Are you the type that can't
envision something until you see it right before your eyes?
This can be a problem when you're designing a room – it's
hard to be inspired by those tiny paint samples. Thanks to
the wonders of technology, you can hop onto the web, and
using some of the many online tools available, decorate a
fantasy room, right down to the furniture placement, color
of the walls and accessories.
There are a lot of sites out there providing decorating
assistance, but here are two I've found helpful.
1. Better Homes and Gardens (http://www.bhg.com/tools/):
This tried and true magazine has a variety of user-friendly
tools for painting a room, the exterior of a house, choosing
drapes, designing a closet, a deck or planning a garden.
Color-a-Room
Choose from a variety of rooms with different themes such as
Escape from Beige land, Bungalow Living Room, Bookshelf
Nook, or Updated Casual Living Room. Next, choose colors for
the walls, furniture, throw pillows, and fireplace. Add
corresponding stripe or check patterns to your sofa and
accessories, or create a leather look. You can even add a
stone or tile finish to the fireplace. Click on each room
feature and then click on the color or pattern tab below to
see what choices are available for each item.
Try-a-Window-Treatment
This allows you to view different window treatments before
you go out and spend the cash. Start by selecting a window,
then choose your wall color, drapery rod, or curtains. If
you select a style with sheers and tiebacks, you can color
those as well with a variety of shades and patterns.
Color-a-Home
This is where you plan the design treatment for the exterior
of your home. Begin by selecting the desired house style,
including Elegant One-Story, Wrap-Around Porch, Dormered
Cottage, Covered Entryway, Bungalow, etc. Choose from the
roof, trim, siding, trim, shutters, and door, and paint to
your heart's content.
Once you're done, you have the option of saving your room,
printing it off, or emailing it. This is a great way to play
with new design trends, and experiment with colors outside
your safety zone.
Design-a-closet
Take the first step toward creating your dream closet by
playing with an online design. Begin by setting your wall
size and choosing your closet style. Keep in mind when
selecting a walk-in with 2 or more walls, you have to choose
which wall you are working on to apply your design ideas.
Next, pick your rod, shelf, divider panel, door, cabinetry,
wire shelving, drawers and even shoe shelves. Each of these
can be re-sized accordingly. I found this part of the tool a
little awkward and it was difficult to get a sense of how
the furniture would fit properly.
Next, choose from the types of clothing and actually fill
your closet to see if your choices make sense. The final tab
"List Contents" gives you a summary of your choices.
Arrange-a-Deck
Imagine your deck built with the click of a mouse, including
furniture, accessories, stairs, trees and flowers. Start by
selecting a new deck and indicate your desired yard size
measurements. Go to Structures and choose from among deck
shapes, posts and railings, walls, doors, stairs and
windows. Drag each item onto your screen and click info to
view the dimensions, or select one of the surrounding boxes
to drag the desired shape. Add privacy walls, screens,
benches, tables and chairs, plants and even a hot tub. This
was an easy tool to use and provides a very good rendering
of the final product.
2. Home Sense (homesense.ca) - Fall Trend Guide:
This is a slick, online flash tool, designed to use Home
Sense Fall inventory to create a designer room. Begin by
choosing from the Safari or Bohemian Style and suddenly,
your room opens up. Curtains drop down, and bare bones
furniture items are laid out to expose a room badly in need
of enhancements.
View items from various categories and drag and drop into
your room. As a user, you don't have to think to hard – once
selected, each accessory is automatically placed in a
strategic position in the room.
Upon completion, you have the option of printing the design
and creating an instant shopping list. This is ultimately a
catalogue that attempts to pass itself off as a design tool.
It does an excellent job, however of demonstrating how to
use various accessories effectively and may give you some
good ideas. |
