Tools For Design

The Grand Rapids Press out of Michigan recently ran an article that featured several websites that you can use to help you visualize various facets of design projects. Among them are:

www.benjaminmoore.com where you can try various shades and hues of pain on for size;

www.bhg.com that has several tools where you can enter dimensions of your room and then place design features, including furniture, areas rugs, etc. in various configurations, also where you can see various colors applied to your room or your home.

www.designmyroom.com where you can choose a room layout, add color, furniture, artwork, and other options however when I tried to use this tool it froze my computer so I'm not sure how well is works in the end.

www.purecontemporary.com on which you can lay out furniture plans but the room configurations are not quite as free form as the bhg ones.

www.baliblinds.com where you can test drive certain window coverings.

www.daltileproducts.com to check out various floor covering options.

I think my favorites are the www.bhg.com site and the www.purecontemporary.com site because they offer complete room design capabilities and seem to be pretty reliable. The others are good too if you are trying to concentrate on just one item, like window coverings or flooring, or are just looking for some good ideas. But, by now, you know I can never concentrate on one area at a time, each thing leads to the next and pretty soon I have moved from my living room mantel into my office closet. How exactly does that happen?