Kurated FAQ
What is Kurated - design in a box?
Kurated is changing the way traditional interior design is being done. Our small but mighty team of design creatives use photos and videos, alongside today’s advanced technology and color science to design your spaces without ever being present in person.
Kurated has developed a simple streamlined all-online design process that helps homeowners achieve their design goals, while maintaining their home's original character.
After the design process has been completed and approved, Kurated sends you a box with all samples, such as fabric swatches, textiles, metals, wood, paint chips, furniture cards, countertop materials, tile and so much more.
Who is Kurated for?
Kurated is for anyone who owns a home, wants to improve it, but doesn’t have a desire to hire a traditional interior designer, yet still wants that personalized hands on experience that a traditional interior design provides.
Kurated is for a homeowner who has a knack for design, loves home decor, but has the hardest time bringing it all together into one cohesive space.
Kurated is for someone who struggles with the design aspects of their home, but doesn’t want to make costly mistakes or make bad design decisions.
Kurated is for the homeowner who wants to raise the value of their home and have the materials we choose in an overall design, appreciate over time.
And lastly, it is for a client who wants a well Kurated space with mood, color and great execution of neutrals or just an entirely different approach to design among all other available online platforms.
What makes Kurated different from traditional interior design?
Kurated has the exact same approach as traditional design but at a fraction of the price - done all-online. We are a small boutique virtual interior design platform that handles everything from the design phase all the way through the ordering process , managing and tracking every piece of furniture for you, so you don’t have to worry about a single thing.
Traditional interior design normally charges in three phases :
1. Design Phase - Usually billed in the form of a flat design fee.
2. Purchasing phase - Billed hourly for vendor communication, handling damages, returns, orders, follow ups, juggling deliveries, custom furniture ordering, warehousing and so much more.
3. Furniture delivery, installation and styling phase - Which is also billed hourly, in most cases.
There is a tremendous value in hiring a traditional interior designer. Oftentimes they handle major design and even construction issues, rectify any and all delivery matters, handle returns, damages, all communication with vendors, million follow ups and ultimately, they advocate their hearts for you as their client. Their time is extremely valuable and that is what the homeowner is ultimately paying for.
Kurated deeply respects the value of traditional interior design, hence the reason we are bringing the next closest experience to the homeowner, all-online.
How is Kurated different from Modsy & Havenly?
Modsy and Havenly are large venture backed companies that focus on furniture sales as their main streams of revenue. They charge a small nominal fee for design, but ultimately, we view them as a large furniture retailer, while they hire out the design phase to other talented designers.
Kurated is different. As our name suggests, we curate spaces with a hands-on , in-house traditional interior design approach. We also provide 3D renderings that are part of our design packages as we spend more time carefully curating your spaces for that unique, one of a kind look.
About Our Process
How does Kurated work?
On day 1, after purchasing a Kurated design package, you will be prompted to create your design profile where you’ll answer some questions about your design goals and needs, your budget outline, lifestyle, inspiration photos, actual photos of your space and how you intend to use your space(s).
After you’ve submitted everything we need, you will receive an official onboarding email as we start to work on your design.
By the end of week 2, you will receive your first draft of a 2D layout with all design elements. This will serve as a canvas for you to give us direct feedback on each component of the design within our interactive Studio.
By weeks 3 and 4, after revisions have been completed, and you’ve approved your design, we will then create the 3D image of your space and start putting together your Kurated sample box that will ship directly to your home.
By week 5, you should have received the samples and now you’re ready to order everything in your design by placing an order right in your design studio dashboard.
On most occasions, we source from various different vendors, both retail and ‘to the trade’.
This is when the administrative and purchasing phase kicks in. We will process, order and track everything for you and keep you in close loop if any issues arise or delays occur.
Once you receive and inspect everything, you will style your space according to our styling schedule that you received in your Kurated box of samples.
Lastly, you can enjoy your new space for years to come.
What does ‘To The Trade’ mean?
‘To The Trade’ simply means that we work with a number of wholesale vendors who only sell to designers and furniture showrooms. In short, it just means that homeowners aren’t able to purchase directly from a wholesale vendor. We do that on your behalf which gives us a larger choice of choosing unique pieces for your space.
Why don’t you source from Wayfair?
Wayfair and it’s affiliates is an outlet type reseller. Most of the time, products found on Wayfair are either leftover pieces you would find at an outlet store or seldom customizable.
Instead, we have individual relationships with direct furniture manufacturers that are also selling on Wayfair. It is sort of like bypassing the middleman and going straight to the source.
The only occasion when we do purchase from Wayfair is when we can’t match the price directly from the vendor or come close to the one advertised on their website.
How do you know my design style?
We gather information from you in various different ways to nail down your style. We have you fill out a questionnaire, complete a style quiz and share inspiration images of spaces that inspire you.
