Creating beautiful rooms is a snap with the right digital tools.
In the world of interior design, or even in the world of an everyday Joe or Jane who wants to redesign his or her own abode, the right software can be key. With 3D graphics becoming commonplace in today's technological world, it seems any majestic mountain vista or even quaint kitchen can be rendered in a digital world. However, many such computer tools can be expensive and complicated for Joe or Jane to use. There are a few free alternatives, though, and they bring with them the power to simplify the art that is interior design.
Sweet Home 3D
Sweet Home 3D, designed by eTeks, is a three-dimensional interior design program that claims to help you to "design your interior quickly and easily." (see Outline the walls of your home and the rooms therein, then insert furniture, doors, windows, appliances, and more using this handy program, then see how the rooms will look from a first-person perspective.
CNET's editors rated Sweet Home 3D four-out-of-five stars. The only drawback they noticed was that when inserting objects, it may be difficult at first to get things to go where the user would like them to, but after just a little practice, CNET is "certain users will be able to use this free program to design something impressive."
Sweet Home 3D may be downloaded at the publisher's website or download.com. Or, if you'd rather try the program out before downloading, there is a free java version of the program online at eTeks' website. See References below for links to these websites.
Arrange-A-Room
Better Homes and Gardens provides free use of a program online called Arrange-A-Room. Although this tool does not render your rooms in 3D, it serves as an effective way to design a furniture layout for a room before redecorating. At first, it seems there are only a few room shapes to choose from, but later Arrange-A-Room allows you to reshape the room to match the real-life room you're recreating.
Arrange-A-Room is free to use, but Better Homes and Gardens may ask you to register online first. There is no purchase required, however, and the registration process is quick and painless. See Resources below to access Arrange-A-Room.
Other Helpful Tools
Aside from the layout of a room or dwelling, paint colors, carpet and other details are necessities when designing. The following free online tools can assist in these areas. Use the Resources section below to access them.
Sherwin-Williams provides a free program online called Color Visualizer. This program allows you to select a photo of a room that resembles your own, then see how it looks when painted different colors.
Shaw Floors offers a helpful tool on their website called Try on a Floor. After uploading photos of their own rooms, users can see how different types of flooring will look in his or her own house.
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