Home design apps can be a great help when it comes to designing a project, but they can also aid with planning layouts, budgeting and even the finishing touches such as decorating. Here's our pick of the best
Home design apps can really come in useful — for a range of different types of project. Whether you're self building, renovating, extending or simply re-designing your home's interiors, there is a home design app out there for you, so don't think these are for the professionals only.
It can be hard to visualise your house design ideas, but not only do these kinds of app give you an opportunity to feel as though you can really see and walkthrough the space, they can also help when it comes to explaining your plans to your builder or decorator. In addition, they are also useful as using to simply plan the layout and positioning of furniture.
With so many home design app offerings now out there, we've pulled together our favourites to help narrow down your search.
1. SketchUp
Basic free version available
Exterior and interior design possible
Allows for detailed designs
(Image credit: SketchUp)
SketchUp is a 3D modelling application that's favoured by design professionals throughout many disciplines, but it's something that you may find your architect or design company uses to bring your build plans to life. Absolutely anything can be modelled using SketchUp's design tools (and specific objects can be imported into the design too), and the space can be explored in three dimensions.
On the downside, SketchUp can be pretty tricky to get to grips with. It takes some time to understand the modelling controls and it's a programme more aimed at professional users. However, there are plenty of resources around to learn how to use it, from free YouTube videos and web pages to online courses aiming to teach you the basics of SketchUp design.
There's also a free version of the app that can be used online with limited features — after that, you'll require a paid-for monthly subscription.
Roomle's Floorplanner app may be more limited in its design offering than SketchUp, but it more than makes up for it in user friendliness. We got to grips with the controls very quickly, scaling out a room with windows and doors to test furniture layouts.
This is where this app's strengths lie — while you can only use pre-modelled furniture that's supplied in the app already, you can get a good idea of how furniture will fit into your room and play with different layouts and configurations easily. These can be explored in 2D and 3D too.
Floorplanner can be used on your desktop, tablet or mobile device and you do not need to download any software. You'll get a few plans for free, before being asked to upgrade to a paid subscription.
Planner 5D goes a little bit further than Roomle with its offering, allowing photorealistic renders of completed designs that wouldn't look out of place in an architect's office. Planner 5D can be used for exterior design too, including houses and gardens.
While the interface may take a little while to get to grips with, Planner 5D's desktop version also has an amazing array of templates that you can use to start your design for free — a great place to hone your skills before rendering your own design.
Like many of these apps, Planner 5D is free to use to a certain extent, but for the printable realistic photo renders and more access to furniture designs and plans, you'll likely have to take out a subscription.
The mobile app also has a beta-version feature which allows you to upload your floorplan and instantly convert it into a room design.
Roomstyler is, in our opinion, probably the best home design app that's free to use as it's without limitations, such as the number of plans or furniture options available. The furniture models used in this app are based on real designs, including from the likes of John Lewis and M&S, as well as classic designer pieces.
How Roomstyler differs from many of the other home design apps is that you can only design the space in 2D mode. While you can see a 3D image of the room through a small box to the top right of the design, it doesn't quite offer the same ease of use and ability to 'walkthrough' the space that's so useful for planning layouts.
This easy-to-use app should appeal to first-time users of home design apps, as well as those looking for something a little more advanced. There is a reassuring free 'Starter Plan' too which allows you to create up to five projects. After this there are a range of paid-for plans available, starting from £21/month.
You create plans using the 2D blueprint mode before viewing your creations as 3D furnished interior views. You will also be able to use the built-in tools to draw freehand or create shapes suited to your needs.
One thing we particularly like about this app is that it is also possible to choose from a catalogue of brand-name items in order to furnish the rooms within your newly created plan.
The MyRoomPainter app from Crown isn't a modelling tool like many of the other apps here, but instead an augmented reality app that allows you to see your potential colour choices in your actual home.
Simply download the app, use it to snap a picture of your space and you can then see how different colours will look on your walls, no Photoshop required.
It's a free app and super easy to use, so if you're unsure of how a colour will look, it's definitely worth giving this one a go.
IKEA Kreativ is free to download and uses reality technology. The app allows you to see how furniture fits and sits in a space without having to model the entire room yourself.
What's more, once you have downloaded the app, you will be able to use its clever technology to map out your space by scanning the rooms in your house to upload. Then you'll be able to simply drop pieces of IKEA furniture into your space to see how they fit, while seeing them on your phone screen in the space in real time.
Home design apps can really help when starting out on many kinds of project. While large-scale builds are often best left to the design professionals, when it comes to the interiors of your home, don't feel scared to test out your own creative skills.
Pay attention to a few interior design rules and have a play around with schemes and layouts you feel would suit your lifestyle — you can always use these as a brief if you do decide to bring in the pros.
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Hugh is editor of sister title Livingetc.com and former digital editor of homebuilding.co.uk. He has worked on a range of home, design and property magazines, including Grand Designs, Essential Kitchens, Bathrooms, Bedrooms and Good Homes. Hugh has developed a passion for modern architecture and green homes, and moonlights as an interior designer, having designed and managed projects ranging from single rooms to whole house renovations and large extensions. He's currently renovating his own Victorian terrace in Essex, DIYing as much of the work as possible. He's recently finished his kitchen renovation, which involved knocking through walls, and landscaping a courtyard garden, and is currently working on a bathroom renovation.
