Designing rooms can be tricky, and it’s often hard to visualize what the end result will be but you don’t have to be a professional room designer to create. You can accomplish most of your room design tasks, such as crafting the perfect layout for your space and choosing the right décor.
These are our favourite:
1. Planner 5D
Planner 5D bills itself as the most extensive free room design app on the market. Easily design rooms down to the smallest architectural details, including windows, stairs, and partitions. Don’t stop at interiors; this room designing app also lets you do landscaping and pools — all with stunning 3D graphics.
You can also get inspiration from their gallery. Explore new and trendy designs created by other virtual room designers.
Rating: 4.3 stars on both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
Download Planner 5D on the App Store or on Google Play
2. Homestyler
Autodesk, the creator of AutoCAD, REVIT, and 3ds Studio Max, is well-known for its professional design programs. It also created the Homestyler room design app, which they sold to Easyhome in 2017.
This user-friendly program doesn’t require formal training like the other professional programs the company offers. Simple drag-and-drop functions allow you to create your own designs and dream up floor plans. Homestyler’s 3D floor planner and 3D room designer tools are perfect for an amateur virtual room designer.
The furnish and decorate tool allows you to choose cabinetry, appliances, furniture, and nearly every decor item you can think of. Then personalize your space with area rugs and finish items by several manufacturers. Once your design is complete, you can print it out.
Rating: 4.5 stars on the App Store and 3.9 stars on the Google Play Store.
Download Homestyler on the App Store or on Google Play.
3. MagicPlan
MagicPlan is a room design app for iOS and Android that creates floor plans from user-scanned photos. This makes creating a room design a snap, with “No need to measure or draw.” It’s the perfect app for those new to designing floor plans. As you might expect, it isn’t as detailed in its creations as more advanced apps, but it’s useful for quickly creating interior layouts for a novice room designer.
Cost: Free (first two projects), then $9.99/mo.
Rating: 4.7 stars on the App Store and 4.4 stars on the Google Play Store
Download MagicPlan on the App Store or on Google Play.
4. DecorMatters
If you want to gamify the process of room design, then DecorMatters is for you. This iOS app brings augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technology to the process of room design. And users are loving it.
There are leaderboards, virtual coins, and levels, plus special rewards for participating in design challenges. Users can create new virtual rooms based on templates, or they can tweak their real-life room with augmented reality. Rooms can be posted online and you can browse through other’s creations to get inspiration. Eventually, the team says content creators can be compensated through profits received from product recommendations and copyright authorizations.
Rating: 4.7 stars on the App Store.
Download DecorMatters on the App Store. No Android version available.
5. Sweet Home 3D
This 3D room design app is for those who want more customization options for their room layout. The online software is free, though login information is required. You can also download a more advanced version of Sweet Home 3D (at an extra price) that allows you to save, export, and manipulate your home plans. The interface has four sections:
- The furniture catalog allows you to choose components by name, then drag and drop components directly into the floor plan.
- The home furniture list displays the dimensions of each piece by name and size.
- The home plan shows you in a 2D format where the walls, windows, doors, and furniture are placed (as viewed from above).
- The home 3D view shows your plan in three dimensions so you can visualize the plan as you design.
To bring in your floor plan, import it into Sweet Home 3D, scale it, and trace over your plan to remove the guesswork. This program can be simple, but it has advanced features for those who want more from their 3D virtual planning experience.
Cost: Free to download or use online here. $13.99 on App Store.
Rating: 3.5 stars on the App Store.
Download Sweet Home 3D on the App Store. No version available for Google Play.
6. The Home Renovator
Room decorator apps are all well and good, but The Home Renovator lets you plan for and budget the materials you’ll need for your renovation project. The Home Renovator lets you choose from insulation, drywall, paint, ceramic tile, ceiling tile, and deck projects. You can use the site’s free worksheets to measure your space, enter your measurements, and review your tool requirements. This room designing software will then get a report telling you how much material is required for your project, a budget price that can be used to negotiate with local dealers, and illustrated instructions that show cutting and placement of materials.
Rating: N/A
No download required. Use the tool online at The Home Renovator.
7. Design a Room
Stop taking home dozens of material samples to try out all the combinations in your space. Instead, try the Armstrong 3D room decorator app that allows you to see different color combinations of flooring, cabinetry, ceilings, walls, and countertops from the comfort of your home.
Design a Room allows you to choose a room in your home, pick a style (like contemporary, traditional, global fusion) and virtually play around with colors, textures, and finishes. You can even coordinate Sherwin Williams, PPG, and Benjamin Moore paint colors to go with your design.
One of the best things about this free tool is the ability to learn about the products before you buy them. For example, when designing a bathroom, you might see a note saying hardwood flooring isn’t recommended. This ensures that your room designs will be functional and stylish.
Rating: N/A
No download is needed. Try the Armstrong Design a Room tool online.
