You've decided to take the leap and decorate or redecorate your apartment - congrats! Self-awareness is a critical aspect of adulthood, and the fact that you've recognized your need for help makes you v mature in our book. Well done.
You basically have 3 choices when deciding how to go about furnishing. We'll outline the pros & cons of each, and we encourage you to leave comments below if you have experience in any of these areas and would like to add to the conversation!
1. DIY:
Pros:
- Doesn't involve 3rd party hiring
- Cheapest option, since you don't have to pay a designer fee
Cons:
- While you might assume that being your own designer is the safest bet, furniture often looks much different in our own space than it did in the store. We've all been there - it's way too easy to over or under estimate the size of a piece - but it can be incredibly costly to make a return, especially for large pieces requiring delivery.
- You run the risk of ending up with a room that looks nothing like what you anticipated. This one's a tough pill to swallow because the money's been spent and the damage is done!
2. Traditional, in-home designer:
Pros:
- Complimentary purchasing: Most interior designers have exclusive partnerships with furniture vendors that will save you money! They'll also consolidate the purchasing and shipping for you, meaning you can buy from multiple stores through one single site.
Cons:
- Priciest option of the bunch. By far.
3. Virtual interior design:
Virtual interior design is an online alternative to traditional, in-home interior design services. Professional designers communicate with their clients virtually to develop custom room designs that typically include a layout plan and specific furniture and decor recommendations. Like traditional designers, online professional services vary from hourly consultations to entire home designs. 
Pros:
- Convenience: virtual consultations allow designers and clients to connect from any place at any time.
- Affordability: Lack of in-person meetings means a lower service cost for your designer - resulting in a lower, more affordable cost for you!
- Variety: clients aren't limited to professionals based on location - you have the opportunity to connect with versatile designers from all over!
- More likely to be budget sensitive: While this isn't the case for all online designers, most understand that part of their appeal is the lower service cost due to the virtual element. Because of this, virtual designers are more aware of the need to cut down on costs without compromising on value. For example, they're great at identifying splurge-worthy items and where to cut corners.
Cons:
- Not in person, possible risk of not connecting with your designer, or misinterpreting things with virtual only communication
- The reason why it's so much cheaper than traditional interior design is because the service fee is lower - this means designers are less likely to get back to you quickly.
Curious to learn whether virtual interior design is right for you? Take our quiz to find out!
