Disclosure: Complimentary design service provided. All opinions are mine.

I’ve lived in the Omaha area for almost a decade and had never heard of Nebraska Furniture Mart’s design services. My husband and I did most of the designs on our previous remodels ourselves and would often disagree on colors, furniture arrangement and designs. You see, neither of us are very good at interior decorating. He works on computers and I write. So, facing the task of making big decisions on paint colors, tile patterns, furniture and decor is difficult for us and painstaking. I’m talking hours looking through paint cards, browsing tiles and decorations. NFM design services would have saved us so much time and disagreements over the years!

When we moved into our house in 2006, the entire basement was unfinished, a blank canvas. Over the years, we added a master bedroom, bathroom and laundry room, but now we have a corner of the basement that is unused. Our vision is to create a den or family room, where we could watch TV, play video games and even add a table for poker games or quiet space for homework. It’s an L shaped room with built in shelving on one wall, so we were stuck on how to arrange furniture, colors and even flooring options.

Welcome Lauren Kindiger, a professional interior designer for NFM, to our project to save the day! Check out this picture of what our space currently looks like. As you can see, Lauren had her work cut out for her on this project.  (Note: These are probably the original 1950’s paint colors and the space used to contain a giant workbench along the cement wall which we removed.)

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I have to say I am thoroughly impressed. For only $100 flat rate fee, Lauren came to our home, did measurements, asked us our vision for the room, color, fabric preferences and even our budget. My husband and I could agree that we wanted a welcoming space and colors that light up the room (since it is a basement.) The home visit was about 30 minutes and she got an idea of what we wanted for that space.

A few weeks later, Lauren invited us to the design studio at NFM, where we were presented with a personalized slideshow of our project. She started by showing us the color scheme she felt would work great with our space and even put up a display of pillows and decorations in our color scheme (see first picture).

Then, Lauren showed us color choices for the walls. She even included the Sherman Williams paint numbers so we could just stop at the paint store and order the exact colors she recommends. Her plan was very detailed and showed us which walls to paint what color. The agreeable gray is for the drywall with extra white for the trim and storage area. She suggested smoky azurite or charcoal blue to paint over the two brick walls. This is a foolproof plan and my husband and I love the suggestions!

What was really impressive is that she created our entire floor plan, based on the measurements she took and even picked out furniture pieces that would work in the space! She gave us two ideas and we loved this one.

My husband and I had not considered this setup for the area, but we absolutely love it! I can honestly say without her help it might have been a disaster. We know that all the furniture she picked will fit our space and look great. She also helped us figure out how to update the built in storage and close off the area underneath the stairs that is currently for storage.

After the slide show, Lauren walked us through areas of Nebraska Furniture Mart to show us the furniture options, decor and the rug she picked for our space. And, it was all within our budget!! Plus, the entire room is color coordinated with our color scheme! No more picking out furniture and hoping it matches the walls or measuring to make sure it fits in the space. She selected Jonathan Louis furniture pieces that are completely customizable with design and fabric and the choices will fit our space perfectly!

My husband and I are so excited to get started on our basement project and will start with staining the concrete and painting the walls. When we are ready to pick out furniture, we can meet with Lauren again to make sure we pick out the perfect pieces for our room.

This entire design process has been fabulous and honestly relieved much of the stress of this remodel. My husband and I have a detailed plan and know exactly how to execute the redesign of our space. If you are remodeling or redesigning your home, consider hiring a NFM interior designer to help you with the process. It was totally worth it for us (and probably saved us hours of disagreements) and we will definitely use their services again for our next major project.

Details about NFM Interior Designers
Nebraska Furniture Mart: 700 South 72nd St
Cost: $100 flat rate for in-home visit within the Omaha area. Cost increases outside of Omaha depending on distance traveled.
Contact: 402-392-3253 for Omaha Design Services (KC: 913-288-6354 & Dallas: 972-668-0052)
What you get: Space planning, color schemes, lighting, rugs, window coverings, furniture, and decor recommendations for one room or for an entire house.
Note: For other selections, such as flooring, backsplashes and other material it is billed on an hourly/half-hourly basis – $100 for every hour, and $50 for every ½ hour.

Check out Nebraska Furniture Mart’s website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and their blog for more design inspiration.

Are you excited to use Nebraska Furniture Mart Interior Design Services? Did you know about this amazing service before reading this article?