5 Must-Use Tools for Interior Designers

Interior design is using technology to conceptualize, design and perfect layouts like never before, and many tools can turn wannabee designers into professionals. Interior design is an art, and it’s now also an existing offshoot of architectural building design.

Interior design is also called spatial design, and using the right design software is a fundamental part of the profession. If you’ve got the skill to visualize floor plans and a keen eye for detail, then interior design or spatial design are worthy careers.

Using the right interior design apps and software can take you far in the industry and help your business to grow from prospecting customers to presenting your ideas while you’re with your client.

Viewing object placement in a room by arranging items like furniture, lighting fixtures, plants, etc., in virtual spaces is actualized within seconds. 2D (two-dimensional) and 3D (three-dimensional) renditions of a design improve customer buy-in and acceptance through making the design as true to real-life view as it gets.

Interior design software, therefore, is not just for the design; it’s a marketing and sales tool to secure the business, and it can also enable ongoing communication with feedback and comments. With the innovations and ease that comes with technological advancement, they’re more useful than ever.

5 Top Tools For Interior Designers

The interior design software mentioned below have a lot in common insofar as they’re readily available, user-friendly, affordable, and some are even free!

1. Foyr

Foyr Neo is the first design technology to allow for a complete, end-to-end design workflow. Foyr or Foyr Neo is superfast interior design software built to help you ideate, design, and render within minutes.

Foyr Neo gives you all you need to transform your design ideas from concepts to photo-realistic visuals. Also, Foyr Neo allows you to complete your design tasks speedily.

The software has thousands of pre-modeled products and fixtures available for your room’s design. If these models are not suitable, you can also upload your 3D models, giving you limitless designing power.

You could draw the walls of the room from scratch or upload a floor plan, add details like windows and doors, and let Neo take care of the rest. Foyr is one of the best interior design software for 3D designing in the market today.

With just a click of a button, you can switch between 2D and 3D modes to better understand your design space. The ability to switch between the two modes also allows you to adjust and edit the details however you like.

With Foyr Neo, you don’t need to combine different software to complete a project. Neo has an inbuilt AI that automates those tedious designing tasks, like drawing floor plans, laying out furniture, etc., which helps increase productivity.

What’s more? Foyr offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card needed to begin.

2. SketchUp

SketchUp is a web-based SaaS that allows you to design and enjoy the process. SketchUp is an intuitive and powerful tool that helps you carry out design tasks as an interior designer or spatial designer.

With SketchUp, you can draw by hand with a fast and easy 3D modeling software. It allows you to know and incorporate the key elements for the perfect office or home designs.

You also get access to hundreds of professionally-developed features, including custom styles, materials, and outliners. SketchUp works with a massive library of free 3D components with the help of a feature known as the 3D Warehouse.

SketchUp has two versions. The first is the SketchUp Free, which is for a designer’s personal use. But for professional interior designers, it is advisable to use SketchUp Pro. SketchUp Pro gives you the ability to publish, share, and store your projects in the cloud.

SketchUp Pro is suitable for desktop use; you can design from anywhere and at any time. With SketchUp, you can access your design from all angles, giving you a better view of your project before it comes to life.

3. Floorplanner

Floorplanner has been around since as far back as 2007! From that time till now, millions of designers have used this software to create accurate floor plans and designs.

You can either draw your projects from scratch or work on an already existing drawing. Either way, Floorplanner makes it easy for you to create your designs. The software comes with a drag-and-drop interface that works effortlessly with your browser.

It is simple enough for new users to get speedy results, and at the same time, powerful enough for advanced users to be more productive. With Floorplanner, you could design anything ranging from a room or apartment makeover to a new office space.

After you have created your floor plans, Floorplanner allows you to decorate with items found in its library. Its library has over 150,000 items, and even at that, there are new additions of furniture daily.

You can choose to add the items to your plans one at a time or use the Magic Layout feature to get a full room layout. Additionally, you do not need to install any software before you can use Floorplanner. You can use it directly from your browser and save space.

Do you need images of your designs to show your clients or for marketing purposes?

Floorplanner’s servers will create a 2D or 3D image of your work in a few minutes. With the 3D button, you can have an overview of your plan in 3D.

You can also move furniture in 3D, set the camera angles, adjust the lighting, and many other nifty features. Knowing just how much the impact of an office design can have on a company’s identity or a home design on the homeowners, Floorplanner helps you to make the right choices in your projections.

4. HomeByMe

HomeByMe is an online 3D space planning service developed by Dassault Systèmes SE to help interior designers, real estate agents, and furniture brands create 3D visualizations. HomeByMe is a free and easy-to-use program; however, it also has a paid version.

HomeByMe allows you to build a house plan and proceeds to give you previews in 3D. HomeByMe lets you switch from 2D to 3D view instantly. It does not matter if you use the paid or the free plan; you get many useful features.

This software offers you 20,000+ products, such as furniture, rugs, wall and floor covering, etc., to furnish and express style in your project. If you join the HomeByMe community, you could also get inspiration from members to create beautiful designs.

To operate HomeByMe, you first sketch a detailed plan in 2D using the home creation tool. After this, you can then view the plan in 3D to bring your project to life. You can do this by including items that would express your style or the style of your clients.

The images of your projects done on HomeByMe are in high-definition, making them look like real photos. You can also see these images at 360°, allowing you to view your project from every possible angle.

HomeByMe is not only for those who hope to design the interiors of their homes. It could also be useful for those who need office ideas in their workplaces. Whatever you use HomeByMe for, you can be sure to get satisfactory results.

5. Homestyler

Homestyler is free, but that does not make it any less incredible to use. The Homestyler software allows you to build your 2D and 3D floor plans with accurate measurement and in record time, too.

You have thousands of real furniture products, paintings, and floorings (usually on a 1:1 scale) to use to decorate your space. You can also walk through and experience your project through the HD photo-realistic renders and panorama views of your design.

Because Homestyler uses real furniture brands, if you hope to purchase the items you used in your design, all you have to do is open the summary of your design and click on the item. The software would immediately redirect you to the brand’s site where you can buy them.

Homestyler is available in a mobile version, which allows you to design on the go. You can find the Homestyler mobile app in the Apple Store or Google Play store. We recommend Homestyler mobile to you because it is convenient, smarter, faster, and engaging.

Homestyler is suitable for you if you want to remodel companies, offices, or homes. Using Homestyler is a walk in the park. You can create beautiful designs in just three steps: build, decorate, and view. Homestyler helps you put life to designs in your mind.

Summing Up

Interior design tools are a game-changer for designers. The technology will keep evolving, and each software provider will aim to keep their product in the top 5 with new features and improvements.

From SketchUp to Homestyler, you can be sure to find one or two software from our list that will fit your needs. No matter the design software you go for, as soon as you get the hang of it, you lighten your workload!