Online design service can help refresh space

Jessica McRae, left, and Kristen Yonson started SwatchPop! after spending years decorating their own homes and finding themselves stuck on how to fix what they knew was not working. Contributed by James Paul Photography

Jessica McRae, left, and Kristen Yonson started SwatchPop! after spending years decorating their own homes and finding themselves stuck on how to fix what they knew was not working. Contributed by James Paul Photography

Need help styling your foyer? Art for a blank wall? New throw pillows for a blah couch? Atlanta-based SwatchPop!, an online interior design service, can help refresh your space.

Owners: Jessica McRae and Kristen Yonson grew up in Alpharetta and were classmates at Chattahoochee High School (class of 2000). Jessica attended the University of Georgia, where she studied public relations and Kristen went to Penn State University where she studied marketing and international business. Faced with their own decorating dilemmas, they started an online design service.

The company: Atlanta-based SwatchPop! is an online interior design service that matches clients and professional interior designers (currently there are nearly 50) across the country to collaborate on home decorating projects big and small. The company launched in 2014.

How it works: Clients start by choosing a room or problem area and picking "pops" from the design menu. Pops include furniture selection, wall decor, window treatments, rugs and accessories. Next, clients upload photos of their space, and tell us a bit about their design goals and challenges. In three to five business days, clients receive a design plan, including a visual rendering, detailed instructions, and a clickable shopping list of products handpicked for their style and budget.

What it costs: Projects start at $49.95. Each additional "pop" is $29.95.

First (online) design job: Choosing new throw pillows and styling a console table for a client in Alpharetta.

Known for: Room refreshes and updates since most clients aren't starting from scratch. But if you are, SwatchPop! can help with that too.

Quick fix for a room: Simplify. People tend to over-accessorize.

Current design obsession(s): Mudcloth pillows, bold wallpapers and Lucite anything.

New (or re-emerging) designs we like: Dark cabinetry, Moroccan tile, and all things matte black.

… and designs we are glad to see go: Chevron prints. Bye!

Unusual requests: Laundry rooms.

Fun (or unusual) spaces: One SwatchPop! designer in California virtually designed an entire law office in Washington, DC.

E-designer challenges: Getting accurate measurements from clients.

Favorites

Blogs or websites: Home by Heidi, House Updated, and Craftberry Bush.

Instagram: @studiomcgee; @blackbanddesign; @amberinteriors; and @zdesignathome

- Atlanta area home/design stores: Outrageous Interiors; Ballard Designs; Sugarboo Designs; Bungalow Classic; Pineapple Park; and Urban Farmhouse.

Places unexpected finds: DearKeaton.com; Motif Pillows (etsy.com); marthaandash.com; joshandmain.com; and Anthropologie.

- Recent project: Working with Borrowing Magnolia in Athens on a redesign of its bridal warehouse.

New & next: A referral program to incentivize clients to share their SwatchPop! experience and earn credits toward their next design project. Also a virtual staging program for real estate agents.

Find SwatchPop at:

Websitewww.swatchpop.com

Facebook: SwatchPop

Instagram: @swatchpop