so is Bobby from Queer Eye going to help me or what
October 30, 2020 9:26 PM Subscribe
I have an opportunity to re-furnish a modest living room. I know what I like when I see it, I just have a hard time translating that sense into "buy this thing, put it in that spot, paint that wall this color" etc.
The Ikea furniture that we had while my kids were small (i.e. storing tons of games and toys in the living room) is now gone. It's left us with an empty, modestly sized living room with a nice honey colored hardwood floor.
I'd like to create a very comfortable and attractive room that looks cohesive. Like they do on Queer Eye!
I guess I have two questions:
1. where/how would I find an interior decorator who would be interested in helping me figure out what should go in this room? I've never seen a home in person, that was professionally decorated, that I liked. They were all, you know, drapey big floral things that my mom's friends got done in the 80s... how do interior decorators even work? Do they do small projects like this? I wouldn't want someone to go out and buy stuff for me. I'd want them to suggest and show me 3D renderings of various setups and furniture and rug options, and point me to where to get them.
2. If that doesn't work out, realistically is there any app or software I could use to help me design/visualize on my own, if I'm an extremely not technical person? I have a mac and an iphone. Something that offers lots of youtube tutorials would be best.
The Ikea furniture that we had while my kids were small (i.e. storing tons of games and toys in the living room) is now gone. It's left us with an empty, modestly sized living room with a nice honey colored hardwood floor.
I'd like to create a very comfortable and attractive room that looks cohesive. Like they do on Queer Eye!
I guess I have two questions:
1. where/how would I find an interior decorator who would be interested in helping me figure out what should go in this room? I've never seen a home in person, that was professionally decorated, that I liked. They were all, you know, drapey big floral things that my mom's friends got done in the 80s... how do interior decorators even work? Do they do small projects like this? I wouldn't want someone to go out and buy stuff for me. I'd want them to suggest and show me 3D renderings of various setups and furniture and rug options, and point me to where to get them.
2. If that doesn't work out, realistically is there any app or software I could use to help me design/visualize on my own, if I'm an extremely not technical person? I have a mac and an iphone. Something that offers lots of youtube tutorials would be best.
I would spend some time on Houzz looking at rooms you like in the city you live in. Often those are posted by interior designers, which would give you some suggested names, but failing that it would at least give you some style words and images that you could take to an interior designer to see whether there aesthetic matches yours.
I found Home by Me an easy to use free web-based design tool. It's Canadian, and more of the pieces they have to choose from have a modern-ish aesthetic so it might not be the best if you prefer a very traditional style.
posted by plonkee at 3:51 AM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
I found Home by Me an easy to use free web-based design tool. It's Canadian, and more of the pieces they have to choose from have a modern-ish aesthetic so it might not be the best if you prefer a very traditional style.
posted by plonkee at 3:51 AM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Arhaus has designers that are really good in my experience and you don't pay extra. A key element in making a room look good is the size of the furniture. It's really easy to buy pieces that are just too big for the space. They can lay it out scaled for you on graph paper --I haven't seen them use software to render the layout, tho. Bring photos of the room and precise dimensions of all aspects of the room. Also know locations of windows, stairs, fireplace, hallways, etc. Then you can find pieces that will fit in whatever style and fabric. They do white glove delivery. I just did my living room and bedroom and am happy with it. They give you two weeks to return, so if it isn't what you thought it would be your not stuck with it. I've made the expensive mistake of buying sofas that were just too big and it's a royal disappointment so the cost was worth it for me. Your floors sound gorgeous!
posted by waving at 4:16 AM on October 31, 2020
posted by waving at 4:16 AM on October 31, 2020
I think IKEA’s room planning software is great - you can take measurements of your room, and then see what it would look like if you dropped stuff into it.
Once you have a plan, you can put tape on the floor and imagine the feeling of navigating the space with stuff in the way - this is nice to see because a lot of floor planning is about “how does it feel to enter and leave and move across the space?” But we only did that when we were planning a very specific sectional purchase, so you may be fine with just the easy IKEA floor plan web app.
posted by oceanjesse at 5:22 AM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Once you have a plan, you can put tape on the floor and imagine the feeling of navigating the space with stuff in the way - this is nice to see because a lot of floor planning is about “how does it feel to enter and leave and move across the space?” But we only did that when we were planning a very specific sectional purchase, so you may be fine with just the easy IKEA floor plan web app.
posted by oceanjesse at 5:22 AM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: In 2017, a service called Decorist connected people with designers for $600 per room, including designers in the SF Bay Area. I do think that there are services these days that help people get the look they want for a single room. It’s possible that Houzz might work as well, I just don’t know enough about it. I did enjoy the Houzz-sponsored basement makeover for Kristen Bell‘s sister but then I’m a big shelter-porn fan. Good luck!
posted by Bella Donna at 7:58 AM on October 31, 2020
posted by Bella Donna at 7:58 AM on October 31, 2020
I tried to answer this question a while ago, and I found 1: nonexistant for budgets I was willing to consider, and 2: There's not a lot of education in this space available.
Here's what I would do. Each room has a purpose. For me, a living room is primarily my TV watching room. In that case, start with the best place to sit to watch the TV, and the best place for the TV to be wall mounted. Buy the comfyest couch that fits the space well, and the biggest TV for the wall. Then, build around that statement. Did you end up with a minimalist couch? buy an accent coffee table. Did you end up with a chunky couch? Buy a matching, low profile coffee table. Are there blank walls or corners of the room? Consider filling with plants, artwork, and the like.
