When living in a big city and moving around a lot, it's hard to make a place feel like home. Hand-me-down or quick-buy furniture is usually strewn about and things just don't look cohesive. But who has the time or money to find an interior decorator that can untangle the web of design you've created?
That's where services like Modsy come in. Modsy is an all-in-one design service that helps you plan, arrange, and even buy pieces to make your idea of a dream bedroom, living room, whatever you want, come to fruition.
I was given the opportunity by Modsy to test out the experience, and I’ve been recommending it to friends ever since. It has completely changed how I look at what I buy and how I plan to buy for my space. And the price (packages start at $59) is much less of a gut punch than any other interior design service I was considering.
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There’s the option to choose what you think your interior design style is, or take a fun style quiz that is probably the best part of the whole set up. The quiz absolutely nailed my style, dubbing it Mod Collector (a mix between Eclectic and Mid-Century Modern, with a touch of Industrial). It’s like reading the perfect horoscope. After that, comes the addition of what your actual room looks like.
My rendered living room from Modsy.
While working from home one day, I spent five minutes gathering the measurements (length/width of the room, any alcoves, etc.), and took a handful of photos of my living room from every different corner and angle I could think of. They recommend eight photos (four in each corner, and four from the middle of each wall, including the ceiling and floor in each) but I sent a couple more, as my open living room set up is a bit wonky.
After all the measuring, it takes about a week to get your beautifully detailed 3D rendering if you pick a package that includes it. If you do (I recommend it), it’s like your own personal stockpile of interior design porn, based on your own home.
What always scared me about interior design services was whether they would be pushy about purchasing the furniture they recommend. Modsy doesn’t do that. They give you a place to set your budget for every piece that may be placed in the room, and link out to it, but you’re not pressured into buying anything they mock up.
My rendered living room from Modsy.
You can even swap in things they have mocked up in their library using their Live Swap too. If you see something you want, you can just place it in your studio, without having to discuss anything. But, if you want help, most of their packages include one-on-one time with the designers.
My good friend, and coworker, Veronica de Souza also got the chance to have them help her design her basement/den area. “I dragged my feet during Modsy’s setup process. I put off the design quiz, though it ended up helping me describe my style. I put off uploading what felt like a million photos of my living room," she said. “But once I saw the 3D model they made I realized it was all worth it. I was blown away by how realistic the model was, and the fact that I could click and drag pieces around like I was playing The Sims. One of the two designs I received made me think of the space in a completely different way.”
The only slightly disappointing part is that even though both Veronica and I had put that we shop and love pieces from more affordable destinations like Target and IKEA, most of the pieces were from higher-end retailers like CB2, West Elm, and others. “I ended up buying a pair of armchairs that were in my Modsy design, but on a different website because they were on sale,” Veronica said.
Honestly, the overall design and planning has made my all-over-the-place checklist into a cohesive design plan, which is really what this was about. I’ll have these renderings to refer back to in case I want to switch up my room’s layout, and I’ll have the inspiration built-in. If you need a kick in the butt to redesign your space, Modsy is a great place to start.
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