News

Home Sweet Home is presented by The Washington State Housing Finance Commission

Last year, many of us started spending a lot more time at home and maybe thinking about all the ways we’d like to refresh our home décor. Well, there's no better time for an interior redesign than the start of a new year, and this list of home design apps are the perfect way to get started!

Use these apps to find inspiration, get all the right pieces for your style and the ambiance you want to create and feel like an interior design pro.

The Carpetright Visualizer isn't just for carpets–it's an all-inclusive flooring visualizer. You can select from various example rooms in their app or upload a photo of your actual living space. The visualizer automatically detects the floor in your photo, then allows you to add and switch between possible rug, carpet, or flooring selections. Choose from carpet, rugs, laminate, vinyl tiles, vinyl, and wood flooring, then save the image as a PDF for your reference.

Lauded by numerous home and design magazines, Color911 is the ultimate color palette app. Use it to discover designer-created color palettes and build a library of colors you want to incorporate into the various areas of your home. You can create new palettes or edit existing palettes or colors and save, share, or take notes for all your home projects.

Havenly is a customized interior design service through a web app. This app links you with a real-life interior designer who helps you create a room design tailored to your style and budget. They build the initial design plan from your selections and preferences from dozens of example photos. Then, you work collaboratively to refine the design into something you love. When everything is just right, you can order the design items directly from Havenly, and they have them shipped to you!

With HomeByMe, you can design, furnish, and decorate your entire home and view it in 3D. If that sounds overwhelming, HomeByMe can also convert your floorplan into their 3D plan for you for a small fee. Then you can fill your space with furnishings from their extensive catalog of items or hire one of their designers to do it for you.

Planner 5d allows you to create and switch between 2D and 3D views of your floorplan. They have a user-generated library of over 5,000 items for you to use to furnish your virtual house. Once you’ve selected your items, you can also edit their color, finish, or material with the click of a button! Finally, visualize your decorated home in HD for the best idea of what it’ll look like in real life. There's even an automated furniture arrangement feature to inspire you with different possibilities for your space.

RoomScan Pro allows you to create an exact floor plan using the camera on your phone. It’ll create the plan in 2D or 3D, and you can take notes directly on the image when it's done. Fast and precise, this app is great for bigger projects like remodels or when you want to know you have your measurements down to the centimeter.

The drag and drop design of Roomstyler is user-friendly and fun. There are various room shapes and wall and flooring options, but you can also draw your own walls to modify the design to reflect your space. Add doors, windows, and architectural items before adding paint, wallpaper, stone, or tile to the walls. To furnish the space, browse by room or search for specific items in their catalog. When you’ve placed all your items, switch to the 3D view and save it in photo quality for future reference.

Roomy's app also allows you to design and decorate your space in 2D and 3D and then lets you shop big retailers like Pottery Barn, Wayfair, and Amazon. The convenience of visualizing potential design items in your space and in 3D means you’ll know for sure if it's the perfect accessory or if you need to keep looking. You can save and share your room designs and get inspiration from professionally designed rooms in their gallery.

Now that you’ve got the tools and the inspiration, all that's left is to get started!

Home Sweet Home is brought to you by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission's Washington Homeowner Assistance Fund. The Homeowners Assistance Fund helps homeowners who have fallen on hard times because of the pandemic. Call 1-877-894-4663 for more information on how they can help.