Maybe you want the room to be a social hub. In that case, a square coffee table surrounded by chairs should be the focal. A large rug under the whole space and the chairs. Side tables with lamps, artwork and plants in the corners, etc.
Accent colors and walls mostly have to do with perception of the space, and how you want light to hit your room. I prefer the accent wall to be the smallest wall in the room. If the walls are VERY dark, it can be a lighter color. But usually, you want to go with a darker color for it. I prefer the wall not to be the first thing you see walking in.
As for comfortable, that usually means "use light sources other than overhead lights". I wish more people told me that. I like to use smart switches for living spaces so that I don't have to walk around turning them on and off.
And yes, I still use all ikea furniture. Their furniture is 1/10th the cost of roughly equivalent quality furniture from designer shops.
posted by bbqturtle at 7:59 AM on October 31, 2020 [2 favorites]
Here's what I would do. Each room has a purpose. For me, a living room is primarily my TV watching room. In that case, start with the best place to sit to watch the TV, and the best place for the TV to be wall mounted. Buy the comfyest couch that fits the space well, and the biggest TV for the wall. Then, build around that statement. Did you end up with a minimalist couch? buy an accent coffee table. Did you end up with a chunky couch? Buy a matching, low profile coffee table. Are there blank walls or corners of the room? Consider filling with plants, artwork, and the like.
Maybe you want the room to be a social hub. In that case, a square coffee table surrounded by chairs should be the focal. A large rug under the whole space and the chairs. Side tables with lamps, artwork and plants in the corners, etc.
Accent colors and walls mostly have to do with perception of the space, and how you want light to hit your room. I prefer the accent wall to be the smallest wall in the room. If the walls are VERY dark, it can be a lighter color. But usually, you want to go with a darker color for it. I prefer the wall not to be the first thing you see walking in.
As for comfortable, that usually means "use light sources other than overhead lights". I wish more people told me that. I like to use smart switches for living spaces so that I don't have to walk around turning them on and off.
And yes, I still use all ikea furniture. Their furniture is 1/10th the cost of roughly equivalent quality furniture from designer shops.
posted by bbqturtle at 7:59 AM on October 31, 2020 [2 favorites]
Recently. There are a million beautiful rooms, just ask pinterest. I'll reiterate my previous answer- How do you want the room to feel? look at lots of rooms on pinterest or blogs. Do you like lots of color? bright or neutral, cheery or moody, traditional or eclectic? Get Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel to send you catalogs and browse. I love Oriental rugs, so, for me, a rug is the 1st choice. Maybe you'll find a couch or a piece of art that is the anchor. I'd buy a new couch, a rug, but don't buy everything at once. Give yourself time to find a few things that you just really love.
posted by theora55 at 8:29 AM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 8:29 AM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: One of my friends used Havenly to figure out how to furnish his 400 sqft studio apartment with space-efficient furniture and it came out pretty well - I think they even told him what colors to paint the walls. There's a bunch of similar online home decorating companies where you send them pictures of the space and possibly a Pinterest board of things you like, and they send you back several mood board ideas and eventually a rendering of the space. There are enough of them that one hopefully has an aesthetic that you like.
posted by A Blue Moon at 9:26 AM on October 31, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by A Blue Moon at 9:26 AM on October 31, 2020 [3 favorites]
The smallish local furniture store we bought our living room furniture from has designers on staff that will help you pick furniture and colors. Maybe there's a local-to-you place that does something similar. Obviously part of the service is based on you buying furniture from them but the designers might be available for freelance work.
If you want to DIY it you'll really have to start looking at design websites and Pinterest to know what you like. You'll need to acquire the vocabulary to describe what you want. This will make it easier for any trades people you work with if you can explain "I don't like faux rustic but want a farmhouse feel" or whatever.
I don't know of any apps except Pinterest unfortunately. There is a very silly game that let's you design rooms competitively called Design Home that some of my friends play. The furniture is ugly and the voters are stupid but you know, it's a thing.
posted by fiercekitten at 12:45 PM on October 31, 2020
If you want to DIY it you'll really have to start looking at design websites and Pinterest to know what you like. You'll need to acquire the vocabulary to describe what you want. This will make it easier for any trades people you work with if you can explain "I don't like faux rustic but want a farmhouse feel" or whatever.
I don't know of any apps except Pinterest unfortunately. There is a very silly game that let's you design rooms competitively called Design Home that some of my friends play. The furniture is ugly and the voters are stupid but you know, it's a thing.
posted by fiercekitten at 12:45 PM on October 31, 2020
Best answer: I used Affordable Interior Design many years ago. It seems like exactly what you're looking for, except the 3D model (but maybe they do those now). They are based in NY but do virtual meetings too. They will discuss your needs/likes/etc and possible layouts, then give you several options for rugs, couches, lamps, decor, etc. that you purchase on your own. They have packages designed to makeover a single room.
posted by smokyjoe at 4:05 PM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by smokyjoe at 4:05 PM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I just read about Modsy, which seems to fit the bill...
posted by Charity Garfein at 6:43 PM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Charity Garfein at 6:43 PM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
I have found the ‘Design Rules’ section of Emily Henderson’s website helpful for educating myself on things like how long curtains should be and selecting the right furniture and lighting for a room.
posted by Concordia at 1:04 AM on November 1, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Concordia at 1:04 AM on November 1, 2020 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: update: used Modsy and love it!
posted by fingersandtoes at 11:31 AM on August 22, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by fingersandtoes at 11:31 AM on August 22, 2021 [3 favorites]
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