19 May, 2020
The Editors Company
The Editors Company
Home & Decor

We Tried An (Affordable) Online Interior Design Service: Was It Worth It?

19 May, 2020
The Editors Company

Team Sassy puts The Editors Company to the test. Here’s what happened…

Decorating your home is a daunting task at the best of times, but even more so in a place like Hong Kong. For many, access to furniture and homeware stores that offer both quality and affordability is limited. And don’t get us started on the lack of space in our tiny apartments! Plus, while it’s easy to start out with the best of intentions, a lack of time and knowledge, or just plain old indecisiveness, can leave you stranded with blank walls and a half-decorated living room for far longer than you had anticipated. However, before you resign yourself to living in interior limbo, there is one other option – The Editors Company.

The Editors Company: Aaron Chin and Fion Lee

Who Are The Editors Company?

We know what you’re thinking – aren’t interior designers usually quite expensive? Well, not The Editors Company. As an online home styling platform, The Editors Company is dedicated to making home design accessible to everyone. The idea is that for a flat fee of $1,650 per room, you’ll get to collaborate virtually with a professional home stylist to create the space of your dreams (additional costs are wholly dependent on the furniture and décor pieces you choose). Not only will you receive help with layout and design, the team will also source your furniture pieces for you. Check out how it works here.

Curious to find out more? Us too. Luckily, Team Sassy recently had the opportunity to try out the service for ourselves. Here’s what happened…

Maura’s Story

The Editor's Company: Balcony Design

Describe the space you wanted The Editors Company to work with. Why had you previously struggled to decorate it?

The space I chose to have decorated was my balcony. It’s an area of my flat that I had felt disconnected to for a while. It always felt unfinished to me as I struggled with how to incorporate seating within the space without making it feel super cramped. As a result, we didn’t end up using it as much which was a bummer as we have an incredible water view and the balcony is just perfect for enjoying a morning cup of coffee or a G&T when the sun is going down.

Maura's Balcony: Before

What was it like working with The Editors Company?

From the moment I heard about The Editors Company I was intrigued by the idea. I really enjoy home décor but am in no way an expert, so I loved the idea of having someone who knows their stuff giving me tips on how to finish a space I was struggling with.

The Editors Company team is all about communicating in a way that doesn’t come across as too formal, which makes it feel like you are messaging a friend and asking for their advice. Fion (my home stylist) and I communicated via WhatsApp, which allowed for quick back and forth. At times, I did wish I could jump on a quick call to make sure we were on the same page, but we were able to get through just fine in the end.

One downside of the process for me actually resulted in a design aspect that I now love, which is kind of funny looking back. My issue was with the idea of expectation versus reality, which I guess is a downfall of all online shopping. For instance, when choosing my chairs, I thought they would be a lighter colour based on the images I saw, but when they arrived they were grey in colour instead of cream. As everything is being done virtually, colours can appear differently online than in person so that was a bit disappointing. That being said, when I saw the grey chairs in the space, they ended up working way better than if they were cream. The Editors Company were great with managing the situation when things went wrong. And with their expertise, they were able to turn it into something that was even better than what I had originally imagined!

Maura's Balcony: After

Were you happy with the result?

I am so happy with the outcome. We are outside on our balcony loads now and it finally feels like a part of our home rather than an unfinished extension.

I am obsessed with the chairs they selected for the space – together with the rug, they create a defined seating section which everyone is now drawn to. I also really like the suggestions they made about moving the trees we had into different groupings rather than along the front side of the window pane. It made a big difference in increasing the useable space on the balcony. I can’t even count how many times I have said to my husband how happy I am with our new purchases, so to me that is a sign that The Editors Company did what they were meant to do.

I still have things that I want to add to the space at my own pace and as budget allows, but the foundation laid by the team has made a huge impact on the way we live our life. I am so thrilled that our balcony space now feels like part of the rest of our home.

Would you work with The Editors Company again?

This is a definite yes from me – I am actually currently working with them on another room in my flat!

Daisy’s Story

The Editor's Company: Living Room Design

Describe the space you wanted The Editors Company to work with. Why had you previously struggled to decorate it?

The space I wanted The Editors Company to work with was the living/dining room of my rented Mid-Levels apartment. I had struggled to decorate it because the main items of furniture were provided by my landlady when we moved in. They are quite plain, basic pieces (from IKEA) so not too offensive luckily, but they don’t give the space much of our own style.

My challenge, which I think many Hong Kongers can relate to, was wanting the small space to feel homely and stylish yet not being in a position to store or replace my rented furniture.

Daisy's Living Room: Before

What was it like working with The Editors Company?

Overall, I found the service to be relaxed and personable. I was impressed that they managed to find products that were similar to my references. This is my first apartment since moving to Hong Kong so I haven’t had lots of time (or budget) to familiarise myself with where to buy homeware pieces in the city. It was great that they were able to cut this step out for me.

Were you happy with the result?

I was really happy with the way they styled my room and particularly love the decorative wall they created out of mirrors and baskets. I think this is a cool feature that I will be able to easily take with me to future rented apartments. I also liked how they offered creative suggestions on how to style the items I already had, such as my lamp and house plants. They ended up using different fabrics to cover my storage cubes, which I thought was a clever solution to adding more colour and personality into the room.

Daisy's Living Room: After

Would you work with The Editors Company again?

I would definitely consider using The Editors Company again. I think it’s a great service for those who are new to Hong Kong and want to outsource or speed up the process of styling their home.

I had quite a set idea of my style for this room, which I think The Editor’s Company interpreted really nicely. Next time, I would love to see what interior ideas my stylist comes up with when I don’t have an idea in mind already. I’m sure they would suggest some completely new and cool interpretations of the space that maybe I hadn’t thought of before.

Editor’s Note: The styling service from The Editors Company was gifted to Team Sassy. Personal decisions were made to purchase furniture and decor items for permanent use in our homes.

All images property of Sassy Media Group.

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