Arcbazar Inc

We had 18 designers from around the world sign up to provide a design for our master bathroom. Several of the designers asked questions throughout the project and it is important to be able to give them measurements and photos whenever possible. The design competition ran for about 3 weeks and in the end, we received submissions from 7 designers. There was a range in what the designers provided. Some gave very detailed suggestions about specific hardware and lighting to purchase. Others were less detailed about the specifics but they gave a nice, rendering of how the remodeled room could look. The designer that I chose as the winner was the one who stuck most closely to the instructions I had provided. There were a couple that didn't pay as close attention as I would have liked to my project instructions. In the end, I think this was a worthwhile endeavor as I now have seven nice designs and I can select certain elements from each to incorporate into the finished product.

I had ideas for remodeling my master bathroom and had received a couple of contractor quotes. Before flipping the switch, I wanted to obtain other ideas, or at least validate my design concept. So, I posted a two week competition on arcbazar. I had 10 designers sign up and 5 submitted plans. I received scaled drawings, as well as 3D perspective images on the bathroom. I could not have been happier. Ultimately, with my complicated space, my original design was validated, but I also received a bonus in that the designer to whom I gave the award had designed my WC with a pocket door and shelves. I never would have come up with that thought. I will definitely use arcbazar again in future for any design, including interior decorating, landscaping etc.

From my interactions with the customer service, I got all my questions answered so no complaints at all. I would definitely like to try them in future for some remodeling projects.

I contacted their service 2 times and both times got a machine recording, I would prefer to speak with a real person when taking on a task of this manner

Overall it was a waste of money. I had 6 designers sign up. Three submitted plans, but only one of them followed directions. However the terms require if 3 or more sign up you need to pay out the entire "prize". For the same price you could hire any local designer to consult for an hour or two, which is really the extent of what all these designers have done. They basically make recommendations without any form of real communication. There is a message board to post comments back and forth with the designers. The flaw is if they don't speak English, how much communication can you really do. It also requires the designer to be willing to communicate with you in the first place and in my experience some did but most didn't. Most designers also submit at the last minute before the close of the posting. Therefore there is no time to question choices, request adjustments, or make clarifications. So what you end up is a bunch of pretty pictures that are no better than a generic plan you could have Googled for free. The plans of some of the postings look impressive, but they don't work in the real world. Not enough information is provided to truly execute most of them. My recommendation would be to save your money, hire a local designer to consult, and call it a day.

It was okay. The owner was very good and helpful. We didn't get much response the first time but he extended the program and he kicked in some money himself so there was a better response the second time around. We got response from Georgia, India as well as US designers. It was an interesting approach but it's varies in terms of the level of response.

Great website and very easy to use and helpful steps all through the process. For my basement remodeling project I received 11 great designs for my project from a total of 18 who had registered interest in my project. It's like getting 11architects to work on your project but paying for one! Afetr you submit your entry, upload some information and photos you then chose the length of time you want your competition to run over and then answer any questions that are posted by the entrants. Then at the end of the project you sit back, review all the designs, and chose who the winners. Great service and will be using again for future projects.

Overall it went really well. I was very detailed about what I wanted, gave very detailed measurements and pictures of all sides of my house, I recommend being as detailed as possible when working this way and if the designers have questions answering them as soon as possible as simply as possible. I would recommend this to any one. We have not yet designed if we will pursue the second story. But the design we did pick we like very much. My only criticism, I would hope that in the future only designers that intend to deliver designs sign up.

Arcbazar is a way of crowdsourcing architecture, landscaping, and interior design projects. I posted my project (with a lot of useful phone coaching from Ana) and waited. I got six designers registered as working on my project, but only three actually posted designs in the end, which was mildly disappointing. But of those designs, two had significant components of interest to me, and all three were relatively professionally done. I think the designers at Arcbazar are mostly students or young professionals trying to make a name for themselves, so I didn't expect that much from them, but I got decent work, and I've used some aspects of both of the top two designs in my final implementation. I would use Arcbazar again for minor architectural or design work.

This was a second successful experience with Arcbazar. Surprisingly, I received 12 entries for my pretty small project- bedroom redesign- and was honored that so many designers would take the time to submit a plan. I am anxious to get started on this project and will be using the design ideas of several entries. I also appreciated that the designers come from across the globe. Great way to learn about design as well when designers take the time to explain why they are proposing furniture, color, lighting and window treatment decisions. Also, their follow-up questions help clients understand the process. Definitely an education unto itself.

Very good; I love the creativity.

Not very good, the house that I am planning on renovating is having structural changes, has tenants in it currently, and I didn't have the measurements and pictures of the place when I bought the coupon . I will try to get these things, but coupled with the fact that the website recommends that you make the minimum for the competition prize $1,000 or more, it begins to become very expensive and you can't be certain what you are going to get and must pick a winner.

