The 8 Best Home Design Software of 2021

Design your dream house today

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Best Overall: SketchUp Pro

«Unquestionably the best home design software out there.»

Best for DIY Home Enthusiasts: Home Designer Professional

«The best thing for DIY home enthusiasts.»

Best for Ease Of Use: Sweet Home 3D

«You can create straight, round or sloping walls with precise dimensions, with just your mouse and keyboard.»

«Upload your own sketches or choose from 14,000 samples to get your planning started.»

«Provides an easy way to plan your home’s outdoor surroundings, exactly how you want them.»

Best Online: Space Designer 3D

«A web-based app that lets you plan and visualize your ideal home, using just your Web browser.»

Best for Mobile: Homestyler

«Homestyler is a free app, and available on both iOS and Android mobile platforms.»

«If budget isn’t a concern, it’s the best that there is, period.»

Best Overall: SketchUp Pro

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With its expansive feature set, advanced 3D modeling tools and online forums having everything from tutorials to discussions, SketchUp Pro is unquestionably the best home design software out there.

SketchUp Pro lets you effortlessly design highly accurate (to a thousandth of an inch) 3D models of homes (and other similar structures), all using simple click-and-release mouse actions. Just choose from one of the many preloaded templates, select a view and you’re ready to go. In addition to 3D models, you can also create plans, elevations, details, title blocks and a lot more, using the «LayOut» tool. It’s also great for making presentation documents, supporting everything from drafting to vector illustrations. The program makes it easy to turn models into animated walkthroughs and flyovers that explain every detail. You can also add elements such as line work, textures and shadows to 2D documents. Then there are the dimensioning tools, which snap to the edges of models and allow you to quickly set format, scale and precision level of displayed measurements. From architects and builders to engineers and urban planners, SketchUp can be used by everyone. The created design documents can be exported as PDFs, images and CAD files.

One of the most impressive features of SketchUp Pro is 3D Warehouse, a huge library of free 3D models. You can choose from a vast array of 3D objects, and use them in your home’s design.

Best for DIY Home Enthusiasts: Home Designer Professional

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Don’t want to bother hiring an architect and would rather design your perfect home yourself? Look no further than Home Designer Professional, the best thing for DIY home enthusiasts.

Coming from the stable of Chief Architect, Home Designer Professional offers a truckload of tools for interior design, remodeling, outdoor living and cost estimation. These have commonly accepted defaults for most building practices, and thus make creating your own project a cakewalk. Whether you want to create a single room or an entire house, Home Designer Professional can do it all. It lets you add cabinets, place furniture and even paint walls.

The software has an extensive library of 3D architecture objects that can be added to designs. You can rotate symbols in different planes, and choose to have the CAD block refresh automatically as objects are modified. It’s possible to set heights by absolute or relative positions, and the program lets you reference adjacent floors for designing multi-tiered decks. You can customize room labels, edit multiple elements (e.g. all cabinets) together with one command, as well as create architectural blocks that can be moved as one and stored in the library. Other features include the ability to rotate and reverse plans, custom watermarks, live layout views and labeled callouts.

Home Designer Professional lets you backup the entire plan for easy sharing, set sun and shadow controls, record walkthroughs and more. There is a lot of CAD functionality thrown into the mix, too.

DreamPlan Home Design Software

Home Design Software for Everyone

Home DesignBuild your dream home

Landscape DesignExterior landscaping ideas

Deck and Patio DesignEasy deck and patio tools

Interior Design Kitchens, bathrooms and more

Trace ModeConvert floor plans to 3D models

Pool Design Design a virtual swimming pool

Visualize and plan your dream home with a realistic 3D home model.

• Create the floor plan of your house, condo or apartment
• Custom set colors, textures, furniture, decorations and more
• Plan out exterior landscaping ideas and garden spaces

Before you start planning a new home or working on a home improvement project, perfect the floor plan and preview any house design idea with DreamPlan home design software.

8 of the best free home and interior design tools, apps and software

Be your own interior designer and dream up your perfect home.

