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Interior design apps are fast becoming the go-to gadget when it comes to home renovations. Searching through the various app stores, there’s a decorating app for almost anything; from selecting which furniture pieces you want in your kitchen to what colours would look best on your bedroom walls. We’re not exaggerating when we say there’s a lot out there, that’s why we’ve edited down the top picks to provide you with a manageable and little less scary list.
Ideal for amateur interior designers and proud homeowners, this selection of decorating apps for android and IOS will make it easier than ever for you to gather interior design inspiration, learn loads of interior design tips and gain plenty of modern interior design ideas.
Houzz
App Name: Houzz
Price: Free
Use it to: Gather inspiration and bookmark ideas
If you are looking to renovate or redesign any aspect of your home, the Houzz app is a great place to start. With features that make it a wonderful blend of other sites like Pinterest and Facebook, Houzz will become your go to design app when it comes to anything interiors. You can comment and share your ideas while also being able to save products to your own idea books. All of your idea books are saved on your profile for quick and easy access.
Houzz is well known for its wealth of brand professionals using the site, meaning you can directly ask both brands and designers the questions you want answers to (you can view our Houzz profile here). With over 10 million photos and 35 million users, you really will have the world of interiors at your fingertips.
Easily find brands, designers and professionals through the Houzz app. Read all the gossip, blogs and latest trend news. You can also join in discussions and get advice on what to do with your space!
The Houzz app lets you search by space, style or product. Narrow down your categories and search terms to find relevant pieces.
MyPantone
App Name: MyPantone
Price: £7.99
Use it to: Find colours for your space
Being the authority figure of the colour world, Pantone really does have the final say when it comes to disputes over whether it’s green or blue, pink or purple, turquoise or teal… The MyPantone app allows you to take pictures and match all of the colours in the image to the 1,000’s of Pantone shades. You can also find the RGB of colours. This is incredibly useful if you are doing anything on photoshop or online, as you can get an exact colour match. Being big fans of colour here at Danetti, we had a go at testing the app on the Pantone swatches we have in our office.
Although the app did have some trouble finding an exact colour match to its own colour swatch, we can see its potential. Our design team said that they would probably use it for capturing colours on the go and making mental notes of colour references. We use Pantone as a colour reference for a range of our products. There are so many colours in this app, so if you are a fan of colour it’s not one to be missed.
Take your image and hover over your chosen colour to see Pantone’s matches. Scroll through the variety of fanned decks to browse for a shade you like or to match up coordinating colours.
ColorSmart by BEHR®
App Name: ColorSmart by BEHR®
Price: Free
Use it to: Find colours and see how they would look in a space
If you don’t want to pay for the Pantone app, ColorSmart by BEHR® is a handy (and free) alternative. I wasn’t sure whether to include it on this list purely because you can’t buy their paint in the UK. However, the features in the app still make it incredibly worthwhile. Like the MyPantone app, you can take a photo and get a colour match to any of the shades in the image. The ‘explore colour’ tab gives you a whole variety of colours to choose from. It’s also a great place to start when deciding what colour you want in your space. I really like how this decorating app suggests what colours will go with your selected shade. It also gives the palette a title which is so useful when you are trying to focus in on what look you want to go for.
Seeing what colours coordinate best is also really handy when choosing furniture pieces such as occasional chairs or dining chairs, as you can get a rough idea of how the colours will work together in your space. From the selection of palettes, I opted for ‘cool tones’. Using the stock images provided, I was able to paint the colour onto the wall. Although this isn’t my room, I got a much better feel of what the colour would look like in a real space. This colour app is great for anyone who’s much more in the seeing is believing mindset, as it gives a much clearer idea of how colours can look in a real space and setting.
Start your colour selection in the ‘explore colour’ tab. Once you’ve found your shade, browse the suggested coordinated palettes to see which selection would work best in your space.
Now you’ve got your palette, choose a room and try out the different colours on the walls. You’ll be surprised how much this makes a difference to how you see the colour and how it looks in the space!
HomeStyler
App Name: HomeStyler
Price: Free
Use it to: See how your space will look
I really enjoyed using the HomeStyer decorating app. It’s simple and easy to use while also being quite fun to just play around with. Firstly, you choose your space. This can be done either by taking a picture of your own room or selecting one of the stock images. You can then scroll through a whole variety of products, dragging and dropping the product where you think it looks best. You can select furniture by room or by brand. This is a great feature if you have a particular piece in mind and want a clear visual of how it could look in your space.
The backgrounds that you use are flat images so there are no 3D room views in this app. I also had some trouble putting pieces at certain angles in front of particular backgrounds. However, this interior app is ideal if you want a quick and simple way of viewing products in your setting.
Select, resize and angle your selected products in the space you’ve chosen.
Once placed in your room setting, choose the location to see how the product will look. Each product links to a profile. This means you can go on to purchase the exact item when you find the perfect piece!
Planner 5D
App Name: Planner 5D
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Use it to: Create 3D models and floor plans of your home.
The best way to describe this app is that it’s like a handheld version of Google SketchUp for interior layouts. With both 2D and 3D modes, you can create your floor plan and place in different furniture pieces. By switching to the 3D view you get an even more in-depth look at your creation. Using the app is pretty straightforward. It’s just as case of using your fingers to click, drag and drop the various items. You can add measurements and keep your furniture to scale if you want a more realistic idea of how the pieces will not only look but also fit in your space.
There are lots of product categories in this app, from windows and doors to tables and chairs, not forgetting your garden as there’s also trees, garages and even pools to choose from. The only ‘catch’ is that not all the items are free. If you want access to all the products in the app, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid version. However, if you’re committed to creating your ideal home in 3D model form, we definitely think it’s worth it. If not, there are plenty of free pieces to use and play around with to help you get a general idea of how the space will look.
Choose what shape you want your space to be to get started. The app lets you create a space with rooms, doors and furniture, with both wall decor and flooring.
I’d like to say I created this but sadly not, it’s one of the room demos that Planner 5D provides. It’s a good idea to have a look at the demos. That way you can really get a feel for the app’s design potential!
BrightNest
App Name: BrightNest
Price: Free
Use it to: Manage your project
BrightNest is a great port of call for project management of both tasks and renovations. If you’re a little (…very) forgetful like me, this app allows you to create schedules and to-do lists to make sure you get things done. You can also use the app as a handheld notepad, jotting down the name of furniture pieces or wall decor you’d like to purchase. It’s great for keeping track of all the smaller things you are likely to miss when you renovate or move house such as cleaning the gutters and changing the batteries in your smoke detector. There’s also loads of information for general home maintenance. You’ll also be asked questions about your home. This allows the app to provide you with posts that are interesting and relevant to you.
Choose the most relevant categories to get the most out of this app. BrightNest will ask questions to keep your content relevant and up to date. This is great because if you don’t have anything to do with ceiling fans, you don’t need to read about them! The various posts and mini style blogs offer pocket-sized information on a range of interior topics.
