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Augmented Reality (AR) is one of the most exciting things to happen to personal home design. Gone are the days of taping out the spaces and having your roommate hold up pictures at various angles to see what things might look like. There are now a host of awesome apps that let you see what furnishings will actually look like in your space, and they can save you time, money, and your sanity. Plus, they’re a heck of a lot of fun to play around with. Who knew your phone would be one the most valuable decorating tools you have? Here are seven of the most popular AR tools for home design currently available
Hutch
Hutch bills itself as a “virtual dressing room for your home,” and the free app connects you to the site’s furnishings. You can upload pictures of your home, then Hutch’s 3D technology allows you to see how various pieces of furniture will look in it. You can sort options by price, style, color, and brand. What you like, you can buy within the same app.
Housecraft
Housecraft wants to make decor fun (its tagline is even “an AR toybox for your home”). Like Hutch, it allows you to virtually decorate your home with various objects in various sizes to see how they’ll look. The difference is that Housecraft isn’t selling any specific furniture items: The items you select are generic. It’s up to you to shop for similar pieces. One fun twist: They also allow you to destroy rooms, which is oddly satisfying.
Wayfair
Not only can you shop for more than 7 million pieces of discounted furniture on the Wayfair mobile app, but you can see how they’ll look in your home before you buy them with a 3D view. You can then purchase and track the delivery, all in the app.
Homestyler Interior Design
Similar to other apps, the Homestyler Interior Design app lets you create 3D models of rooms in your home using various furnishings and even light fixtures. You also have the option to share your designs with friends and family and to get connected with local designers. It provides plenty of how-to and inspirational content as well.
IKEA Place
It won’t let you order Swedish meatballs (yet), but the IKEA Place app basically lets you browse its items and see how they look in your home without having to fight those weekend crowds. If you find something you like, you can order it within the app.
Art.com
From the works to the frames and everything in between, the Art.com app covers all of your artsy needs. You can see how pieces look in various sizes and frames on the walls of your very own home — and purchase too.
Plant Life Balance
Knowing which plants are best for your spaces can be tricky for those whose thumbs may not be so green. The Plant Life Balance app takes out the guesswork and allows you to see what various options in a variety of sizes will look like in your home. Not only that, it uses scientific research to help you improve the health and well-being of your rooms with plants picked just for your spaces.