Are you planning an extension, new kitchen or bathroom, or finally getting round to landscaping the garden? Or maybe you’ve just moved moved into a new house and are planning to embark on several renovation projects? Whether you’re doing everything yourself or turning to the pros, there’s plenty of professional home and interior design software that’s readily available, user friendly, affordable, and in many cases, free.

Regardless of what home project you’re working on, you’ll want to communicate your ideas with everyone involved as accurately as possible, and a room planner will help you do just that. It’s the most accurate way of fleshing out your ideas visually, says Cory Powell from DBS Bathrooms, who talks us through some of the best free design software currently available to home designers and interior decorators.

Dreaming up a new home has never been more fun.

1. SketchUp

SketchUp is the most comprehensive free 3D design software you’ll find on the web, says Cory. This powerful home design tool is immersive enough to make it seem like you are moving through your future home, while being flexible enough to make it feel as if you’re working with pen and paper.

The free version is perfect for hobbyists, while the pro version is more suited to professionals in architecture, construction, engineering and commercial interior design.

Whether you’re building an extension for your home, a treehouse, or conceptualising your debut on Grand Designs, the thoroughness of this software will help you bring every aspect of your design to life.

2. Floorplanner

Floorplanner lets you design and decorate your space in 2D and 3D, which can be done online and without having to download any software. While its interior decorating function is an excellent feature, the strength of this tool lies in its functionality as a floor planner. Then, once the floor plan is completed, you can switch view and decorate the space in 3D mode.

It’s simple to use and easy to get the hang of, so if you’re after something that doesn’t require a steep learning curve, Floorplanner is a good choice.

3. SmartDraw

SmartDraw is another powerful tool in the world of floor planning. It’s easy enough to learn so no one is excluded from using it, while being advanced enough to facilitate intricate designs for more advanced designers.

With a seemingly endless selection of furniture, cars, building materials and thousands of templates and floor plan examples, you’ll be able to explore an infinite amount of possible designs and layouts for your new space. The only downside to this tool is that it’s only free for the first seven days, so if you plan on using it for longer or for multiple projects, it may be worth the upgrade.

4. Planner 5D

Planner 5D is the best-looking home design tool. Like the free version of Sketch Up, this tool is immersive, which means you are able to explore your design with your feet virtually on the ground.

With Planner 5D you’ll be able to start from scratch or use a template which is perfect for throwing together a quick floor plan if you don’t have the time or don’t want to make a complex design. What’s especially great about this software is that it works on iOS, which means you can create plans on your phone or iPad while you’re on the move.

Getting started couldn’t be easier. Start by adjusting the floor shape, size, materials and colours. Then add furniture and accessories, switch to 3D and add windows and doors. Add a second floor if you want to, and then the roof. The only downside is that if you want to use the in-app furniture, it can get expensive for anything other than the most basic beds, chairs or sofas.

All aspects of the design can be changed in terms of colour and texture and, when you’re ready to share your plans, it can be printed in a photorealistic format.

5. HomeByMe

HomeByMe is one of Cory’s favourite home design tools. As far as we can tell, it’s genuinely free throughout and so are all its features. The way it works, is brands add their products to its catalogue, which means you’ll be using actual products to furnish and decorate your home. The perks of this is that you’ll be able to plan your design through to the very end and have access to the actual furniture and decorations you used to create your space imaginatively.

Like with Planner 5D, you’re able to switch from 2D to 3D after you’ve finished your floor plan and designed the look and feel of each room. Or, you can start with the décor and hit ‘summary’ and the software will produce a floor plan with all your furniture and appliances in the right places.

6. Roomstyler 3D Home Planner

There’s a lot to like about Roomstyler. Like HomeByMe, it’s very easy to use. In fact, it’s so intuitive that there’s almost no need for the tutorial video’s available. Which is another plus for this software. Of all the home design tools, this one has a tutorial video available for every question you might have about the tool.

The greatest perk about this software is that you can create a custom room in a matter of minutes. This app also allows you to furnish your space using products from real brands, meaning you’ll be decorating your plans with items you can purchase when you’re ready for your design to materialise.

You’ll often find that some of your favourite brands and retailers have their own room 3D room planners online, which offers even more scope to visualise your space, and enables you to ‘try before you buy’. Take a look at our top picks below.