Great. We got a number of very useful designs and are in the process of implementing one

It was a fun experience. 36 designers from all over the world signed up for the project, and 9 submitted designs. The communication with the designers was very good with one exception -- there was a problem with the website and I wasn't getting the designers' questions for a while, so Arcbazar extended the competition by a week. In the end we didn't get one perfect design, but got a variety of very good ideas which we can combine into one great design. I would use Arcbazar again, no question.

Arcbazar offers a very unique service. I was looking for some interior design ideas for a new home. There are many interior designer's that offer consultation services. They provide color options, ideas for furniture etc. Whats cool about arcbazar, however, is that it works based on a competition that you create on their website. Instead of getting one designer providing you one concept, you get multiple submissions from different interior designers. I created a competition to provide interior design ideas for my family room/kitchen area. I ended up getting 13 different design ideas. What I was impressed with was the quality of some of the submissions. Many of the designers submitted full color 3 dimensional layouts that made it a lot easier to visualize the design. They also provided a list of furniture, paint and accessory options. Overall I was very pleased with the results. Just be aware that you have to be reasonable about your award amount. You cant enter something like $50 and ask for a full interior design of your whole house. When creating your competition the website will give you a suggested award amount. This suggested award is based on the square feet of the area you wish to design. My only gripe with the service was their website. It's a bit rough around the edges and at times their site was very slow. Sometimes it could be frustrating to use. The only reason I didnt give the service all A's.

The process was easy and we set a time limit on when the designs were due (4 weeks). We could see when new designers signed up for our project and they were free to contact us -anonymously- if they had additional questions about the space. It was a very exciting process and outcome. After the due date arrived, all designs came in and we had approx 24-48 hours to select the 'winner' (or top 3) to whom the prize money would go. We received a mix between super creative, super practical, plus a good mixture of both (all for $500...). We've yet to begin any remodel, but we now have these designs to work with and/or tweak as needed. Great idea for folks who are considering a remodel and/or who can't always look to architects and designers due to cost.. I've mentioned ArcBazar to numerous friends and family as it is such a great idea.

Have not submitted my project yet.

The experience was fun and productive, create my thought around a renovation of an existing beach house, laid out the details and submitted it to Arcbazar where they help me tweak my thoughts and then posted it for designers. You determine the amount of the award that is the incentive for the designers based on size and scope of the project. You determine the time frame for the contest and then you get to pick the top 3 designs that are submitted. The concept is great as well as the experience.

Better the second time I tried the website. The first time I could not get website to work.

Website is confusing at first to navigate but then you get the hang of it.

At first, I offered only $300. Although 10 designers signed up for the contest, only one actually submitted a design. The design was way off, and it was clear that the designer did not read my requirements. I emailed the company expressing my disappointment, and the CEO called me and offered me a couple of options: assign a third place finish to the one designer, and get a refund on the balance of he money or provide more money and extend the competition by two weeks. The CEO had warned me earlier that $300 was low for what I wanted done. So, I sent in another $300. I ended up with 18 designers signing up, and 5 actually completing the process (that's something they don't tell you -- expect only 25-33% of those who sign up to follow through with a design.) Of those 5, three were really good and I am just delighted with the work. The only challenge is to know just how much to offer. I used some of the other online decorating services as a guide, and I low-balled it. It is a little scary putting the money up front and not knowing if you will be happy with the results. However, even if you are not, communicate with the management of the company, and I believe they will make it right. This is my second experience with this company, and I expect to use them for another remodeling project and a landscaping project.

I needed architectural plans and ideas for remodeling the back of my house and bringing an external staircase inside. It was a puzzle I couldn't figure out, but with this service, I got several ideas that were original and creative.

I truly enjoyed the experience. Setting out my expectations clearly helped me define those expectations, so that had value of itself. It did take some time to enter the project requirements and upload any images I had. A word of warning -- save a copy to Word, or another word processing program. Save early and often, as the Arcbazar system will sometimes lose what you have typed. I probably spent and extra 3-4 hours because this happened a couple of times. I think 47 designers from 13 nations signed onto the project. I gave a deadline of 4 weeks. Designers asked me questions on the wall, which I promptly answered. At the end, I received 8 designs, most with quite a bit of detail and with a lot of creativity. I was delighted with the responses I got.

I think that this service provider would be great for a remodel without any major changes in layout. I found that the plans for my kitchen remodel just wouldn't work (removing a support wall, building under the eaves, etc). Because they did not come to view the site before they did the plans (I didn't have an open house, but I did offer to let anyone come who wanted to), they didn't know the limitations. Also, the plans made changes that I would not have wanted, and two of the plans were almost identical.

What is so cool about this approach is I get multiple design concepts that are customized to my layout and design requirements. Very fun process. I will use ideas from several of the designs, and I would definitely use this approach again on my next project