Posted on: October 12, 2011

Visualize This

Handy design apps help bring any dream home into reality

By Debra Wells-Hopey
CTW Features

Forget the days of trying to envision a whole room painted the color of a 1-inch by 2-inch paint chip, or using hastily drawn sketches to determine if that gorgeous dresser will fit in a tiny bedroom. Plenty of websites, programs and applications are available to make design dreams a reality. Each tool has pros and cons, so we took a look at a few major players to figure out what’s app.

Benjamin Moore Website and App

Benjamin Moore’s Personal Color Viewer (available at www.benjamin-moore.com or as a downloadable computer application) lets users “try on” paint colors by either uploading their own photos or using one of the many sample photos provided. The program allows users to select the color, finish and trim. Uploading personal photos took a bit more fiddling with the tools (the pics must be JPG or BMP files), and the swapped colors don’t appear as accurate as with the sample photos. Still, it won’t be long before users are transforming their (virtual) home into fantasy central.

Benjamin Moore also offers the Color Capture app, free for iPhone or Android. The app captures that moment when the perfect paint color is discovered, whether it comes in the form of a dress, a flower or a piece of art on a gallery wall. It works instantly; just snap a photo of visual inspiration, and this color tool translates it into a perfect match in the color library. If there is no exact match, users are given a color wheel from which to choose the closest match. A shake of the phone shows colors that complement the color chosen. Users can save colors in their favorites and email them to friends.

Autodesk Homestyler

For those looking for the full meal deal, Autodesk Homestyler (www.homestyler.com) tool allows users to create an entire virtual home online – for free. With products from more than 20 brand name retailers that can be dragged and dropped and viewed in 3-D, it offers option after option, from furniture to window styles and both indoor and outdoor spaces.

The free site allows users to easily design floor plans, decorate with real products and get a high-resolution image that can be immediately posted on Facebook. It also features designs posted by other users for inspiration.

Other sites have offered similar tools, but this was the fastest, most agile program we’ve seen. The appliances, windows and accessories were clicked, dragged and dropped easily and the results were in perspective and realistic. Beware – this site is addictive and promises hours of entertainment.

Moen Design Your Own

Moen’s design tool offering (www.moen.com/#dyo) presents a choice of wall colors, accessories, countertops and faucet styles in three different virtual bathrooms and two kitchens.

This website tool is definitely all about the faucets (we are talking Moen, after all!). Users can try brass, nickel or chrome, modern or traditional.

For those in the market for new taps for the kitchen or bath, this is the site to visit. Casual decorators looking for hours of entertainment, not so much. Compared to the sophisticated offerings from other sites and apps, this Moen website tool is pretty basic and limited.

KraftMaid Website and App

KraftMaid has also gone mobile with its own free iPhone app. Similar to the trend of placing user-captured images on a personal “inspiration board” (think Pinterest or FFFFound) this tool allows users to snap photos of all that inspires – people, places, colors, fonts, items, fabrics – and combines them into a collage of motivational images.

Once the virtual “look” or “mood” board is complete, it can be posted to Facebook or posted to the KraftMaid website. KraftMaid.com also offers the tool for those without an iPhone.

The KraftMaid-provided examples of design inspirations are inspirational in themselves, but the boards posted by other users were even more rousing. This tool is great for those who are in the early stages of decorating and don’t have the exact ideas, but know what they like in general.

This way, home decorators can begin to narrow down their ideas into a focused design aesthetic.