How do I find someone online to rearrange my living room?
April 29, 2024 11:43 PM Subscribe
I want to send someone photographs and some pinboards and have them tell me how to rearrange or Ikea-budget improve my living room. We have the DIY skills but not the spatial spark to make the room feel cosy and colourful for us. I see a bunch of websites offering this and people on Etsy - recommendations and advice on how to choose someone?
I am looking at the decided low end because a) don’t live anywhere near the UK/US stores and b) I’m thinking this beats spending $200 on paint and shelves and realising we still don’t like the room, but not the $15k bespoke services. Like - where do I move the two sofas? Do I need curtains? What the hell do I do with this giant pipe in the corner - current plan is to wrap it in rope for the cats, etc.
I am looking at the decided low end because a) don’t live anywhere near the UK/US stores and b) I’m thinking this beats spending $200 on paint and shelves and realising we still don’t like the room, but not the $15k bespoke services. Like - where do I move the two sofas? Do I need curtains? What the hell do I do with this giant pipe in the corner - current plan is to wrap it in rope for the cats, etc.
The Houzz site has a Design Dilemma feature where you post pictures of the entire space from all sides and a drawing of dimensions, showing windows and doors, and some designers on there will give you free advice. I think you'll have to create an account to post your details.
posted by Elsie at 5:07 AM on April 30
posted by Elsie at 5:07 AM on April 30
My spouse used Havenly to help design a couple of rooms. You send them photos of the space and some info about what kinds of things you might like, they send you back a rendering with some product recommendations. We're pretty happy with the results, and the process was easy.
posted by hovey at 5:57 AM on April 30 [2 favorites]
posted by hovey at 5:57 AM on April 30 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Not sure whether you've heard of him before (I think he's been featured in local-to-you newspapers in recent years) but Cliff Tan seems good at this stuff. (And his YT shorts are both entertaining and informative.) He's currently based in the UK but def has familiarity with resources/recommendations around your location, and also does online appointments. I don't know whether it's within your budget/timeframe (looks like he's booked until July) but I learned a lot just by watching his videos too.
posted by aielen at 2:50 PM on April 30 [2 favorites]
posted by aielen at 2:50 PM on April 30 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I just booked Cliff so it's three months out but oh my word, hearing the familiar voice and seeing his approach - exactly what I wanted! Thanks Aielen.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 8:58 PM on April 30 [1 favorite]
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 8:58 PM on April 30 [1 favorite]
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If you don't have a personal recommendation from someone, I've opted for viewing a prospective person's portfolio and going by two criteria - one, if they have the aesthetic I'm (vaguely) after, and two, if they have various aesthetics. A friend has recently crashed-and-burned with an interior designer who was only designing things in her own style without taking into account clients' requirements.
Be clear on what kind of services you want. Visualisations in pretty 3d with all the textures or are simple colour blocks okay? Shopping lists with what budgets? Are you considering made-to-measure furniture (which for example in Poland can be competitive with upper-range Ikea cabinets)? Be upfront with this and see how people respond.
The other option I've seen offered is interior-designer-by-the-hour - over here the prices are equal to small-town-divorce lawyer hourly rates. This removes your risk of delay on the designer's side and their risk of getting into multiple revision rounds, so it may work out cheaper. You can also start with an hour or two to audition a designer for a bigger assignment, but for a living room with a limited budget and most of the furniture already there, I think two-three hours total should be enough.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 4:27 AM on April 30