I tried using Ikea's $99 interior-designer service. It was an incredible value with just one downside.

• My partner and I used Ikea's online interior-designer service, which costs $99 per room.
• Our designer only suggested Ikea furniture, but we used her detailed plans as inspiration.
• Overall, the service was helpful and felt like a great value to help us design our home.

When my partner and I finished building our new home in the Catskills, we were thrilled — but also a bit overwhelmed.

We had a beautiful blank canvas, and the pressure was on to turn it into the cozy, inviting space we'd always dreamed of.

As much as we love browsing through Pinterest and getting lost in Instagram's endless stream of home-decor inspiration, we quickly realized we needed professional help to bring our ideas to life.

That's when we discovered Ikea's $99 interior-designer service. As fans of Ikea's modern, affordable style, we decided to give it a shot.

First, we booked an appointment and filled out a questionnaire

It was easy to book Ikea's design service but it can be a bit tricky to find on the retailer's website.

It can be found on the "Ideas & Inspiration" tab in a section toward the bottom that says, "Need an interior designer for your home?"

The service costs $99 per room and we chose to design an additional three, which we were able to add to our existing appointment.

After sharing our zip code, we chose a meeting time that worked for us and received a confirmation email with all the details.

Next, we filled out a questionnaire to help the designer understand our style, needs, and vision for the space. In it, we mentioned our preference for minimalist designs, neutral tones, and kid-friendly furniture.

Once we were connected with our interior designer, we shared blueprints of our home since it was under construction.

We discussed our ideas in virtual meetings

Our designer scheduled three meetings with us. In the first, we discussed the overall vision for each room.

We talked about our lifestyle, how we use the space, and what we hoped to achieve with the new decor.

The second meeting was all about refining those ideas. We went over the designer's initial mood boards, which included color palettes, textures, and a selection of furniture and accessories.

The boards were comprehensive and beautifully curated with designs that reflected our style and suggestions that addressed our needs.

For instance, she suggested adding a single sleeper sofa to the upstairs loft to provide the additional sleeping areas we wanted.

In the final meeting, we reviewed detailed 3D renderings of our space. This was the most exciting part, as it gave us a realistic preview of how everything would look once completed.

The lifelike images looked high-end and made it easier to commit to decisions about furniture and layout. We also discussed practical aspects, like lighting plans and material choices.

Once we finalized the design, our designer gave us a shopping list with all the recommended items, prices, and links for easy online ordering.

We purchased some Ikea pieces and used other suggestions as inspiration

Our designer's suggestions were spot-on, but we had the flexibility to mix and match because we were choosing which pieces to buy.

We bought recommended bed frames, nightstands, and storage solutions from Ikea and also brought in our West Elm couch and custom dining table from other places.

This blend allowed us to achieve a personalized, high-quality look without straying too far from our budget. This was especially important because we rent out our home on Airbnb.

Our cost-effective Ikea furniture is practical for our high-traffic areas while the higher-end pieces make our home feel special and inviting.

Overall, Ikea's service offers incredible value

We found the service invaluable for planning the overall aesthetic and layout of our home, even if we incorporated some non-Ikea elements into the final design.

It felt like a genuinely impressive resource that delivered high-end results at a fraction of the cost. I loved the professional guidance, detailed planning, and convenience of a ready-made shopping list.

Our designer was a true pro with a great attention to detail. At one point, she even noticed a significant flaw in our kitchen blueprint — a mistake that could've cost us thousands of dollars.

Still, it's worth emphasizing that designers you work with through this service will only recommend Ikea items.

If you prefer expensive items or want pieces from a variety of brands, it might not be the perfect fit. But you can still use the designer's advice for inspiration and source your own pieces, just as we did.