Interior design startup Modsy uses 3D models to let you see furniture in your space before you buy it - here's how it helped me make the most of my small apartment

To begin, head to the Modsy homepage and click "start your project" to begin the questionnaire.

If you're moving and looking to completely revamp your space, or just want to update your living room, Modsy will be able to help.

For me, I worked with a room that had a few pieces I owned already in it. You can pay $15 and have the Modsy team make a 3D model of any item you own and want to be incorporated into your designs. As an alternative, Modsy can find a similar item to stand-in from their curated catalog.

You choose between the classic, premium, and luxe (most like the experience of hiring your own interior designer) — whichever best suits your needs.

You'll send in photos and crucial measurements of your design space, have the option to continue the design quiz and set budgets for items you really want to buy, and tell the Modsy team more about your vision for the space. If you have existing furniture to add, this is where you can add it.

Take the style quiz and get a nuanced report of your personal style. If you don't agree with the results, you can retake the quiz.

You won't be getting a room filled with exorbitantly priced things you can never buy for yourself (unless you're purposefully going that route).

Modsy designers took my room measurements and pictures and created a 3D rendering that they dropped personal recommendations into. They also included 3D renderings of furniture I already owned so I could visualize it in the space, like my The Inside bed frame, for $15 per addition.

You can find a curated shopping list of everything in the room to the immediate right, and you can search and swap in alternative products yourself, too.

If you don't love something in the design, request adjustments to be made. However, it'll take two to three days to get anything back.

I played around with the designs inside the Modsy 3D rendering tool, which you have access to, so I could swap in different products and recommend different layouts and items to my Modsy designer. This was also a good way to feel productive in the days I was waiting for my adjusted design to come back, and something my designer referred to later on.

I requested a different furniture layout, and asked them to refer to the room I had done most of my personal adjustments in.

They also helped curb my worst design habits, and answered my questions regarding texture and colors so I could make better design decisions outside the platform. I also bought some of the furniture suggested by Modsy, and I actually saved money on shipping by buying through the site. They also alerted me to sales prices on items in my designs, which saved me money, too.

All in all, my designer helped me make the most out of my space and was helpful throughout the process. She offered up recommendations that helped utility look fashionable, provided stand-in products for things like gallery walls that I wanted to configure, and Modsy itself helped me be more imaginative and excited about the purchases I was going to make.