How To Choose Home Design Software [6 Things To Consider]

Regardless of whether you plan to live in a small space or a large house, you require an architectural and interior designing plan or layout to smash the ball out of the park and create a home that everyone is envious of.

But, unless you’ve had formal training or education in designing, creating an interior design plan for your home is a far-fetched dream.

Luckily, budding technology has a perfect solution for your misery.

We’re talking about home design software that allows you to translate your vision into a professional design seamlessly. If you’re an interior designer, these design tools will make your life easier and allow you to create the dream home of your customers.

However, with an array of design software out there, each boasting of bringing about a revolutionary change, it becomes an uphill battle to select one that makes a difference.

In this article, we explore some tips for choosing the best home design software for interior designers.

Ready?

Let’s explore!

6 Things to Know When Choosing a Home Design Software

Here are six things to consider before selecting a home design software:

1.  Choose an online home design software

A few years back, online home design software was notorious because it required a lot of memory to install and operate. But today, you will come across home design software that you can install on-premises, use on mobile, or access it from anywhere using cloud computing.

If you’re a designer who frequently travels to clients’ locations, choosing a cloud-based design software can help you access the software from across the world. You only need a device and internet connection to operate the software.

If you don’t mind your designs and visions being shared on multiple devices with your company, a cloud-based home design software will be helpful.

Benefits

• Allows you to access files and designs from anywhere
• Helps you in work from home as you require only a login and password
• Doesn’t require a computer with the latest graphic card
• Works on both Windows and Mac operating system
• Updates get automatically installed, ensuring you’re always using the latest version

2.  Select one with a lower learning curve

There is no point in purchasing software where you spend hours trying to learn the basic functionalities.

Some design software will always have a higher learning curve. So, to avoid falling prey to software that is difficult to use, focus on purchasing software dedicated only to interior and home designing.

A learning tool that offers functionalities like designing furniture pieces along with creating floor plans is never going to be easy. Instead of spending hours reading online tutorials, opt for a basic program that provides only necessary functionalities

Benefits

• Design or redesign a home within a few hours
• Draw intuitive plans and drawings during the design development phase
• Help you meet stringent deadlines because you don’t spend much time creating a single floor plan

3.  Explore the reason for purchasing a home design software

Are you buying a home design software just because your next-door designer is using it to renovate their house?

Before purchasing, it’s essential to explore why you need a design software. Do you want to play or try your hand at creating designs that make others jealous of your home? Or do you want to help a client create an award-winning architectural design?

You can now purchase software based on your requirement. For instance, if you only want to draw floor plans, you require low-end software that lacks high-powered graphic features.

Benefits

• Allows spending less time on tasks a designer doesn’t want to perform
• Gives a sneak-peak into a designer’s weaknesses and ways of improving it
• Helps in selecting a software that serves the design purpose

4.  Take advantage of the trial offer

In a quest to acquire customers in this competitive landscape, most interior design software provides a free trial. The trial may vary between 14-days to 30-days.

Using the free trial can help a designer or business understand what advantages the software brings to the table. When software is in line with your organizational needs, it’s probably the best software out there.

Interestingly, to understand whether software can bring uniqueness to your design, register for any interior design tool and design a sample project.

See if the interface is intuitive. Also, check if there is an improvement in your design workflow. If there’s an improvement, that design tool is definitely worth an investment.

Benefits

• Allow you to see what you’re signing up for before making an official commitment
• Provide a first-hand experience of using an interior design software
• Allow you to get familiar with features of a selected design tool
• Ensure you’re making a worthy investment

5.  Read reviews

With 90% of online customers reading reviews before making a purchase, why do you want to skip becoming an exclusive member of this group?

So, before buying anything, read online reviews of different review sites like Capeterra, G2, and many others. You can even read Google or social media reviews on various social media platforms.

Benefits

• Help you understand the pros and cons of using a software
• Provide valuable guidance from designers who previously used a design software
• Save time because you don’t buy software that promises many things but does nothing

6.  Assess the cost

After reading reviews and exploring the features, it’s time to finalize a home design software. When you find a tool you’re looking for, don’t let it go because of the high price.

So, to come out of this dilemma, evaluate whether you require every feature? If not, look for a lower-value plan to suit your requirement.

Benefits

• Help you understand the overall value of a design software
• Help you calculate the potential ROI of using it in your business

After exploring things to know when choosing a home design software, let’s explore some good interior design software.

4 Best Home and Interior Design Software

Here are four home and interior design tools to choose from:

Foyr Neo

Foyr Neo is a visualization and excellent home design software that helps you build dream homes.

For those looking for a tool that delivers outcomes that adequately utilizes space while taking care of the interior design, there is no tool like Foyr Neo.

It’s a super easy and intuitive tool with zero-learning curving. What’s more interesting is that it comes with AI-assisted features like dragging, dropping furniture, colors, and textures in your canvas.

With Foyr Neo, work on your design and create designs in a fraction of a time.

Chief Architect

Another special design software is the Chief Architect that produces 3D visualization that truly depicts a finished product. The software offers plenty of 3D assets to choose from. As it’s super easy to use, Chief Architect is widely used by designers and architects.

With this automated building tool, designers can create elevations, construction drawings, CAD details, bath design, and 3D models in very little time.

Chief Architect is known for its 3D rendering and helps a designer create designs that inspire others.

SketchUp

There is no other tool than SketchUp for those who want to build a home design from scratch.

Unlike other traditional software, SketchUp works only on a web browser and is robust and versatile.

Interestingly, SketchUp offers peer support, which comes in handy for seeking guidance or design ideas from others.

By visiting the 3D warehouse of SketchUp, you’re introduced to numerous home and kitchen designs from fellow designers. You can modify these designs and manipulate them by adding or removing elements to build a customized space of your own.

BlopHome

BlopHome is an architecture-based design software designers use to create various structures such as kitchen, bedroom, study, living room with furniture, and other design materials.

The learning curve of BlopHome is low, and without spending hours understanding the software functionality, you can design homes for your customers.

It’s a perfect tool for visualizing design ideas and understanding how to utilize space efficiently.

From 2D drawing to 3D modeling to manufacturing design data, BlopHome is a storehouse of features. It boasts of providing a comprehensive library of design and furniture collection.

Unlike most software on this list, BlopHome doesn’t require any registration.

Wrapping up

Whether you’re a homeowner looking to spice up your home with new interiors or an interior designer looking to build a large client base by providing eye-catching interior designs, home design software is what you need.

While there are many tools, some design tools outsmart others in functionality, learning curve, cost, and availability. From providing photo-realistic rendering to flash designs, interior design software can become your best friend to create an elegant home.

Regardless of the software you choose, use their free trial to understand what you’re signing up for.

Is there anything else you look at when buying software? Did we miss out on any point?