7. DFS room planner

A sofa is one of the most important investments you’ll make for your home, so while browsing for your new sofa at DFS, you can also redesign your room – it’s ideal if you’re redecorating or moving into a new home. You can use a 2D view or 3D view and from there, choose a room shape, input measurements, and decide on a wall colour and floor covering. You can even add accessories to enhance the space, plus play around with decor to complement your chosen sofa.

8. Carpetright visualiser

If you’re thinking about investing in new flooring, Carpetright’s flooring visualiser will help you envision what your room will look like with carpet, vinyl, wood or laminate flooring. Simply take a photo of your chosen room (or select a sample room) and upload it onto the visualiser. You’ll be able to customise the wall colour and flooring type. From there you can save your rooms and order swatches, bringing you one step closer to your dream room.

• Virtual consultations •

Need some professional help? Bring your ideas to life with experts in the design field by booking an online design consultation from the comfort of your own home.

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23 living room accessories for an instant style update

Enhance your living room effortlessly with this gorgeous sage green wall clock. With silent movement and a sweeping second hand, it’s perfect for creating a minimalist feel at home.

With decorative detailing, this standing plant pot is perfect for your indoor plants. It’s available in small and large.

Nothing completes the look of your living room like a beautiful cushion cover – and we’ve got this cream-coloured style from H&M Home right at the top of our wish list.

A living room wall mirror is great to bounce light around, and you’ll find this especially useful in a small living room. Crafted from metal and glass, this mirror from Oliver Bonas makes a great statement.

Every bland wall needs a vibrant piece of wall art to brighten the space. MADE stock a really good selection of art prints – we love these two framed versions, which you can either hang on the wall or place on a sideboard.

This jug-style vase is perfect for your new blooms. Place on a cabinet or sideboard, or in the centre of the dining table if you have an open-plan living room.

Keep your favourite novels neat and upright with these chic marble bookends.

Brighten up a dark living room corner with this eye-catching brass and black glass table lamp. Topped with a self-lined natural cotton shade, it will provide a gorgeous glow at home.

Whether you want extra seating or just fancy a change from the sofa, this stunning pouffe ticks all the right boxes. Easy to move from room-to-room, you can also use it as a coffee table, too.

A rug is a must in a living room – it helps to zone certain areas, which is particularly useful for open spaces, but it also helps to create a focal point. This contemporary geometric rug from John Lewis will provide a pop of colour in a neutral living room.

Bring some atmosphere to your living room with these gorgeous glass lanterns from Lights4Fun. Simply pop an LED candle inside and enjoy a little ambience in the evening.

One for the coffee table, make a carefully curated pile of must-read books starting with this one – a celebration of art with more than 600 pieces of work, from cave paintings to iconic modern masterpieces.

We love this grown-up handle vase, which is perfect for displaying foliage and flowers. Buy one in each colour for a truly stylish display.

Cushion covers are an inexpensive way to update your sofa. You can’t go wrong with this lovely navy set.

The natural colour of these seagrass baskets makes them an ideal backdrop for plants. Place these on the floor by sideboards and cabinets for a cosy living room feel.

This Insta-worthy DIPTYQUE candle makes a rather decorative display. Choose from a range of refreshing scents.

Create an Insta-worthy gallery wall with this set of eight grey photo frames from John Lewis. In a range of different sizes, simply fill with your favourite memories, hang, and enjoy.

This contemporary rattan mirror will make a real statement on your living room wall. A modern twist on the classic boho style, it’s ideal if you’re after something unique.

Create a cosy and welcoming setting on your sofa with a warm throw blanket. We love this terracotta style, which has been made from linen and cotton.

Storage baskets are must-have essentials in the home. We love this natural white and beige design, which is perfect for every interior scheme.

Keep it simple on your windowsill with this pack of four square bottle vases. Line them up together and pop in a few stems for a cohesive look.

Give your tissue box a makeover with this intricately woven rattan style design.

Made using sustainable mango wood, this stylish box holds two sets of cards and four mango wood dice that can be stored neatly away. It’s perfect for the coffee table.