing My New Home

August 30, 2017/5 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Modsy

Like Erin Canova, we often talk ourselves out of ideas for our spaces—until we realize we had it right the whole time.

Homeowner: Erin Canova, mom extraordinaire

Location: Sacramento, CA

Room: A tall-ceilinged den and TV room

Her Style: Contemporary Minimalist

The Backstory

Balancing a new home’s great bones with not too much decor

In our new home, we are blessed with all these incredible rooms. We have very tall ceilings, which was one of the hardest things for me to try and design around. I just had no clue how to compensate for that with the decor.

That said, I did not want to have too much decor in the space that I would have to dust or tidy up on a regular basis. I want a minimal home that feels welcoming and homey, but also functional and that enhances our daily lives rather than creating more roadblocks.

The Design Dilemma

Knowing what she loves but not what blends together in an empty room

My biggest challenge was room cohesion—if that’s even a term. I can pick separate pieces of furniture that I like, but picking the right items that all blend well together is next to impossible for me. I started with this den and TV room because I hadn’t purchased any new furniture for it yet. It was essentially a clean slate.

The Modsy Moment

Taking a risk that cost far less than hiring an interior designer

I first saw Modsy in a blog post, and I figured even if it was a total bust, $70 was such a reasonable price compared to what I was considering with an interior designer, which costs much much more.

Getting started was so incredibly simple that I was kind of blown away at how easy it was. I didn’t even have to clean up my space before hand!

How Modsy’s Renderings Helped Erin

She thought her idea wouldn’t work; but seeing furniture in the space reassured her it would

I was through the roof with excitement when I first saw my Modsy renderings. It was so amazing to finally see the room transform into EXACTLY what I had envisioned. It’s currently covered in random kids toys, and I just had no idea where to start; now I know exactly what to do, how to lay out the space and what items to buy.

I was especially excited with the second Modsy layout design I was provided because I had actually thought about purchasing a sectional and placing it the same way but convinced myself it wouldn’t work and that the space would be too tight. Seeing it in the rendering showed me that with just the right size sectional I actually could divide the larger space into two zones to get the most use out of the room.

Modsy Design 1

Modsy Design 2

Modsy took an issue I had been stressing over for months and not only solved the issue but got me excited about tackling it going forward! I’ve felt bad about continuously changing things but my Modsy advisors assured me that it’s not a problem.

I’m still working on changing the renderings (I’m on my sixth design) to get the room just right. But I plan on buying most, if not all, the pieces detailed in the design. I also love that many of the items placed in my renderings are incredibly affordable and I can find them at my ultimate favorite retailer, Target!

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My Modsy Story: Finding a Solution for My Small, Awkward Living Room

July 22, 2017/9 Comments/in Living Room Design Stories, Real Online Interior Design Stories, Real Stories /by Rachael Tellerman

We can all relate to Kevin Grieco’s “decorating paralysis” with his tiny living room. See how Modsy helped him move forward—and complete the space.

Homeowner: Kevin Grieco, systems engineer and IT whiz

Location: Medford, MA

Room: Tiny pass-through living room

His Style: Atomic Industrial

The Backstory

Turning 1300 Square Feet into a Home

My wife Toni (pictured above) and I live with our Corgi, Moose (also pictured above), in a small, single family house that we bought four years ago and never really ‘made a home’ due to decorating paralysis. It was gutted and refinished top to bottom so it looks fresh for a 100-year-old Colonial in Massachusetts, but at around 1300 square feet with six rooms spread across two floors, it’s a challenge to use the space efficiently. And our living room, in particular, was badly in need of some direction.

The Design Dilemma

Feeling overwhelmed (and paralyzed) by everything

Our big problem with the living room was a lack of vision. Despite the fact that we are both creative people in our own right, neither of us have ever had an eye for interior design. There is just something so challenging about conceptualizing what will be both beautiful and functional, especially in a small home where efficiency is at a premium. This “tetris” problem of figuring out the right furniture arrangement combined with our tendency to not look at decor holistically had left us feeling paralyzed and apathetic. So, our primary living space languished for years after we moved in. This was what we wanted to solve.

The Modsy Moment

When he finally had to google “interior design help oh god please help me i have no taste”

I first found out about Modsy through what I can only describe as digital flailings of desperation. I forget exactly what I googled to stumble upon Modsy, but it was something to the effect of “interior design help oh god please help me i have no taste.” Being an IT nerd and a visual person, the concept of a 3D rendering-based service immediately excited me and it was easy to convince my wife to give it a shot considering the low cost of entry compared to hiring a real-life designer.

How Modsy’s Renderings Helped Kevin

Finding and seeing the exact furniture he needed to buy, once and for all

When I first got the Modsy renderings my response contained expletives that I won’t include here. But suffice it to say that I was extremely impressed. I took screenshots of a few angles of the renderings and sent them to all my friends who had been in my living room, and they were equally dazzled.

I couldn’t believe how accurate it was and the various arrangements immediately gave us so many ideas about how we could break up our space. Being able to visually see finished layouts like that completely broke through our ‘designer’s block.’

We bought a few big, structure-defining pieces straight from the suggested products pages that the Modsy team sent us, and then added a few of our own antique and furniture store finds—something that we were able to do with relative confidence now that we had such a secure ‘grounding’ thanks to the Modsy Style team.

I must have sent 20 pages worth of wordy emails to my Modsy Style Advisor over the course of my experience, and she was so receptive and supportive of all my input every time, being both professional and personal in perfect balance. She provided me with at least three additional renderings and a dozen different decor options. I genuinely don’t think I have had a better customer service experience in my entire life.

I would recommend Modsy to anyone looking for a premium-feeling, highly personalized interior design experience for a fraction of hiring a traditional professional.

From render to reality. Kevin's living room is coming together based off his favorite Modsy designs.

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