Use Your Computer to Design a Virtual House

by Lance Filbert
lance.filbert@interiordesignprogramreview.com
Interior Design Columnist

If you want really great service from your interior decorator or even your remodeling contractor, give them something good to start with. You know the old saying, "Garbage in equals garbage out." It's not quite that bad, but you do get more of what you want if you can explain what you want.

Doing it yourself—the easy way

The best news is that you don't have to be an architect or a drafting expert to make a design that a professional can follow. Use a 3D home design program and let your design-a-home computer program do all the work.

The not-so-secret secret is that the professionals use the 3D home design software too. Of course we professionals use a much more sophisticated and more expensive version than you might find in your local computer store, but the end results can be the same. You can play with ideas and design a virtual house to show the people you hire to do the work.

The available interior design and home remodeling design software can make any creative person into an expert. You can try different configurations, move walls and see the project as a fully planned 3D home design. That way you can present the contractor or decorator with a clear picture that is a design image of a home you want to have—all created on a handy computer program.

Of course, if you're not ready to remodel your modest castle, the interior home design software is still a wonderful toy to have. You can play with all the "what-ifs" in your imagination and never have to break down a single wall.

About the Author

Lance Filbert is known for his witty and innovative design ideas. He has an extensive arts background and has an arts degree from the City University of New York. He lives in San Francisco with his partner, Bertram, and their cairn terriers, Toto and Toklas.