How to Design the Perfect Furniture Layout

Learn how to design the perfect furniture layout using Modsy.  If you’re stuck in a design rut and need some fresh design ideas, this is for you!

A few weeks ago, I posted our summer living room/family room.  Although it’s one of the main rooms that we hang out in as a family, it’s the room that we’ve done the least amount of work on.  In fact, our furniture layout design and actual furniture has been the same as when we first moved in almost 17 years ago.  Time for a makeover!

This post was completed in partnership with Modsy.  As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Have you ever suffered design paralysis?

I started to do a living room makeover a few years ago {remember our fireplace makeover?}, but I got stuck when it came to furniture pieces and the overall design layout.  I knew that I wanted a change but was in total design paralysis. I really had no idea what to do, and the more I thought about it, the more overwhelmed I became.  Fast forward three years, and I finally discovered Modsy!

Modsy basically does all of the design work and furniture shopping for you.  They’ll create 3-D images of your space and come up with customized designs based on your style, budget, and needs.  You’ll work with a designer to create the room of your dreams without ever having to go into a furniture store.  And since you can “see” the furniture in your space before you buy, you know that you’ll love it!  It’s truly a design game changer!

My Living Room Design Dreams

Overall, our living room space works okay for us, but I know that it has the potential to be my dream space! Ultimately I want a comfortable, uncluttered, and welcoming space that the whole family can relax and hang out in.  We also have three dogs, so it has to be pet friendly too! Here’s what I wanted to focus on with my Modsy design…

• A new furniture layout.  We moved into the house, 17 years ago and pretty much just replicated the furniture layout of the previous owners.  I have been wanting to change it for years, but wasn’t really sure what to do. Currently, it just doesn’t feel cozy as the sofas are really far away from each other, and the gigantic television just dominates the room.
• New furniture ideas. All of our furniture is 17 years old and most of it needs to be replaced.  The sofas are worn and dingy and the television is the equivalent of dial-up internet.  I have been to SO many furniture stores over the past couple of years, but it’s really hard for me to envision what the pieces will actually look like in my space. What I think looks good in the store, doesn’t always look good or work well in our home.
• A bit more of a cleaner design.  Over the past couple of years, I’ve been feeling a push to simplify things a bit more.  I still want the room to feel cozy and welcoming – just not filled with extra stuff that’s not really needed. For my design, I asked for a fairly neutral space with blue accents.

How the Modsy Design Process Works

Overall, Modsy is super simple to use and would be perfect for any design dilemma!  They have two design packages to choose from depending on whether you prefer to work with the Modsy team or 1 to 1 with a specific designer.  Either way, they’ll work with you until you get exactly what you want, and the general process is the same for both. If you sign up now, you can even get an exclusive 20% discount code using CLEAN20!  Here are the basic steps to design your dream space…

Define Your Style

Modsy has a fun style quiz for you to take so they can get a better idea of your personal style and preferences. After you’ve chosen your favorite room designs, they’ll then show you a variety of decor items/furniture pieces that match your style.  You just need to check off what items you like, and which ones you don’t.  These aren’t necessarily the items that will show up in your final design, but they’ll help guide your stylist when she’s designing your space.

Capture Your Space

Next, you’ll need to take a few measurements and photos of your space.  You can upload everything directly from your phone so this is super quick and easy.  There are even specific instructions for any odd-shapes that you may have in your space so there’s no guess work.

Specify Your Particular Needs

Your designer will work with you to achieve whatever goals you want.  You can choose what furniture you want to keep in your current space, what your priorities are with the design, your budget for the overall room as well as specific furniture items, color preferences, etc.

Review Your Designs

Your designer will get back to you within a few days with a couple of design options.  Each design comes with a 360 degree view of the room as well as multiple images showing different angles of the room.  Links to all of the furniture items and decor pieces are right on the photos, so all you need to do is click to shop!  If you’d like to make any changes to the designs, you can continue to consult with your designer until you’re totally happy with the results.  You can also play around with the designs yourself using their 3-D style editor.  Move around furniture or “try out” new pieces or decor items to create your perfect custom look!

Our Initial Designs

Here’s the fun part – receiving the designs!! We received two initial designs after just a few days.  I totally loved the feel of both options and felt like my designer really understood what my style was.

Design #1

I specifically asked for at least one design with the television mounted above the fireplace.  I really liked the overall layout and furniture choices, but it didn’t really provide enough seating for us to sit and watch a movie together as a family.  It would be perfect for a conversation area but not quite relaxed enough for our family room.

Design #2

This design was my favorite of the two options especially because I had never really thought about putting the sofa against the window.  I really liked how it opened up the room and I also loved the sectional and area rug! We were initially really excited about the option of putting the television against that wall, but then realized that we wouldn’t be able to see it from the kitchen area.  One of the only times that I actually watch tv is when I’m cleaning or cooking in the kitchen, so I really didn’t want to give that up.

Time for Revisions

After I played around in the 3-D studio a bit {which was actually a lot of fun!}, I worked with the designer again to come up with some revisions.  We wanted to keep the same feel of the room, but needed a little more seating. I also loved the sectional with the upholstered coffee table, the blue rug and the console table.  Since we wanted to be able to view the television from the kitchen area, we asked for designs with the television either above the fireplace or in the corner. Here are the designs…

Design # 3

This one was getting closer.  I really liked the tall mirror and it would be easy to move the chairs a bit if we were all watching tv.  If we went with this design, I think I’d still like to go with a larger sofa.  There were a couple of options that I played around with in the design studio that worked so this is a possibility…

 

Design #4

So  design #4 wins as my favorite design!  The large sectional is perfect for us and I NEVER would have thought of putting it here.  When I first saw the layout, I wasn’t sure about how it would work with the staircase coming down behind it.  So we moved our current sofas around to a mimic the sectional and it actually works perfectly! There’s a nice wide section behind the couch that provides a clear walkway to the backdoor and it kind of helps to define this space a bit more.  I’m still not sure if we’ll go with the television in the corner or above the fireplace.  Do you have any thoughts on that?

So… I’d totally love, love, love to hear your thoughts!  What elements from each design do you like best?  We’re now in the budgeting stages for our new furniture, but I can’t wait to show you everything once we get it all together.

Shopping Through Modsy

All of the designs come with shoppable links to all of the furniture and decor elements.  Shopping though Modsy allows you to shop from multiple retailers {think Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, CB2, and all of your favorite furniture and home decor stores} in one shopping cart.  They also guarantee the lowest price and offer even further discounts for larger purchase orders.  Once you’ve decided what you want, Modsy will then coordinate the shipping and delivery of all of your items and help you to troubleshoot any problems {like out of stock items!}.

Get Started on Your Own Modsy Design

If you have any rooms in your home that you want to freshen up {or completely switch around!}, you’ll LOVE Modsy! Just head on over to their website and check out their packages to get started.  They’ve even offered you guys a 20% discount on any design service! Just enter CLEAN20 at checkout.  If you don’t know where to get started or just need a few extra ideas, Modsy is a complete game-changer when it comes to home design.  If you have any questions about our experience, I’m happy to answer them – just leave me a comment and shoot me an email. I hope you love your results as much as we did!