Being tech-savvy is no longer optional for interior designers looking to complete projects on time, on budget, and to the best of their abilities. Gone are the days of toting around heavy portfolios, sketchbooks, and tape measures. Now, you can access the tools you use on a daily basis from the palm of your hand.
Mobile apps have completely changed the design game by providing streamlined processes for everything from choosing paint colors to building out detailed floor plans. Keep reading for our list of the best interior design apps on the market for serious designers. Whether you’re looking to save time, find inspiration, or collaborate more seamlessly, there’s something on this list for everyone.
Design Inspiration
Adobe Capture CC
Image Credit: Apple
Capture inspiration the moment it strikes with the Adobe Capture CC app. Ever wish you could design a room around a fabulous palette you spotted in a painting or a pattern you found while traveling the globe? Now you can! This app allows you to snap a picture using your phone or tablet and instantly transform those photos into color schemes, patterns, type, and more. The resulting assets can be easily saved to Adobe Cloud Libraries and accessed from your Creative Cloud account in all compatible applications.
Datacolor ColorReader
Image Credit: Apple
The Datacolor ColorReader matches paint color with the push of a button. You no longer have to waste time trying to match up the different colors of a room, house, or office design—ColorReader matches paint with 95% accuracy. Save yourself time and money by guaranteeing a perfect paint match every time, the first time. Simply connect your ColorReader device to the app, and it analyzes the color of a wall or object matching it in less than a second to the exact (or nearest) paint in the brand of your choice.
Pantone Studio
Image Credit: Apple
Color-lovers rejoice! Pantone Studio gives designers the ability to create personalized color palettes right from their smartphone. Use this app to build colors palettes from Pantone’s famous color library of more than 10,000 hues. As the de facto language of color across design disciplines, Pantone created this app as a place where designers can explore, capture, create, and share color inspiration with fellow decorating professionals, designers, and manufacturers.
Morpholio Board
Image Credit: Apple
Created by and for interior designers, Morpholio Board is the gold standard for creating mood boards bursting with inspiration and creativity. Morpholio Board allows you to layout furniture, visualize products in a space, discover new products from designer’s you’ll love, and present your work to clients in a stunning format.
Paper by FiftyThree
Image Credit: Apple
No matter when inspiration hits, the Paper app ensures you can capture ideas anywhere. Better than your average pad of paper and pen, this sketch app makes it easy to capture your design ideas in beautiful, 3D journals. Use Paper to sketch, draw, diagram, color, and write notes on your phone or tablet.
Modeling & Measurement
AutoCAD Mobile App
Image Credit: Apple
Create floor plans and furniture arrangements on the go using the AutoCAD mobile app. This app allows you to view, edit, create, and share AutoCAD drawings directly from your phone or tablet. Much more efficient than drawing out floor plans by hand, the AutoCAD software helps you quickly make and send revisions to contractors. Lastly, this app facilitates collaboration and ensures everyone is working with the latest drawings to avoid confusion and rework.
Magic Plan
Image Credit: Apple
Magic Plan is a must-have app for any interior designer who dislikes the painstaking work of taking measurements and drawing up floor plans. Save time by downloading Magic Plan and creating floor plans the fun and easy way. Simply snap pictures of a space and this award-winning app will transform them into professional floor plans in minutes that you can easily edit or annotate.
Photo Measures
Image Credit: Apple
Photo Measures is beautiful in its simplicity. Take a photo of a space or object and use the app to directly draw measurements on it and jot down additional notes as necessary. Now you can have all of your design dimensions with you all the time! This app is incredibly convenient to reference when buying furniture, hanging decor, or collaborating with contractors.
SketchUp Viewer
Image Credit: Apple
The SketchUp Viewer app enables you to open and view 3D models from anywhere. For designers, this app is an excellent way to communicate ideas quickly with colleagues and clients on the go. Use this app to review lifelike designs whenever and wherever is convenient. Clients will be impressed, and you’ll be able to save time on critical approvals and move projects along quicker.
iHandy Carpenter
Image Credit: Apple
Keep all of your most-used tools in your pocket with iHandy Carpenter. This functional and convenient toolkit bundles together 5 professional tools, including a plumb bob, surface level, bubble level bar, steel protractor, and steel ruler. The iHandy Carpenter app will help ensure that every detail of your design is perfectly aligned with your clients’ expectations.
Product Selection
Invaluable
Image Credit: Apple
The Invaluable app allows you to browse hundreds of auctions online to find beautiful, unique objects for sale and bid on them directly from your smartphone. Invaluable works with more than 4,000 premier auction houses around the world to bring you the finest art, antiques, and collectables to complement your designs. You can use the app to register for auctions ahead of time, place absentee bids, and bid in real-time.
1stdibs
Image Credit: Apple
1stdibs is the ultimate destination for one-of-a-kind pieces that set your designs apart. Using the 1stdibs app, you can shop a hand-selected mix of the finest furniture, art, and collectibles in the world from the palm of your hand. Download 1stdibs to make antique purchases quickly and easily with guaranteed buyer protection for all orders. Designers can also sign up for the 1stdibs Trade Program, which offers benefits such as hold requests, extended returns, and cash back rewards.
Margot LaScale
Margot is a writer and interior designer based in the NYC area. She is passionate about keeping up with the latest architecture and design news to not only stay informed, but inspired.
