Because you are reading this most likely on a computer, you can probably understand that software makes life easier. It helps us speed up tasks that could take hours if we were doing them by hand. Decorating software is no different. There are so many different software programs out there that can help you do just about anything but what program you end up with will be determined by what you need to do.
Plan3D
3D Home Design Tool: Create your perfect home online! Select appliances & furniture etc. www.Plan3D.com
This is the neatest tool I have seen in quite some time. This is an internet based service and download that allows you to set up your home, a room, an addition, whatever, and see it in “blueprint” form (flat) or in 3D (three dimensions), hence the name. What I like most about it is you can move walls, add toilets, add a window or door or an opening, put your furniture in different areas in different ways and you can see how the room will work and you can actually walk through it. For the “visually challenged” this is a great program to show you how different furniture arrangements will actually look in your home. How you will walk from the living room past the new sofa and around the coffee table to the new comfortable chair in the window. How is it going to look in your home? Check it out and see for yourself!
They have a fabulous demo that shows you how to add things and move things around. If you were working on a whole house, it might take some time to set up but once you were set up you can access this from anywhere with an internet connection.
They do allow you to save things to your computer so you can print out or save different color schemes, furniture arrangements, and different views of the room. You can take these with you when you go shopping so you know exactly what size sofa table you need and where it will go when you get it home. They have added shadows and light so you will know how the room will look with different types of lighting too.
This service can be used for your garden areas as well but the best part of this whole thing is it is dirt cheap for what you get! Under $3 a month!!!! They also offer you a money back/satisfaction guarantee. You can’t lose and I can’t recommend the service more.
AutoCAD?
Interior designers, architects, furniture designers, electrical engineers have used AutoDesk’s AutoCAD? for many years. It has changed shapes and sizes and now is highly specialized for engineering, mechanical and architectural drawings. This software can take several months to a year to learn and will cost you several thousand dollars. There is a light version that is useful for smaller projects but it again is quite costly (can range anywhere from $750-900+) and will still take some time to learn how to use. This is really a program to do detailed drawings for building a new home, adding an addition or moving walls, plumbing and roof lines. For basic furniture placement and decorating projects, this is not a program you can simply plug in and play. I do not recommend it for the home decorator but for someone wanting to get into the interior design field, I would consider it.