5 interior design apps that make it easy to renovate your home
Taking measurements in seconds? Yes, please.
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Getty Images / kupicoo
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We all know that our favorite home renovation shows are fooling us—dream spaces don’t come that easy.
Creating a cohesive style, taking detailed measurements, and selecting furniture that you hope looks just as good at home as it did in the store are just a few of the not-so-glamorous challenges you’ll face.
And, while having professional insight can really make a difference, hiring an in-person team isn’t always an option.
Enter: interior design apps. Whether you’re exploring design preferences with an expert remotely or looking to test out furniture in a digital layout of your room, virtual interior design programs make DIY home renovation accessible instead of daunting.
Here are four interior design apps to help you achieve an HGTV-worthy space.
1. Modsy
Modsy's initial style quiz will help guide your Modsy designer in creating your 3D room concept.
Cost: Starts at $89 for the Classic package, including two revisions of the room design
Modsy is an online interior design service, walking with you step-by-step via email, phone, or through their mobile app to establish what indoor design update is right for you.
First, take the style quiz and submit photos and measurements of the room you want to re-design. On the app version, you’ll swipe right or left on products you like or don’t like and receive curated recommendations. From there, a Modsy designer creates a 3-D rendering of design suggestions for the room, having used your photos as a template. You can “try on” these products in your own space through the app to get a better idea of how they’ll actually look.
Modsy offers three packages: Classic, Premium, and Luxe, and the type of service and perks you receive depends on the package you select. As the price increases, so does unlimited revisions on designs and access to Modsy’s top-tier designers. There’s also a multiroom upgrade available for a larger home overhaul.
Modsy sources furniture and decor from top retailers like Wayfair and Crate & Barrel, so you can buy directly from your 3-D preview if you love the way it looks.
Work with Modsy on their website or download their app.
2. Havenly
Buy your carefully curated pieces directly through Havenly.
Cost: Starting at $79 for the Havenly Mini package, including multiple revisions
Similarly to Modsy, Havenly connects you with a professional designer and offers a virtual preview as to what your room could look like.
Based on online reviews, customers rave about the Havenly experience and the pro designers who have helped them create the room they’ve always wanted.
Choose between Havenly’s two packages: The Havenly Mini package includes one-on-one communication with a designer (who you get to choose), multiple rounds of design revisions, and a final concept that includes a shoppable list of the pieces included. You’ll also receive a mood board with static images of furniture and decor recommendations from over 300 retail partners.
If you’re looking for a total overhaul or a “blank canvas” to work with we recommend trying the Havenly Full service, which includes everything with the Mini and an additional 3-D concept of what your specific space could look like.
You’ll take an initial quiz so that the designer can learn more about your style taste and logistical preferences (aka, your budget).
Once you have your concept, you can choose not to buy any of the product recommendations, or you can buy as many items as you want, directly from Havenly. If you’re not 100% satisfied with the final recommendation, Havenly offers a complete refund.
3. Magicplan
Create and edit your floorplan with ease on Magicplan's app.
Cost: Free
Magicplan is an interior design app that real estate and home renovation experts use to visually assess a room’s potential in just a matter of minutes. Its virtual floor plan creator allows you to focus specifically on the room layout, which is useful for planning from scratch.
Magicplan’s process is simple. Open the app’s camera and begin scanning the room, marking corners, windows, and doors. Magicplan automatically measures the room’s dimensions in real time, and then creates a 2-D map of your space. You can also make note of specific quirks in your home, like which way a door swings.
While the app doesn’t include shoppable furniture, it lets you add sample pieces to get a better sense of the room’s dimensions. Adjust the furniture’s depth, height, width, and orientation so that you can see what furniture actually fits in your space before purchasing it.
Download Magicplan from the Apple Store and Google Play
4. IKEA Place
IKEA Place lets you try out furniture and decorative accents in your home before you buy.
Cost: Free
Made by the well-loved Swedish home brand, the IKEA Place app lets you try out the company’s products through augmented reality. The interior design app assists with common struggles found in traditional shopping, like guessing if colors or textures work in your home.
To use, browse the collection of 3-D samples and curated room sets. Through your phone or tablet’s camera, you’ll visually see the furniture on your screen and how it looks in your home. IKEA claims that the samples are up to 98% accurate in terms of the scale and the colors and textures, making it easy to see if you love it before buying and shipping it to your home.
Keep in mind that the selection on the app can be limited in comparison to IKEA's massive in-store collection, according to reviewers on the Apple Store.
Download IKEA Place at the Apple Store and Google Play
5. The Landing
Play around in the digital design platform to see what would look good conceptually.
Cost: Free personalized quiz and use of interactive design planner; $250 for single day delivery and remote virtual design consultation
The Landing is an online design service that aims to serve as your “design best friend.” The platform provides recommendations through a personalized quiz and an interactive digital design planner that allows you to virtually plan out your space completely for free.
The best part about The Landing? After picking out the furniture and decor you like, the service consolidates every piece you want and schedules it to deliver on one day, streamlining the entire redecorating process. Once the pieces arrive, a virtual design consultant will remotely walk you through how to design and place your delivered items to your liking, and this is where the $250 charge comes in.
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