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

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 Real Stories 3000 sq ft, 3000 sq ft home, color scheme that our designer, considered the color scheme, crazy to see a digital, digital image of our exact, ever considered the color, ever considered the color scheme, exact space designed, grown-up living, grown-up living room, image of our exact, image of our exact space, living room, modsy design, modsy design 2, nicole's modsy design, nicole's modsy design 2, see a digital image, sq ft home /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 Real Stories console table, design, designs, layout, living, living room, living room layout, modsy, modsy designer, movie nights, room, room layout, second design, see, small living, small living room, small living room layout, space, super comfortable, work /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, 2017/65 Comments/in Real Stories christina's modsy, christina's modsy design, christina's modsy design 1, design, design services, first modsy designs, living room, living room furnished, modsy, modsy design, modsy design 1, modsy designs, online design services, reaction to our first modsy, room furnished, seeing my living, seeing my living room, seeing my living room furnished, sun mirror, too much work /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!

Need a little design help? Try a Modsy rendering for yourself!

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

August 30, 2017/3 Comments/in 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!

Need a little design help? Try a Modsy rendering for yourself!

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

July 22, 2017/7 Comments/in 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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