[Disclaimer: This post is brought to you by Modsy. Thanks for supporting the brands that support this blog].

The last few months have been all about renovating our #FinnFixerUpper, but it’s finally time to start thinking about decorating our new home! I’ve been waiting for this moment for what feels like forever and I’m so eager to see my vision come to life. But it’s also a bit intimidating because I want everything to be absolutely perfect!

The first room I’m focusing on is our living room. It’s the central part of our home, the first place you see when you walk in the door, and an area where Finn and I will be spending the most time. So I figured it needs some TLC from the start.

The only problem is we’ve changed so much in the room during our renovation…most notably taking out an entire wall! Because of this, it has been hard for me to imagine the space and accurately plan out what goes where. Finalizing a living room layout is a little tricky when there used to be a wall smack dab in the middle of the room!

Luckily, I had some help to narrow down the perfect living room layout. You guys may be familiar with Modsy because we used this design service to plan out Bridget’s nursery a few years ago. I enlisted Modsy again to help me make a design gameplan for our new space.

Whenever anyone comes to me and asks for design or layout advice, I always recommend using Modsy! This online interior design service gives you realistic 3D designs of your exact room. They’re able to fill the space with shoppable pieces from awesome brands (like CB2, Crate & Barrel, Minted, etc.), so you can virtually “try on” products before you buy them! It’s money well spent because you’re less likely to make costly design mistakes that you’ll inevitably have to fix down the line (like buying a chair that is too big or a table that is too small).

How Does Modsy Work?

Modsy is very user-friendly, too. You simply take pictures, jot down your room measurements, fill out their online style quiz, and within a week they’ll have two 3D design plans ready for you. You can even tell them the furniture and pieces you already own and plan to use in the space, and they’ll incorporate them into the design. Once you receive your design plans, you can work with your Modsy designer to tweak things or you can use their online tools to swap items out yourself. It’s very intuitive and pretty fun! Once you land on a design you love, you can shop the room, add items to your cart, and check out right on the Modsy site.

They have a few plans ranging from $69 for the classic version to $349 for help with multiple rooms. Again, I feel like it’s money well spent to hire a designer to help guide your room design! And if you use the code “DIYPLAYBOOK” you’ll get 20% off your order!

My Living Room Layout – The Plan

Obviously, our home is still a construction zone, but that didn’t matter when it came to working with Modsy. Once the wall was down in our living room, I snapped some pictures and took measurements to share with them. I also let them know the floor and wall color so they could make the drawings as accurate as possible.

Quick note: Modsy worked with me on my work-in-progress space as a special project. Typically, Modsy only works with customer spaces that are not under-construction so keep that in mind as you think about designing your space!

I had a general idea of where I wanted to put the couch, but my biggest challenge with our living room layout was figuring out what to do with the rest of the space. It’s now a big room (hooray!) and I want it to work well with our everyday lives. I told my Modsy designer that I wanted a drop zone for our keys when we come and go and also plenty of seating for our friends and family.

I also had them incorporate pieces I already own…my couch, my leather chair, my coffee table, this new lamp, and the new 9×12 rug I purchased. Other than that, they brought in some gorgeous new pieces that I never would have imagined for our house (and I’ll definitely be buying some of them)! Let’s take a look at their designs…

Design #1

Guys, when I first saw these images I squealed with delight. It’s a home!!! I almost couldn’t believe that this (now) scary looking room could actually turn into a livable living room. Wow, wow, wow!

Finn also stared at all of these images for at least thirty minutes, straight. I think it has been hard for him to visualize how the space will come together, but this helped him see that it really can be a cozy living room for us. Using Modsy might be a good option to get your partner on board with a design decision. Sometimes seeing a piece in the space can really help to make the sale. Haha!

Finn did make a few comments like, “Well, I’m not in love with that vase,” or “That lamp isn’t for me,” and I had to remind him that this is just inspiration. Every little piece won’t be incorporated into our final living room, but it serves as a jumping off point for the layout and overall design.

I love being able to see the exact couch in the living room to get a sense of how the size will work in the space. We’ve had sectionals in the past, but I didn’t think one would work well with this new setup. So, we opted for a long and deep couch to make up for it and I’m so happy to see that this one works in here!

I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out window treatments for the living room and I love how Modsy incorporated some curtains in here to draw the eye up! Plus, the two chairs in the front window are great for extra seating.

I asked if they could give me two options for the TV wall since I’m not 100% sold on doing built-ins again. I really like this setup with the low console, bookcase, and my leather chair next to it.

Here’s the wall behind the couch with a console and ottoman. I like the mirror and the addition of the olive tree.

There’s also room for a small table, chairs, and extra dining storage in the living room. We’ll have space for a large table in the kitchen, so it’s kinda cool to have a small round table in here for extra seating. I can picture myself sitting at that table and drinking coffee while I watch the news in the morning. And this design has me wanting to buy that table and those chairs ASAP!

Finally, here is an overhead view of the layout to give you a good sense of the space.

Design #2

Here’s a look at the second design option. They kept the couch in the same spot but moved a few other pieces around.

I purchased an ottoman to go with our new couch so we can put our feet on it when we’re lazing on movie nights. It’s nice because it’s on wheels and we can move it around the room. The Modsy designer used it as a coffee table here, but I think we’ll mostly keep it by the couch or use it as a bench.

I also really like this little zone they created in the window with the chairs, coffee table, big basket, and rug. It makes for another cozy spot to prop your feet up and relax.

Here’s a built-in entertainment center Modsy added to house the television and some secret storage. It fits on this wall beautifully and helps me visualize how built-ins might look in here.

I think I like this back area better than the first design, with the console on one wall and a bench on the other. I even like the idea of doing a really long DIY bench along that wall and maybe even a wood wall treatment with hooks.

Here’s another dining room table option. Seeing the two options made me realize that I really want to put a round table over here.

Finally, another aerial view of this design.

Mixing & Matching Ideas

Seeing these two designs has helped me TREMENDOUSLY! I seriously can’t emphasize enough how much this room has stumped me. But these super realistic views of the space are guiding me as I figure out the final layout and purchase furniture for our living room.

In the end, I like a combination of both designs.

I think I’ll opt for a console and perhaps a bookcase for our TV wall like in the look above.

Then, I’m thinking I might do a built-in on this wall, nearest the kitchen. It would be fun to do something large and grand with storage on the bottom and shelves up top. I could showcase books, decor, and even a few fun bar accessories on it. I like the idea of doing something a bit different…maybe arches or a color? We’ll see what I come up with!

I think I’m drawn to this console setup over the other one with the bench on the other wall. While I may opt for a larger console with more storage, I like the round mirror, lamp, and plant pictured here!

The window treatments were also a huge help to me. My initial plan is to install shades that can be pulled up and down on every window in this room. Then, I’ll have curtains on the front windows and the ones near the table will be a bit more decorative.

More to Come!

Obviously, I’m still a ways away from having a completed living room. I think it will be a slow burn to get this space completely finished and I’m sure I’ll be tweaking it for years! But, having this as a jumping off point is really putting my butt into gear to start making some decisions for this room.

If you want to give Modsy a try, be sure to use the coupon code “DIYPLAYBOOK” to get 20% off your order! And if you do use their service, I’d love to hear about it and see your designs. Keep me in the loop!

Casey