My Bedroom Remodel Part 1: Honest Review Of Modsy

I tried Modsy to have a bedroom design plan created. Read my honest opinion of the whole process and find out if it’s worth the money.

We moved into our Forever House in May 2020, right in the middle of a pandemic. We had just built a new construction house two years prior, but as more houses popped up in the neighborhood we realized things were getting a lot more compact than we thought. The street was too narrow, the houses were too close, and the neighborhood wasn’t turning out how we expected. So we sold the house, packed up, and bought a 1970s fixer upper that had been [very badly and incorrectly] “flipped.”

So for the last almost year, we’ve been undoing all the flippers had done and remodeling the house the right way. And doing the electricity the legal way. And replacing plumbing the safe way. But after a lot of boring work, I finally get to do something fun. I wiggled a little room into my budget to redecorate the primary bedroom. Yay!!!

But with blogging full time, helping out at the shelter, and still doing real renovations at the same time, I didn’t really have time to spend weeks and weeks coming up with a design plan and shopping for all the decor pieces and furniture. So I did something a little out of the ordinary for myself. I hired a designer.

Well, kind of. I bought a design plan from Modsy. I was paired with a designer through their service, but I still count that as hiring a designer. So today I want to walk you through the process of how my Modsy experience has been so far in case virtual design is something you’ve been considering for your own house. Keep in mind, this is not sponsored by Modsy. This is just me sharing what’s up in the Burris house.

UPDATE JULY 6, 2022: Modsy is no longer in business according to this article. After checking out Modsy’s website, it is still online but all packages, pricing, and signup options have been removed. It appears Modsy is closed. I have tried out Havenly, a very similar e-design company and reviewed their services here on the blog, too. You can check out my Havenly review here. I do have a Havenly discount code LELA25 that gets you 25% off a design package. My Modsy discount code is no longer active.

Starting A Design Plan With Modsy

When I first hit the checkout button on Modsy’s site, I was asked to complete some “style” questionnaires to help the designer nail down my style. After going through all the questions it said my style was Rustic Traditional. Ummmm, not accurate. But I figured I’d roll with it and see what happens.

The next step was to walk the room using my phone’s camera to create a 3D model of the room. I will admit, this was really hard. I had to do it over and over again because it said it wasn’t right. But it’s hard to walk the perimeter of a bedroom keeping the phone facing the center as I climb over beds and chairs and weave around cat trees. Eventually I either got it right or the app felt sorry for me because it said I could stop.

A few days later I had a virtual meeting with my designer, who was awesome by the way. We talked through what I wanted for the room and what my design style really is. I sent her a link to my ever-growing Pinterest board of ideas for our Forever House and “hearted” some products on the Modsy app that I really liked.

The Layout Phase

The first deliverable you get from a Modsy package is the layout. The designer sends you two layout options, along with her opinion on which one is best for the space. But ultimately you get to choose which one you like best. I ended up going with Option 1 (the current layout we already have for the room) which is also what my designer suggested as well. The room is so long and has five doors in it, so layout options are limited.

I will admit, after I picked Option 1, I spent the next day moving all the furniture in the room to reflect Option 2 just to make sure I didn’t love it more. I didn’t.

The Design Plan Phase

A few days later (this all happens within about a week and a half total) I got the design plans. Just like the layouts, I got two different design plans to choose from. They were very different in style, which I liked. It was nice to see two different looks side by side. Honestly though, Option 2 wasn’t my style at all. There really wasn’t anything in it that I liked. So I ruled it out completely.

What’s really cool about Modsy is that you also get access to a 3D Room Editor, which is the same software the designer used to create the room. You know all those cool room mockups you see on HGTV shows? You get to use one just like that to edit the designs you receive. You can make a copy of the room your designer created and swap out furniture and decor for other pieces, move around the layout, and even add other things that weren’t included in the original plan.

I played around with the 3D Editor way longer than I should have, and by the time I finished I had completely redone the room again. I realized that wasn’t the point of me hiring a pro to put this together for me, so I gave up on my changes and went back to Option 1.

The Revision Phase

Full transparency, I wasn’t even going to ask for a revision. I feel like I’m good enough at decorating to make my own revisions. But I kept getting email after email from Modsy telling me to ask for a revision. One email even said “70% of our customers ask for a revision. Click here to start yours!” So I kind of felt like I was supposed to do it. I didn’t really know what to ask for, so I just asked for a mirror to be swapped with a bookshelf.

