An Exclusive Chat w/ Havenly Co-Founder Emily Motayed

Looking to decorate your space?  Havenly is an “online design” service that can get your room professionally designed and delivered, all for one affordable flat fee per room.

After answering a few questions about your personal style through an online survey, and uploading pictures of the room that you want decorated, Havenly schedules a designer (for free) to discuss your needs, style preferences, and personal vision.  In about five days, you’ll get two design options.  Choose which concept you prefer and then choose what decorating pieces you’d like to purchase — all straight from Havenly.

Sound like a busy DCers dream?  Well, thank two sisters who grew up in the suburbs of DC and are now committed to making your home and haven.  We talked with one of the pair who shared her favorite parts of the business, some personal preferred room designs, and why what might be a pet peeve really isn’t one at all…

KSM: Your sister, Lee Mayer, has an MBA from Harvard and a career background in financial services.  You’re attending Wharton and used to work for Bank of America.  Those are hefty resumes, but not exactly design backgrounds.  What gave you the idea for Havenly?

Emily Motayed:  The idea was born out of a personal need that both of us felt. Each one of us had independently moved into a new space – I moved into a new apartment in NYC and Lee had bought a home and moved in with her husband – and we were searching online for an interior design service that would not only be affordable, but also be easy and not as time intensive. It was shocking to both of us that we couldn’t find what we were looking for – traditional interior designers’ fees were way out of our price range, and we wanted to get our places furnished fast – and didn’t want to deal with back and forth with a designer. And that’s why we created Havenly!

KSM: Is each room actually different for every customer – or do your rooms build off some common themes and products?

EM:  They are – every client is working with a live designer on the other side, even though the process is all done online. Our designers certainly do pull inspirations from each other as well as past designs, but each design that is delivered to the client is customized to that person. Because our final deliverable is a full rendering of that person’s space with our product suggestions, it is a very customized product.

KSM:  Which rooms are your favorites to design currently?

EM:  I personally love looking at the nurseries – each one is so individualized and full of personality, and it’s heartwarming to see the  homes that the babies of our clients will be coming home to!

KSM: That’s so sweet!  Can you share any stories about designing a nursery — or actually, let’s go in the complete opposite direction and dish on a bachelor pad!

EM:  Bachelor pads are the best. We once had a male client who came and submitted photos of his space that had a big foam finger mounted on the walls (turns out he was 35, so he was a little past that) and was still of the mindset that empty liquor and wine bottles were considered “decor.” He was the nicest guy and had a great relationship with his designer, but it definitely took a bit of coaxing and cajoling for us to convince him to let go of his frat day decor – 13 years after he had graduated from college. That said, the placed looked amazing after we were done, and still maintained his personality and individuality.

KSM:  Sounds like that guy is a radical example… but why should young professionals use a decorator?

EM:  Beautiful homes surround us, with the advent of HGTV, Pinterest, and all of those real estate shows on TV. More and more, we are inundated with those images, but there hasn’t been a way to achieve that kind of beauty in your home in an affordable way. Havenly is making that much more attainable— and young professionals should use a decorator like us. Our service is tailored towards their busy lives— it is the only easy, convenient, affordable way to move into a space that you’ll be proud to call your home.

KSM: Finally, I want to ask about Pinterest — where many of us go for design ideas.  I’ll assume clients have a lot of opinions… and Pinterest design boards.  Is Pinterest your best friend or your worst nightmare?

EM: Actually, we love Pinterest! We always ask our clients if they have Pinterest boards that they can send to us. It’s the best way for our designers to really get a feel for what the client is thinking— especially if the client has a hard time articulating their likes and dislikes. In this business, there is nothing that as helpful as the visual aids, so we thank Pinterest for their platform every day.

Need design help?  Sound like a tool you can use?  Havenly is offering a discount on services for our readers — just use this exclusive KSM link!