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If you’re thinking of starting a home improvement or design project, you may think of tools such as a hammer and nails. But you should also be thinking of tech tools.
With home improvement and design projects, apps can help you give you ideas, choose colors, and even do the job. Well, they won’t hammer in a nail for you or hang a picture. But they may help show you what your ideas would look like in reality.
Whether your plans are large or small, these apps can give you inspiration and organization. You may even save time and money using these apps. You’ll be able to see what your ideas look like in your home before you try them, eliminating wasted effort and expense.
This infographic shows seven top apps to help you with your next home improvement or design project.
Apps for Gathering Ideas and Inspiration
Houzz
The Houzz app helps you plan your home design and improvement projects. View over 10 million photos, the app lets you search by room, style and more. Moving to a new city? You can search Houzz photos to get an idea of decorating styles in your new area.
You can shop for products from within the app and be alerted to sales. The View in My Room feature lets you see how furniture would look in your home so you don’t have to guess.
Save items you like to lists to help you find them later. You can share your lists with others from within the app.
The app also has articles and videos to give you ideas for home projects.
Houzz can help you find professionals to help you with your remodeling project. Look for contractors, designers, architects and swimming pool builders in your area.
Houzz is free for iPhone/iPad, Apple TV, Android, Amazon Fire tablets and Microsoft. You can find links to the mobile apps at the Houzz website.
Pinterest can help you get both inspired and organized.
Create boards for paint colors to help you choose that perfect shade of white, blue, greige, or whatever color you choose. Pin images with hues you like so you can find and compare them later.
Search for design ideas.Looking to create a home theater? Search for “home theater” on Pinterest and get inspired by others’ designs.
Follow boards by paint companies, furniture stores and home decorators to get more ideas.
The Pinterest app is free for:
Apps for Deciding on Color
Dulux Visualizer
When you’re choosing paint colors, you may have a difficult time imagining what color would look best on your walls. Apps can help you see how a color would look in your home before you invest in a can of paint.
Dulux Visualizer app first can help you choose a color. Use your camera or a photo on your phone and match a color you like to a paint color.
Then use your camera within the app to see what that color would look like in your home. You can also see paint colors that complement the colors in your furniture.
This video shows how Dulux Visualizer works:
The app also lets you order paint samples to be sent to you directly.
The Dulux Visualizer app is available free for iPhone/iPad and Android in the UK. You can download the app from the Dulux website.
For the US, check out the Benjamin Moore Color Capture app and the Color Snap Visualizer app from Sherwin Williams.
[note] Also see, Color Your World with Tech! [/note]
Color911
The Color911 app was designed by professional color consultant Amy Wax and won a Best Design and Decorating App 2017 award from Architectural Digest.
This app can give you color inspiration and help you match colors from a photo on your phone or on the Internet. You can create your own color palette in the app, or find palettes others have created.
The app comes with over 100 downloadable color themes, each with 36 different colors.
The app lets you adjust your colors for adjust hue, saturation or brightness. You can then share your palette with others.
The Color911 app is available for iPhone and iPad for $3.99. In-app purchases are available with additional color themes.
Apps for Help Doing the Work
iHandy Level App
Have a level handy wherever you go with the iHandy Level app. This free app measures levels vertically, horizontally and with the phone face up.
No more slanted photo frames, shelves or tables. Use the level to make sure everything is perfectly placed.
Note: be sure to calibrate the level before using it to get the most accurate results.
iHandy Level app is free for:
Home Design 3D
The Home Design 3D app is a powerful tool to help you design your home. Plan construction and decorating projects in 2D and 3D.
This video shows you what this app can do:
You can import blueprints and add color and texture to surfaces. Place furniture in rooms and even cars in the garage.
Save your plans and share them with others. You can even order 3D prints of your plans.
The Home Design 3D app is available for:
The app is free BUT if you want to save your project, you must pay $10.99 for the upgraded app.
Photo Measures
Confusion is the last thing you want when you are working on a construction project. Communicating clearly is important and Photo Measures is an app that does just that.
Take photos of your home, then import them into the app to get started. You can mark measurements, angles and the name of the room on the photos. Mark each wall to have precise measurements you can then share with others.
Also keep these measurements handy when it’s time to decorate. When you’re trying to decide whether a piece of furniture will fit in your room, open the app to see the dimensions.
The app lets you organize your photos into folders. You can share a single photo or a folder with others if you want to collaborate on a project.
This video shows how Photo Measures works:
Photo Measures is available for:
- Photo Measures for iPhone/iPad for $6.99
- Photo Measures for Android for $4.99
You can also get a free version of Photo Measures that lets you save two photos:
Your Thoughts
Have you ever used apps for home improvement or design projects? Have you tried any of these apps? Do you have any suggestions for apps that can help with home improvement and design projects?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
* Infographic used with permission, courtesy of EZ Living Interiors
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Hi Carolyn,
Interesting indeed 🙂
Never came across nor used apps for home improvement or design projects! I guess technology has advanced so much nowadays that there is an app for everything now!
I loved all that you shared, and the colour and photo measures ones are just amazing, as you can visualise any home using such apps, and work towards precision in so many things using them. Worth bookmarking this infographic post for the time when we have to make our own home one day!
Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your weekend 🙂
Hi Harleena, Good point, even if you’re not planning a home project, you can use these apps to help you dream. Then when it’s time for the project you’ll have your ideas handy.
I’m thinking the color apps would also be good for clothes shopping. If you’re looking to match a color on a piece of clothing, you could save that color to the app for when you’re out and about. Or get complimentary color suggestions from the app.
Great post, Carolyn!
I’ve used Houzz before. You can really get lost in those millions of photos. They have wonderful ideas but they aren’t also great at identifying where you can purchase stuff so it can be frustrating. Still, a girl can dream…
Hi Penny, That’s great you’re a fan of Houzz too. If you try using the shopping tab on the app, you’ll find plenty of goodies to buy. It’s handy to save items to a wish list and try them out virtually in your home with the augmented reality feature.
Hi Corolyn
Thank you so much for this valuable post! Here is lot of information that really useful for me. Actually i have planning for my design projects and i think your idea will be helping me.
Hi Aslam, That’s great you will be able to use these apps for your next design project. I hope they inspire you to new heights.
Then whilst it’s time for the task you’ll have your thoughts handy.I’m wondering the shade apps might additionally be accurate for garments shopping. in case you’re seeking to in shape a color on a bit of garb, you could keep that color to the app for while you’re out and approximately.
Hi Rock, Yes, the color apps can help you with other things in addition to home design. You’re right, they could be very handy when shopping for clothes.
Thanks for sharing your thought with us, Rock.