Two days later I had a revised plan in my inbox with a bookshelf hanging out where the mirror once was. If revisions cost extra, I wouldn’t recommend it, but since they’re free, I actually think it’s worth trying to come up with something to ask for. That way you get three design plans instead of two. And I like the bookshelf and storage pieces she included in the revision much more than a big mirror my cats will knock over and break in the middle of the night.

The Shopping Phase

Ok, here’s where I called some audibles. I like a lot of the pieces in the Modsy design, and the pieces I didn’t like I already had an alternative figured out for them. You can actually buy the furniture and decor straight through Modsy, which I think is really convenient. But I also found that part a little weird. Everything is really expensive (I know everyone has their own opinion of what expensive is, but for me it was pretty high) and a lot of the “brands” I saw I had never heard of. I Googled some of the brands, mainly to shop around for better prices on sites like Wayfair and Overstock, but nothing came up.

There was a rug I loved and I wanted to check out some reviews for it, but Googling it came up with nothing. No mention of that brand name, no photo of the rug, it was a Google Ghost Town. I found that to be really strange that a very expensive rug doesn’t even exist on the internet but it’s somehow available on the Modsy site. That turned me off quite a bit, so I decided not to buy from the site and to do my own shopping independently.

I’m not saying it’s not a good idea to shop through the Modsy site, because I didn’t try it. All I’m saying is I felt uneasy about some of the brands and price tags.

Instead, I Google Reverse Image Searched the pieces I liked and found alternatives. This was actually a great idea, because the CB2 bed I had dreamed of owning was in stock for once, but when I read the reviews everyone mentioned how “loud and squeaky” the bed is during…….. Ummm, not what I want when there’s a kiddo in the house! One reverse image search later and I had found a similar bed for a third of the price with raving reviews of its “quiet” stability. 😉

Curious to see how the whole project turned out? Read the reveal post.

Would I Recommend Modsy?

Alright, I know this is what you came here for. Would I recommend Modsy to you, my friend and fellow mama? Let’s do a quick rundown.

COST: The design package was $159 plus tax. There’s no way you’d get access to an interior designer, much less a full design plan, for that price. So the cost is a win in my book.

DESIGNER/COMMUNICATION: My designer was Awesome with a capital A. I loved her. She listened to me, understood my needs, replied to messages promptly, and got my design done quickly. With Modsy, you aren’t allowed to choose your designer, you’re just given one. That being said, I can only speak for my specific designer, but if they’re all as great as her, I definitely give that an A+.

LAYOUT/DESIGN PLAN: Of course, no design is going to be exactly the way you envision it in your head. And a lot of times you don’t even know what you want. In my personal opinion, the design plans were great. Even the one that’s not my style. I love having options to choose from, and the revision option is really great, too.

PRODUCTS/SHOPPING: This was the only con for me. Mostly because I just couldn’t find out about some of the brands and there was no way to read reviews. I never buy anything online without reading reviews, so I chose to shop externally. The site mentions that you get discounts when you shop internally, but I never saw any price differences.

OVERALL OPINION: As a blogger who creates design plans all the time and has organized many clients’ homes, it was refreshing to have someone do all the hard work for me. I think this is a wonderful service for both design savvy and design-challenged women. I definitely recommend Modsy and I may use it again for my guest bedroom. I’m also interested in trying out Havenly, a very similar company, and if I do I’ll share a comparison review for you.

What’s Next For The Bedroom?

I’m not going to leave ya hangin’! I have ordered all the furniture and most of the decor for our bedroom. I’ll be loosely following the design plans above from Modsy, but making a few changes along the way. The sconces are out of stock until July and I can’t find anything I like better, so those will just have to wait. Next week I’ll start assembling furniture, changing out light fixtures, and moving things around. Head to Part 2 to learn how I shopped for pricey decor on a budget. If you’re just ready to see the room for now, Part 3 has the grand tour.

UPDATE: Curious about the similar e-design service, Havenly? I just tried them out, too, and I wrote this post to recap how their program works. Want to see them go head-to-head? Here’s a comparison post to decide which one works best for you.

Get 25% off your own Havenly design package here with code LELA25