The extreme boom in the housing market in 2020 and 2021 has been a headache for everyone. Many people are priced out of the market after the pandemic-induced mass exodus from big city living and supply chain shock combined to cause housing prices to skyrocket across the country. Inventory is historically low, and the bidding wars that ensue on even the oldest properties are unprecedented.
This means many buyers will be looking at buying older they they originally planned. And older homes need renovation. Many others will have turned to investing in their current property instead of buying at all. If you’re one of those people, you need good tools to help you plan and execute your renovation.
Fortunately, there are a variety of apps and programs that are available. We take a look at a few of our favorites below.
Floorplanner
2D & 3D floorplans are fast and easy with this tool. You can easily draw a floorplan in 2D and then switch to 3D to do a walk through. Move the camera to any point inside any room, or pull up and get a bird’s eye view of the entire house The Sims-style. Floorplanner has a huge library of furniture and other assets that can easily be dragged and dropped into the house instantly. It’s really easy to use.
Floorplanner has been free for personal use since 2007 and a button on the home page lets you click into a demo that’s ready to be explored. In a second you’re in the program, moving the model around.
HomeByMe AR Experience
HomeByMe AR is an app for iPhone or iPad. Hold up your phone in your living room and use the AR functions to see what a particular piece of furniture would look like there in your room. You can then snap a picture and share with friends and family. The app offers over 7,500 branded and generic items. There’s even a 360 floorplan/layout builder at homebyme.com.
Homestyler
Homestyler is similar to the other floorplan builders out there. Simply draw your plan in 2D and decorate the room with furniture (300,000 model library!). Then you can view your creation in photorealistic 3D, either in stills that you frame in a particular room, panoramas, or in VR tours. And you can share your creation through the typical channels.
Roomstyler
Roomstyler lets you start by looking at popular designs or designers. If you’re the kind of designer who likes to browse around and see what others are building first, then this app might be just for you. You can start with popular room designs, or look by designers that have gained traction in the community.
Gaming style apps
This app has you earning credits by participating in daily challenges. You’ll learn about interior design along the way, and there’s an especially active Facebook group you can connect with if that sounds like your vibe.
Available on Google Play and Apple, this game takes an HGTV approach to designing your dream home. The game has exuberant characters that you’ll lay out designs for, so prepare to enjoy getting to know them.
DecorMatters marries AR, AI, and blockchain technology to room designing. Leaderboards, virtual coins, user levels and special rewards. It's all there!
THE RIGHT TOOL FOR YOU
Whether you’re a professional, a novice, or something in between, one of these tools will be a perfect place for you to start. We hope you reach all of your interior design dreams this year! Let us know if we’ve missed any great apps or programs.
And if one of these recommendations helped you out, let us know! We’d love to hear about it.