Who are Kurated designers?
Karolina Molnar is an interior designer who practices traditional design in the state of NY for her local clients.
She founded Kurated, because her design approach is all in the details. She loves layering textures, colors and curating a one of a kind space.
There are several other team members on her team who help her navigate each project. An architectural designer, virtual assistant, a 3D rendering team of experts and a customer success team.
Will I be able to communicate with my designer?
Absolutely.
Our online studio dashboard allows you to message with your designer and give real time feedback throughout the entire design process.
How do you measure my space?
The old way of doing virtual interior design was asking the homeowner to whip out their tape measure and measure their spaces on their own.
Oftentimes than not, this led to a number of challenges as we could not 100% rely on the accuracy of those measurements. Getting a busy client to dedicate 2 to 3 hours of measuring their spaces was nearly impossible and would delay the project greatly.
Measurements would also not be correct and this would lead to some major mistakes down the road. Wrong size furniture would be ordered and a number of things that can be very much off scale.
With Kurated, you will take photos with specific instructions , and then we will measure the dimensions of your rooms straight from your images. Cool, ha?
Some rooms may have a more complicated layout and we may ask you to measure certain times but we always strive to remain on top of new technology that allows us to entirely take the stress off the client.
Which Kurated package is right for me?
Room Refresh is perfect for spaces that already have some existing elements such as furniture and other components, but feel unfinished, uninspiring and just blah. We help you bring it all together whether with a fresh coat of paint, a new rug, a gallery wall, new light fixtures or window treatments.
Full-Service is ideal for rooms needing to be designed entirely from scratch, a blank canvas so to speak. We can design any room from top to bottom including kitchens and bathrooms.
Bespoke is perfect for the main floor open concept and rooms that flow into one another. Any 3 or more rooms in your home whether connected or not would fall into this package. You save 20% on our design fee when you purchase a Bespoke Bundle. These savings can go straight back into your furnishing budget.
Do you design kitchens and bathrooms?
Yes, we design both kitchens and bathrooms. We, however, don’t get involved with the structural parts of either spaces.
The reason for this is that codes and permits vary from state to state and for a kitchen renovation, utmost accurate measurements and hands on, local approach is needed.
For any custom/semi custom cabinetry, you would need to find a local showroom to you who will come out and measure/design the layout of the kitchen elements and order the cabinetry. We can then come in with finish selections such as countertops, cabinet paint/stain colors, hardware, lighting, backsplash, cabinet door style suggestions, wall paint color and appliance suggestions etc.
For any hard finish selections, we have partnered up with various tile manufacturers and resellers. You will purchase lighting, tile, fittings, flooring and LVT directly from us.
Are you a one stop shop for my entire project?
Yes, we are a one stop shop for every stage of your project, except the actual construction part. Don’t worry, we won’t ditch you after we’ve delivered the final design..
We are happy to remain in touch with you and answer any questions your contractor may have about the design all the way through installation.
What is included in the Room Refresh Package?
1 Revision
2D flatlay image
Floor layout with styling schedule
Communication with your designer
Purchase your design directly through your dashboard
Minimum recommended expenditure: $5,000
What is included in the Full-Service Package?
1 Revision
2D flatlay image
3D Rendering
Floor layout with styling schedule
Kurated box of samples mailed to your home
Communication with your designer
Purchase your design directly through your dashboard
Minimum recommended expenditure: $20,000
What is included in the Bespoke Bundle Package?
Per each room:
1 Revision
2D flatlay image
3D Rendering
Floor layout with styling schedule
Kurated box of samples mailed to your home
Communication with your designer
Purchase your design directly through your dashboard
Minimum recommended expenditure: $20,000 per space
I have a strict budget. How do you stick to it?
During your onboarding process, you will set an all-in budget, you and your family are comfortable with. Budget plays a central role in how we design your space.
All-in budget refers to your furnishing budget.
Oftentimes, our clients just don’t know their budget right off the bat. This is normal, because not everyone knows how much things cost nowadays. For that reason, we provide a Furnishing Budget Estimation Guide that can help you come to a number you’re happy with.
For the purposes of maintaining a median quality design, we recommend a minimum expenditure of $20,000 per Full-Service space. Room Refresh suggestions start at a minimum of $5,000.
If I make a change or change my mind, will you re-render my project?
Each of our design packages come with 1 round of revisions, which happens after receiving the first draft of your 3D render. We can make additional revisions for a fee. The purpose of the 3D rendering is to help you visualize your final design. Most clients are able to settle with minor changes without a new render. The entire space will come together beautifully once styled.
You will also receive furniture cards in your Kurated box and you will be able to physically lay every single element out in the comfort of your home.
We will happily make changes on the 2D flatlay image free of charge.