Not sure which couch to buy? Eyeing a new area rug but aren’t sure if it will fit into your space? Trying to figure out how to redecorate your bedroom?
Not everyone has a knack for interior design, which is why interior decorators command lots of money for their services. But if you can’t afford a personal designer, there’s another, much more affordable way to get the design help you need:
Interior design apps.
If you’re in need of some interior decorating assistance, here are our five favorite apps for redesigning your apartment.
Room Creator
Room Creator is a fun and easy-to-use app with a social component. You can design a room with different colors and different furniture, then send images of that room to friends for their input. You can also view other people’s rooms for inspiration.
To use this app, enter the dimensions of your room, choose your wall colors, and tap through a variety of furniture and décor options. Once you’ve added an item to your room, you can drag it with your finger to move it to a different position.
This app doesn’t offer the realistic quality of some of the other apps on this list. Yet, it is a great way to get a general idea of how different items and colors look together.
The Room Creator app is available for free to Android users.
Homestyler
The Homestyler app is ideal if you’re looking to add a few new pieces to your existing room design.
Here’s how it works:
First, take a photo of your current room. Upload that photo into the Homestyler 3D design app. Find a photo of the couch, or rug, or chair that you’re considering buying.
You can put that new purchase right into your existing room design to see how it fits, how the color looks, and if it works with your current room design.
Thinking about moving your current furniture around to give your room a new look? This app is great for that, too, as you can move pieces around in the app without actually having to do any heavy lifting in real life.
The Homestyler app is available for free on iOS and Android devices.
Planner 5D
With Planner 5D, you can work in 2D or 3D mode to sketch a rendering of a room or design your entire dream house. Choose your mode, create a floor plan, and select the furniture, colors, decorative items, and lighting fixtures of your choice. The graphics are so realistic that you’ll actually feel like you’re in the room.
What’s great about Planner 5D is that you can also create outdoor features, such as pools and landscaping. When you’re finished creating your dream home, share your design on Planner 5D or view other people’s designs to gather more inspiration.
The free version is loaded with over 150 items and over 600 options for colors and patterns. Upgrade to a subscription membership and you can access over 5,000 and enjoy all sorts of premium features and customizable options.
The Planner 5G app is available for both iOS and Android devices.
Amikasa
Amikasa isn’t just a great design app — it’s also a Webby award winner.
This design app features augmented reality to provide an incredibly realistic view of a room. But what really makes it stand out is that once you’ve completed your design, you can use the walkthrough mode to take a virtual tour of your space.
You can use Amikasa to create an entire room layout or a brand new floorplan. Then, you can fill your space with actual products from real brands available online. It’s ideal if you’re looking to buy new furniture or want to see how different styles will look in your apartment.
When you find a chair, couch, or table that you love, you can purchase it from an online furniture store directly through the app.
The Amikasa app is available for $0.99 on iOS devices.
DecorMatters
The DecorMatters app is equal parts game and design app, and you can choose to use it in either way. This app doesn’t only let you design a space. It also allows you to participate in design challenges, earn coins and rewards, and advance through levels. Even if you’re not thinking about decorating, it’s a lot of fun!
With DecorMatters, you can create a room from scratch or upload a photo of your apartment and select furniture from online brands. With this app, you can fill your home with furniture from West Elm, World Market, Wayfair, and a variety of other popular furniture and décor retailers.
It offers both augmented reality and 3D models so you can view a realistic rendering of your room. And because it’s a social app, you can share your design with friends and view other people’s designs.
The DecorMatters app is available for free on iOS devices.
Other Design Apps to Try
Need some more options? There are dozens of design apps to choose from! Here are some others that are definitely worth checking out:
Houzz
If it’s inspiration you’re looking for, download the Houzz app. It’s loaded with images and products to inspire your next design and also includes a 3D feature to see what items will look like in your apartment. Available for iOS and Android.
IKEA Home Planner Tools
Planning on buying new furniture or décor at IKEA? IKEA Home Planner Tools offer different design tools for kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, and more. It’s not available as a smartphone app, but you can download the planning tools directly to your laptop.
Sweet Home 3D
With the Sweet Home 3D app, you can draw plans of your apartment, change wall colors, and place over 1,500 different objects into your space. When you’ve finished creating your room, you can view it in three dimensions. This app is easy to use and comes with some advanced features if you’re looking for more customization and detail. Available for iOS.
Conclusion
No matter how you’re planning to redecorate your apartment, there are lots of design apps that can help you out.
So don’t worry about having to spend hundreds of dollars on an interior designer — with a little time and creativity, you can become your own!
Adam Marshall is a freelance writer who specializes in all things apartment organization, real estate, and college advice. He currently works with Prose the Rim to help them with their online marketing.