Free Interior Design Programs

When planning a remodeling or decorating project, free interactive design programs can help you visualize your design. These easy to learn programs can help you pick out materials, choose colors, design floorplans and try out different ideas.

Furniture Layout Programs

Use one of these programs to design an entire room with your choice of furniture and decorative accessories.

Arrange-A-Room

You can find the Arrange-a-Room design program at Better Homes & Gardens®. After you register with your name and e-mail address, you can create and save up to 25 room layouts. Once you specify the room size, you can add architectural features like doors, windows, and fireplaces. Then the furniture and accessories can be selected and placed. Choose from a wide variety of furnishings including sofas, chairs, tables, bedroom pieces, kitchen components, and more.

Ethan Allen Design Online

Ethan Allen will keep you busy all day with four different design programs:

Explore Signature Lifestyles- Get inspired by browsing through Ethan Allen's Signature Lifestyle furniture collections, including Romance, Modern, Vintage, Explorer, and Elegance.
Create Your Own Custom Artwork- Browse through hundreds of fine art prints which you can customize by size, frame options, and medium such as paper or canvas.
My Projects- Create your own idea boards where you can jot down notes, upload design photos, and organize all of your ideas in one place. You can then consult with a design professional for extra tips and suggestions.
2D Room Planner- Make your own custom floor plan by selecting the size, dimensions, and architectural features of your room, and then add your virtual furniture which can be arranged in different ways to make the best use of the available space

Window Treatment Design Programs

Window treatment design programs are some of the more complicated programs to work with. The following two programs offer free trials so that you can decide if they offer everything you need. However, after your free trial expires, these programs can be quite costly.

Minutes Matter Studio

Minutes Matter is marketed towards professional interior designers. You can build window coverings to scale with color and pattern inserted from the fabric of your choice. Start with a window template or use actual photos of windows for realistic renderings. Lots of different styles can be tried out including blinds, shades, draperies, valances, and wood or iron hardware. You can watch a training video to familiarize yourself with the program and get free additional support through the online forum and live or recorded webinars. if you decide to purchase the program, you can also pay for additional support through coaching, videos, or CDs. After the free 30 day trial, you can buy a bundled package of all the design programs available or subscribe to a monthly membership.

DreamDraper

Another wonderful window design tool from Evan Marsh Designs, DreamDraper, also offers a free 30-day trial download. You will be able to use a photo of any room and sample a wide array of window treatments. The window designs can be skewed for angled windows, filled with pattern and color, and accented with various accessories or furniture. This software also allows for space planning and room layout design with templates for furniture, appliances, fixtures, rugs, windows, doors, fireplaces, plants, and staircases. You can view an online demo and receive additional training and support for the program, which also has an online version.

Paint and Color Programs

Many of the big paint retailers such as Sherwin-Williams, Behr and Valspar offer easy to use, point and click programs that make it easy and fun to try on different color palettes in any room of your home. All three of these programs give you the option of creating an account to save your favorite color palettes and designs which you can print out or e-mail.

Color Visualizer

Color Visualizer, offerred by Sherwin-Williams®, provides color palettes and color ideas for interior and exterior paint projects. You can also search from over 1,400 colors for the ultimate custom color design. View your color selections on a variety of integrated room photos of the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, living room, or dining room. You can also upload your own photos to see how these colors will look in your home.

Color Smart

Behr offers a free program called Color Smart, where you can look up paint colors by name or number or choose colors from paint sample cards. The program will then help you coordinate your colors into different types of color pallets that you can try on any room or on one of your uploaded photos. You can also create your own color pallets.

Color Selector

With Valspar's Color Selector, you can choose an interior scene or exterior scene or upload your own photo. Then choose a color and a room to work with. The tool will provide suggest color palettes or you can build one of your own. You can even change the lighting from natural light to incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs.

Flooring Design Programs

Design A Room

Armstrong offers a free design program, Design A Room, that not only allows you to choose from different flooring options such as hardwood, laminate, or vinyl tile, it also lets you choose cabinets and wall color for kitchens and bathrooms. Other rooms you can design include living rooms and bedrooms. The program also allows you to choose from different decorating styles such as:

Casual
Contemporary
Traditional
Eclectic
European Country

Try on a Floor

Shaw Floors has a free tool that will let you sample a wide range of products including carpet, ceramic, hardwood, laminate, and area rugs. You can upload up to 10 photos or use stock photos to visualize the flooring options. Each flooring design can be saved so you can see multiple ideas for the same room.

FLORbuilder Design Tool

Flor offers a free virtual carpet tile layout program that allows you to try different flooring options with area rugs and wall to wall carpet. You can experiment with modular tiles in dozens of different colors and patterns. In addition to this design tool, Flor offers personalized design help from one of their expert design consultants and free rug templates that you can use to create your own custom rug design.

Additional Resources for Free Interior Design Programs

The Home Depot

if you're planning a kitchen remodel, check out Home Depot's Kitchen Planner, where you can watch a step-by-step video that shows you how to plan for your remodel using a three step process. Use design tools such as Virtual Kitchen, which lets you choose the style, the layout, and then the brand of kitchen cabinet that appeals to you the most. The Countertop Estimator helps you calculate the price of materials and installation for new countertops. Then you can use the Appointment Maker to schedule an in-store appointment with a kitchen design expert.

Autodesk Homestyler

Autodesk Homestyler is a web-based, free online program that allows you to create your own floor plans. You can size your rooms, add windows and doors, and drag and drop furnishings from the product gallery, which has over 40,000 brand-name products. You can visualize your dream home design project with 360° panoramic snapshots, which you can share with family and friends through e-mail or Facebook. You can create both interior and exterior design projects.

Planning Your Next Design Project Has Never Been Easier

With so many great online design programs, you can plan almost any home renovation project without spending a dime on design software. Most of these programs give you the option of creating your own account so that you can save your projects or print them out. Many also offer free additional help through expert design consultants who can help bring your ideas to life.