When it came to a home in Tampa, Florida, designer Mandy Cheng expertly handled the design by-video from three hours away in St. Augustine. Follow along with her as she talks about the project.

Before Shay and I met (by-video) and instantly became besties from afar, she had already done a lot to update the look of her family’s home. She replaced the original tan tiled floors (insert my grimacing face) with hardwood floors, dry-walled over the old-school looking flagstone fireplace (cue 80s music), and completely overhauled her kitchen. But even with all this work, she still felt like the house wasn’t as special as she knew it had the potential to be. Shay definitely has an eye for decorating and had already made progress on a few rooms, but after a year and a half of rotating furniture and layouts, she called in some professional help (aka me!). She wanted the rooms to feel fresh, pulled-together, and casually fancy. Is that a thing? Well, it’s officially how I will describe Shay’s house from here on out. Anyway, she wanted to update some of the furniture and décor, making it all flow better.

As with most by-video designs, a lot of concept designing took place prior to any purchasing. In some instances, I built models of the rooms in SketchUp, so I could quickly change out ideas as needed, and in other instances I just photoshopped on top of an actual image of the room. Shay helped source many of the items once the design was locked down, which really helped maximize her hours.

From the library and music room to the new layout for the living room, there is so much in this home that I absolutely love. To get the full details, follow along to each room in the slideshow! And check out the coverage we got on The Everygirl.

We wanted to create a home space that was both visually inspiring and life-giving for us (since we are both home all the time), while still feeling comfortable and casual enough for our kids and the guests we entertain.

- SHAY COCHRANE, BY-VIDEO CLIENT