Interior Design: There's An App for That

Interior Design: Theres An App for That

Sherwin Williams ColorSnap
Cost: Free
Overview: Take a photo of a favorite object or color inspiration and match it to a Sherwin-Williams paint color.
Pros: Custom color matching makes it easier to find the right color instead of searching through thousands of paint chips at the hardware store.
Cons: Matching a paint color to a photo of a favorite object gives a less accurate result than having the color matched to the actual object.

Interior Design: Theres An App for That

iGarageSale
Cost: $1.99
Overview: Downloads garage sale listings from Craigslist and maps them based on your location.
Pros: Maps the listings so there's no toggling back and forth between Craigslist and Google Maps to enter addresses and wait for directions.
Cons: Only searches garage sale listings on Craigslist (though there are plans to import listings from other sites in the future).

Interior Design: Theres An App for That

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Selection Assistant
Cost:Free
Overview: Upload gallery from real estate showings, make notes about home tours and access information about neighborhoods when shopping for a new home.
Pros: Information is detailed and includes comparative home values, school district information, neighborhood demographics, crime statistics and local amenities.
Cons: Neighborhood amenities emphasize national chains with no mention of local shops and restaurants.

Interior Design: Theres An App for That

The Home Depot
Cost: Free
Overview: The app is a handheld version of the website. There are tools to view flyers, create shopping lists and read how-to articles about home improvements.
Pros: Short how-to videos on a range of DIY projects from installing a ceiling fan to painting a room offer step-by-step instructions.
Cons: The app wasn't designed with a search function to find specific in-store products. The products listed on the app are limited to advertised specials or featured items.

Interior Design: Theres An App for That

ColorChange
Cost$2.99
Overview: Take a photo of a room and "paint" it using a color from the screen tools.
Pros
Cons: The app often has trouble distinguishing between the walls and furnishings in the gallery, which means the entire photo is "painted" instead of just the walls. It's awkward to choose a color using the touch screen.

Interior Design: Theres An App for That

HGTV's Staging & Property
Cost: Free
Overview: Handheld access to quick clips of popular HGTV shows, including Designed to Sell and Curb Appeal, how-to guides and galleries of before and after gallery.
Pros: Photo galleries are sorted by room and tips are in categories like staging and architectural styles, making it simple to find specific ideas.
Cons: Downloads of video clips are slow. There are advertisements embedded in the photo galleries.

Interior Design: Theres An App for That

Home Sizer
Cost: $2.99
Overview: When building a new home, enter the dimensions of each planned room and the app will calculate the approximate cost of construction.
Pros: Costs can be adjusted based on plans for inexpensive to custom finishes.
Cons: The app is focused on new construction and/or additions and has little usefulness for those who are remodeling or making cosmetic upgrades.

Interior Design: Theres An App for That

iGuides: Hanging a Picture
Cost: $2.99
Overview: A basic guide to hanging a picture from using the right tools to choosing the right spot on the wall for a work of art.
Pros: It's possible to search topics by chapter to find advice or instructions for a specific aspect of picture-hanging like prepping the wall or choosing the right hardware.
Cons: It's a basic guide; not useful for experienced DIYers.

Interior Design: Theres An App for That

Home Interior Layout Designer/Mark on Call
Cost: $2.99
Overview: Handheld interior design app. Tools to rearrange the furniture in a room, change the background to represent paint or wallpaper and create/share shopping lists.
Pros: You can take pictures of actual finishes and fabrics and mix and match them in the virtual room before making purchases.
Cons: It takes a lot of time to enter the detailed information required to use the app well.

Interior Design: Theres An App for That

MyDeco
Cost: Free
Overview: Upload a picture of your room, pick one of 500 3D models of furniture from sofas and coffee tables to chandeliers and see how they work together.
Pros: You can upload gallery/designs to Facebook to get opinions on a new piece.
Cons: The furniture and accessories in the galleries are virtual finds, not actual pieces in a showroom that are available for purchase. The perfect chair in the app might not exist in the store.

Interior Design: Theres An App for That