Online interior design and home decorating has become a popular choice for homeowners seeking expert guidance without the hefty price tag of an in-person designer. With e-design, clients take on some of the legwork that an in-person interior designer would normally be responsible for, such as taking pictures of their rooms and measuring them, purchasing furniture and decor, and arranging it themselves. This is appealing to many people, especially those with jam-packed schedules or introverts who prefer to work from the comfort of their own homes.
But how exactly do these online services online interior design and home decorating | Decor Snob work And which ones are the best Good Housekeeping and the Textiles Lab teamed up to review and test some of the most popular services. We found that most of these websites allow you to select a room type (living, dining, bedroom, home office, nursery or entryway) and then narrow down your choices by budget, style and size. Once you’ve chosen the right room, you can then select a design service package that best suits your needs. These packages range from a one-hour video consultation to 3D renderings of your room remodel.
The process of working with an online designer varies slightly by company, but most start off the project by asking you to share your goals and design taste via a quiz or questionnaire. From there, you’ll be matched with an interior designer and begin collaborating. Depending on the package you select, your designer will create a mood board, a floor plan or a virtual layout of your space and then provide product recommendations that suit your taste. You can then approve and make revisions to your designs until you’re happy with them.
Some of these online design services also offer additional features that can help your home remodel go as smoothly as possible. For example, some, such as Houzz, have a Pinterest-like homepage where you can “shop” specific elements in a photo – like the lighting fixture you’ve fallen in love with. You can then have your selected items shipped directly to your door.
Another service, Modsy, allows users to play around with the look of their home before making any purchases. The site’s 3D software lets you see how your new furniture will fit in the space before you commit to buying it. Havenly also offers a similar feature called Room Redesign, which allows customers to swap out their existing furniture and decor before ordering new pieces.
While there are many pros to using an online design service, there are some drawbacks that customers should be aware of. For instance, some customers have reported that the designers on these sites are not very helpful or responsive to their requests. Additionally, some of these companies use freelance designers who may not have the experience or expertise to deliver high-quality designs. Lastly, some services have long turnaround times, which can be frustrating for homeowners who are eager to get their home design project started.