I Tried Modsy's Virtual Home Design Service — And It Did Wonders For My Small Space

As an editor — a commerce (AKA shopping) editor, no less — for a home decor and interior design site, you probably think I'd have a home that is decorated to the nines. It would make sense that having access to and information about all of the top brands, biggest sales, and newest trends would directly correlate to my dwellings, but I regret to inform you that my reality is almost the opposite.

I see so many gorgeous spaces, blowout sales, and interesting products on a day-to-day basis that it makes it nearly impossible for me to commit to one I like — I know, I know, I'm working on it — and pull the trigger on purchases. (Recently relocating from NYC to LA and subsequently selling and donating all of my stuff didn't help.)

Which is why, when Modsy offered me a test run of its virtual interior design services, I jumped at the chance. An opportunity to have someone else design my bedroom? Say no more.

Here's what happened when I left my bedroom decorating process up to Modsy.

Step 1: The Style Quiz

After selecting the space you'd like to redesign — almost every room is available, from offices and entryways to dining rooms and bedrooms, plus an option to design an open layout — and giving a little bit of info on why you're looking to decorate (moving to a new place, redecorating a current place, replacing a few options, etc.), Modsy has a style quiz to help narrow down what you're looking for. You select between a few different popular styles like modern, minimal, boho, and dramatic, but what I like is that photos are used to help you differentiate and you can select multiple styles.

In theory, I think I'd be drawn to categories like "Rustic and Warm" and "Urban and Trendy," but, in looking at the accompanying photos, I'm much more into the "Modern and Minimal" room. What can I say? I love a neutral palette. I like that the quiz asks about your style preferences through multiple rounds of images, which I think helps to get a better idea of what you actually like vs. what you think you like. You also have the option to upload images from Pinterest that you like, to help really offer a full comprehensive style profile. Once your style preferences are in, you get your results and are prompted to complete the rest of your profile.

Step 2: Your Space

Once your style profile is complete, you then share a little more information on the space you're working with, including measurements, photos from all angles, and the progress of where your room currently is — i.e. whether you're starting from scratch, just need a few final touches, or are somewhere in between.

You can also include images and product info on items you already have in your space. That means, if you are already obsessed with your current sofa or invested a ton on a gorgeous rug, you can let Modsy know you'll be leaving that item in the space and the site can design around and in correlation with it.

Step 3: Your Vision

Finally, the specifics. After selecting your design package, which ranges from $79 to $229 for a multiroom package, you can also specify what kind of use you expect that room to endure, whether you live with kids and/or pets, and add in any extra considerations you'd like them to keep in mind — extra storage, space for a pinball machine, focus around your custom fireplace, etc.

For my bedroom — which is admittedly very small — I wanted to focus on decor, rather than big-ticket furniture items, since I didn't anticipate staying long (I have since moved out). Plus, I had a rather large closet and had already hidden a dresser in there, so I didn't need much in the storage and furniture department. I also realistically had to keep my budget low, so I asked them not to exceed $2,000.

With all of my information locked and loaded, I submitted my room and eagerly awaited my results.

Step 4: Your 3D Design

Finally, the exciting part. I chose the premium package, which comes with two designs, as well as the option to work 1:1 with my designer if I needed any tweaks or substitutes. Luckily, both designs were gorgeous and I mostly just needed to someone to help decide which one to choose.

Design 1

1. Design 1

As you can see, this room has a bit of a feminine, Southwestern flair. The designer sent notes along with each design and this one read: "In design 1, we placed the bed on the largest wall in the room to allow space for two nightstands. The bed features built-in storage to help provide you with the clean, open feel you were looking for. Two wall-mounted light fixtures give you a cozy, calm ambiance at night."

2. Design 1

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Close-ups of each side really help to focus in on details.

3. Design 1

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Loving that shelved mirror and colorful art.

4. Design 1

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An overhead shot of the rendering shows all of the space allowed in the room — plus a shot of the gorg layered rugs.

Design 2

1. Design 2

If I had to choose, Design two was my favorite — I loved the pops of color. For notes on this one, the designers said: "We kept a similar layout to your existing setup because the door swinging into the room would not leave enough space for a nightstand next to your bed. Placing storage bins under your bed would help eliminate the need for a dresser. In this design, we have also provided you with a cozy reading nook. We've sprinkled plants throughout both designs and strategically placed mirrors around the room to reflect natural light onto the plants."

2. Design 2

Modsy

Modsy added a cute little reading nook to the corner of my room, which somehow makes a teeny-tiny room look bigger.

3. Design 2

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As you'll see further down, I basically copied that gold wall hanging and yellow lamp combo.

4. Design 2

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The full overview, which again, shows the cute layered rugs.

Step 5: The Shopping (and Verdict)

Once I got my designs, I was brought to a landing page which featured my designs, plus every product with a link to shop. The nice thing about Modsy is that it tracks any sales and discounts for all of the participating brands, from CB2 and West Elm to Target and Anthropologie, so you know you're always getting the best price and you can order all of your items with one swift click.

All in all, everything in the room definitely added up to a large chunk of change that I wasn't necessarily ready to spend, however, if you're looking to do a full overhaul of your space and are thinking about hiring a designer to help, this is certainly an easy and budget-friendly way to do so. That said, I am 100% team Modsy and wish I could do this for my entire home (just need to win the lottery maybe?). It's sort of like a Pinterest-meets-Sims game but better because you get to play around with your space. I loved both of my designs and wish my bedroom could be like that IRL! The photo above is my current bedroom now, so while I'm still slowly making decisions and purchases, I definitely was inspired by Modsy's help and bought a few things from the recommended list, plus a few similar items that were more in my budget. (Also, I just moved again, so cut me some slack.)