Interior Decorating with your iPhone
There are numerous
practical issues you face when decorating a home. But in some cases your iPhone
(or iPod/iPad) can come to the rescue in the form of an app. Here is a run-down
of the best interior decorating apps in the App Store to help you on your way:
SnapShop Showroom
Cost:Free
SnapShop accesses a
database of furniture from major retailers and allows you to super-impose items
in to a photo of your home. So if you have a space that you want a new sofa to
fill, you can browse for the one you want and then import it to see if it fits
in with the surroundings.
Pros: The app is free so
definitely worth a download. It is also multi-platform so has its own dedicated
iPad app if you want to see things on a larger scale.
Cons: Not always easy to
get good results, as it requires the correct type of photo. Doesn't give you
any better ideas on sizes and what furniture will fit.
Home Sizer
Cost: $2.99/£1.99
Home Sizer allows you to
enter the dimensions of the rooms in your house to calculate the square feet of
the room and, if you enter the price of your property, tells you how much it is
worth per metre. You can then save the rooms, add notes to each one, and even
have several homes full of rooms all saved in the app.
Pros: Good calculating
function. Works well and is intuitive.
Cons: A little pricey in
comparison to other apps.
Spirit Level Free by
IntegraSoft
Cost: Free
Everything you'd expect
from a spirit level – and free! This app allows you to ensure that pictures,
mirrors and shelves are all straight by using the iPhone's accelerometer to
give you an accurate reading.
Pros: Reliable, accurate
and free!
Cons: Has advertisements
to off-set the free price tag. Needs calibrating with your iPhone before every
use.
Houzz Interior Design
Ideas
Cost: Free
Mobile inspiration! If
you ever find yourself stuck for design ideas, this app is a database full of
them. It contains over 500,000 high quality photos that you can browse through
and save to your own in-app scrap book. If you're designing for yourself or
want to collect ideas to show your designer, the scrap-book can be a great way
to collate your inspirations.
Pros: Smooth
functionality. Available on iPad also. Free!
Cons: Some users
complain of slights bugs. Fairly stable in general, though.
ColorSnap
Cost: Free
This app matches the
color on a photo you take with your iPhone to the exact color of one of
Sherwin-Williams 1,500 paints. So if you’ve found your dream color on someone’s
walls, or even spotted it on clothes, or in a poster, just take a photo and
this app will tell you what it is and where to get it!
You could even use the
app to find colors and take your phone to a hardware store and they can mix it
for you if they have a color mixing station.
Pros: Works well -
smooth app. Free!
Cons: Paint not available
in UK (but can be mixed at B&Q). Photos needs to be well-lit to get
accurate color representation.
So there you have it,
our top 5 apps to help you decorate. Give them a go – you have no excuse not to
with the free ones!
Author Bio:
This article is on
behalf of sofa who produce high quality sofas and
beds
