Decorist offers a more customizable and in-depth online interior design experience, accommodating a wide spectrum of styles from bohemian to traditional. In contrast, Havenly focuses on a streamlined, modern aesthetic, providing a sleek and user-friendly platform for clients who want chic, trend-forward results quickly.
Let's compare these two popular services to help you decide which is the right choice for your project.
Decorist: The Customizable Design Service
Decorist is an online interior design service that connects clients with professional designers to create personalized room designs, mood boards, and shopping lists. The brand emphasizes a flexible and collaborative process, catering to users who want detailed professional guidance without the high cost of a traditional designer. Its strength lies in its ability to handle a broad range of styles and project scopes, from quick refreshes to full-scale renovations.
- Service Type: Online interior design platform connecting clients with vetted professional designers for custom room plans.
- Style/vibe: Highly diverse, accommodating everything from contemporary and minimalist to bohemian, traditional, and eclectic styles.
- Price point: Packages generally range from $79 for basic consultation to $1,500+ for comprehensive, multi-room projects.
- Process: Clients select a package and are matched with a designer. The process is collaborative, involving concept boards, design mockups, floor plans, and direct communication.
- Shopping Experience: Delivers a detailed shopping list with links to purchase products from partner retailers. Clients often gain access to exclusive trade discounts.
- Key Feature: Offers deeper customization and more comprehensive design packages suitable for unique tastes and larger projects.
Decorist is best for homeowners who have a specific vision, appreciate a wide choice of styles, and want a more detailed, hands-on design partnership.
Explore Decorist: decorist.com
Havenly: The Streamlined Modern Design Platform
Havenly has made a name for itself with a sleek, modern, and highly accessible approach to online interior design. The platform matches users with designers based on a style quiz, emphasizing a quick, seamless digital experience. Havenly is ideal for users seeking a fast design turnaround with a focus on contemporary, minimalist, and other on-trend aesthetics, simplifying the process from design to purchase.
- Service Type: Online interior design service focusing on a user-friendly process and modern aesthetics.
- Style/vibe: Primarily modern, chic, minimalist, and contemporary. The service is great at delivering trend-conscious and up-to-date looks.
- Price point: Packages typically start around $79 for a mini consultation and go up to about $599 for more in-depth room or multi-room designs.
- Process: After a style quiz, clients are matched with a designer and collaborate via messaging and mood boards to finalize a 3D room rendering and layout.
- Shopping Experience: Features an integrated shopping platform. Clients receive a curated shopping list and can purchase items from brands like West Elm and Crate & Barrel directly through the Havenly site.
- Key Feature: A fast, easy-to-use platform that perfectly suits clients wanting a modern, stylish room without a lengthy process.
With its curated modern feel, Havenly is perfect for users who value speed, convenience, and a polished, trend-forward design result.
Explore Havenly: havenly.com
Decorist vs. Havenly Comparison
Price Comparison
Both services offer accessible pricing compared to traditional interior design, but they target slightly different budgets. Havenly is often more affordable for single-room projects, with packages generally staying below $600. Their mini package, starting at $79, is an excellent entry point for smaller design dilemmas.
Decorist offers similar entry-level pricing but scales much higher for its premium packages, which can exceed $1,500. These higher-tier services include more comprehensive support, such as extensive revisions, more detailed layouts, and personalized shopping assistance, making them better suited for larger or more complex projects.
Style & Aesthetic
This is one of the most significant differentiators. Havenly has built its brand around a modern, chic, and trend-forward aesthetic. If you're looking for a contemporary, minimalist, or mid-century modern look, their designers are well-versed in creating polished, magazine-worthy spaces that feel current.
Decorist, on the other hand, is stylistically agnostic. Their pool of designers has expertise across a much broader spectrum of styles, including traditional, farmhouse, eclectic, and bohemian. This makes Decorist a better choice if your taste falls outside the modern mainstream or if you want to mix several different styles.
Design Process & Quality
Both platforms use a similar online collaboration model, but the experience differs slightly. Havenly’s process is famous for being incredibly streamlined and fast. The style quiz effectively pairs you with a designer, and the user-friendly interface makes communication and feedback easy for a swift turnaround.
The process with Decorist can be more in-depth and consultative. Because they offer more comprehensive packages, designers often spend more time diving deep into the client's needs, leading to a highly customized outcome. On both platforms, the quality heavily depends on the individual designer you work with, though each service vets its professionals.
Shopping Experience
Here, the models diverge significantly. Havenly offers a centralized shopping experience where you can add all the proposed items to one single cart and check out directly on their platform. This is incredibly convenient and simplifies order management.
Decorist provides you with a curated shopping list with direct links to purchase items from various vendors. While this requires more clicks and managing multiple shipments, the major advantage is access to trade discounts that can offer significant savings on high-end furniture and decor unavailable to the general public.
Which One Should You Choose?
The right choice depends on your style preferences, budget, and priorities. Both services deliver professional design guidance, but they cater to different design journeys.
Choose Decorist if:
- You have a specific or niche design style in mind (e.g., traditional, eclectic, bohemian).
- You are undertaking a large-scale project and need in-depth design support.
- You value a highly collaborative and customizable process with your designer.
- You want to take advantage of exclusive trade discounts on high-end furnishings.
Choose Havenly if:
- You love modern, chic, and trend-forward interior design styles.
- You prioritize speed, convenience, and a seamless digital experience.
- Your project is a single-room refresh or a quick style update.
- You prefer the ease of a unified shopping cart to purchase all your new items.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Decorist or Havenly cheaper?
For small, single-room projects, Havenly is typically cheaper, with packages ranging from around $79 to $299. Decorist's prices can go much higher, into the thousands, for its comprehensive packages, but it also offers affordable entry-level options.
Which online design service is better for modern style?
Havenly is known for its modern, on-trend aesthetic. If you’re looking for a contemporary, mid-century modern, or minimalist space, Havenly is likely the better fit.
Do I have to buy the furniture they recommend?
No, on both platforms, you are not obligated to purchase any of the recommended items. The final design provides a visual guide and a shopping list, but purchasing is entirely up to you.
How long does the design process take?
The timeline varies by package and project complexity. Havenly is known for its fast turnarounds, often delivering initial concepts within a few days. Decorist can take longer, especially for its more complex, premium design packages.
Which service offers more customization?
Decorist offers more customization, both in its wider range of design styles and its more comprehensive, in-depth design packages. It's built for clients who want a truly tailored solution.
Can I see my designer's past work?
Yes, both Decorist and Havenly allow you to view designer portfolios. This helps ensure you're matched with someone whose aesthetic aligns with yours.
What if I don't like the design?
Both services include a revision process where you can provide feedback to your designer to fine-tune the concepts. The number of revisions often depends on the design package you purchase.
Is online interior design worth it?
For many people, yes. It provides access to professional design expertise at a fraction of the cost of hiring a traditional interior designer, making beautifully designed spaces accessible to a much broader audience.
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