What a time to be planning room layouts! Lucky for us, we now have access to a treasure trove of user-friendly apps to help us create floor plans and virtually design our rooms—taking a lot of the guesswork out of everything from gauging the right-sized furniture for our space, to assessing how a paint color will look, to putting entire rooms together in virtual reality before we take the plunge IRL.
FOR CREATING A FLOOR PLAN
Magic Plan - is a free app (in-app purchases $2-200) that lets users create floor plans based on their photos. According to the product description, there is "no need to measure or draw" so it's a good option for users who have minimal experience creating floor plans.
Room Scan Pro - draws floor plans by itself". Users simply hold a phone up to a wall which scans the circumference of a room (a voice-activated prompt states "hold against wall until you hear a beep"). Reviews note there is a bit of a learning curve to using the app but also praise its effectiveness in accurate floor plan creation.
Floor Plan Creator - allows users to create detailed floor plans in 3D. Reviews praise the app's usefulness when furniture shopping to gauge whether potential furniture will fit in the context of specific room dimensions.
FOR DESIGNING A ROOM LAYOUT
Room Creator - lets users design a room interior in "10 minutes or less" by entering room dimensions, designing floor patterns, choosing wall colors, and adding in decor.
Amikasa - allows users to create room layouts using furniture and home decor from real brands—about as mistake-proof as you can get in room planning. The app also has cool features like a walk-through mode that allows users to take a virtual tour of their newly created rooms to get a feel for the room design and layout, and the option to share the room via social media for input and advice.
Home Design 3D - The app receives praise for its high level of detail while still remaining easy to use, and the latest version even offers an online 3D-printing option.