Smart Interior Design Apps

With the advent of the smartphone, it's no surprise how everything can be accessed with just one gadget. Games, Email, Facebook, Exercise Routines, Recipes, Twitter - it's all there in that small piece of gadget we used to know as a mere cellphone. And for designers like me, life is made much more interesting and fun with these cool apps that can show me how my walls will look if I repaint them, or how I can measure and make a floor plan by just taking pictures or how I can easily access an Autocad file when I'm not on my laptop. For my top picks, I divided them into two categories namely: Design Apps on My Iphone and Other Design Apps I Have Yet To Try. Read on:


Design Apps on My Iphone


1. Magic Plan (free)


Magic Plan helps you create a floor plan in an instant. All you have to do is stand in the middle of the room and capture every corner of the room using the camera. After that, you just have to take the measurements of the walls with the most length so the app can calibrate the measurements of the room based on that. It is a bit difficult at first, most especially the capturing of the corners but once you've tried at least three rooms, it will be much easier. The app has a tutorial that clearly explains how to do it and the interface is very easy to use. There will be a Magic Plan watermark though, at the middle of the floor plan, but you can upgrade to the paid app if you don't want the watermark. For me, it works well, watermark and all.

2. Color Capture - Benjamin Moore (free)


Take a photo and this app will capture and match the colors that are on that picture. Using Benjamin Moore Paint's 3,300 colors, this app can help you make a color scheme out of anything that your eyes fancy. I personally love the colors available in this app and I can make as much color schemes as I want. You can save it to your photo album so you can send it to your client or if you just want to keep a copy of it.

3. Home Decorator (free)


Ever wondered how your room will look like in pink? Wonder no more! With this app, you don't need to experiment by actually painting your room pink and realizing you don't like it after. All you need to do is take a picture of the room and just by touching the walls on the screen, it magically changes the color of your walls to any color you choose! It actually avoids the furniture which makes it look realistic. Plus, it has a lot of colors that you can choose from. You can also buy the Pro version at only $0.99.

4. Lapicida (free)


Lapicida is actually the catalogue app of the Lapicida company in the UK which sells different kinds of stones. I basically use this app if I wanted to look up and get some information about a certain type of stone, and how it looks. It has a lot of selection of stone tiles that have clear images captured on the app.

5. B&B Italia 2011 Catalogue (free)


This is the B&B Italia catalogue app for 2011 which showcases their new furniture designs by top designers such as Citterio, Urquiola, Buratti and Bernett. Images are very clear with accompanying videos about the design. 

6. Houzz (free)


Houzz is your online library of every interior style for the home. The app features the largest database of home design on the net which you can save and store in your idea book. What's great about this app is that the designs are magazine worthy and really nice. It also features interior designers around the globe, with their contact numbers and portfolio pictures.

Other Design Apps I Have Yet To Try


1. Autocad WS (free)


Access, edit and share your dwg files through your iphone or ipad. You can also work offline by saving your files on your iphone/ipad when you don't have an online connection. Like they said, experience the freedom of taking your designs with you wherever you go.

2. Home Style by Kelly Hoppen ($4.99)


World-renowned and much copied interior designer, Kelly Hoppen, educates on how to achieve the home style you have always dreamed of. It features Kelly Hoppen's design styles, step by step design guides, design tips and design inspirations. If you don't have a the Hoppen books yet, this app is worth a try.

3. My Pantone ($9.99)

If you want a more extensive color palette, then My Pantone is the app for you. Designed for Interior Designers, Architects, Fashion Designers, or anybody who works with color, this app has the most collection of colors ranging from premium metallics, pastels and neons. You can also capture an image and extract the colors from that picture and match to the closest Pantone color. The app says that it can also create harmonious color combinations, automatically. Another worthy app to try.

With all of these apps available, and still more coming, how could anybody resist the iphone or the ipad? This is just one in a million reasons why I love my iphone.

*All photos courtesy of iTunes.