Using Online Tools to Decorate Your Home

There are few things that I consider myself an expert in, but finding great home goods online is one of them. I've spent the last 6 years building a design blog based entirely upon the idea that great design is right is just a mouse click away from your front door. Whether you're looking to shop, decorate, or renovate, the internet has got you covered these days. There are sites to help you build online inspiration and mood boards, apps for you phone to help you match paint colors, and entire websites dedicated to coming up with color palettes that fit your mood.

Today I'm going to break down my top 10, and hope that you'll share some of your favorites as well- because if there's one thing I always have more room to learn about it's great home resources online.

I'm going to start with web resources first, then I'll move to your phone:

1. My Deco:
Any designer will tell you that creating a moodboard (an area where you collect images that will inspire your new room/home design) is a great way to start a home redecoration project. Some people like to do these in-person with a cork board and pins, but if you're like me and collect images online, you'll want to look into a site like My Deco. Though it's still in its beta phase, My Deco lets you design a 3d room or create an online moodboard (among other features) that will help you get started with your room's new look. If you're feeling stuck you can also browse the site's gallery of room designs for inspiration.

*Better Homes and Gardens' Arrange a Room application also lets you arrange rooms to replicate your home.


2. Google Sketch Up:
There are few Google tools that don't blow my mind with usefulness, and Sketch Up is no different. This free service (which you download to your desktop) lets you create, modify and share 3D models. If you're planning an addition or building a backyard gazebo this is a great way to sketch things before breaking ground or meeting with a contractor.
 

3. Colourlovers:
This site is huge within my community, but may be slightly less well known to general home decoration fans. Colourlovers is a fantastic inspiration site where people from across the globe can create and share their own color palettes and patterns. I come here for ideas all the time, and love to see where people have found inspiration (movies, books, geographic locations, etc.). If you're feeling stuck and want to find a new look for your home, don't forget this source.

4. DIY Network, Craftzine, Readymade:
When it comes to my home, I like to tackle things with my own two hands as much as possible. And while most design blogs I know (including my own) feature do-it-yourself projects on a regular basis, few sites are as dedicated to the DIY movement on a daily basis as these three. DIY Network is more of a full-home renovation site, but Craftzine and Readymade are a bit more on the crafty side, but all three will be able to teach you valuable things about decorating, painting, and improving your home with your own two hands.

*Youtube's How To & Style Channel is fantastic for this area of home improvement as well. There are videos for everything from how to make a rok-bak chair to how to upholster a headboard (a personal how-to i shared online).

5. Personal Color Viewer & Color Smart:
Paint colors can be tough to coordinate or imagine in a space, and both of these paint programs (the former from Benjamin Moore and the latter from Behr) will let you test out paint colors and paint combos in a variety of settings. Even though the colors aren't perfect on screen, it's a great start when trying to figure out what shades work together well.

IPhone Apps:

1. Color Capture & ColorSnap:
These two iPhone apps are quite possibly the best things to happen to my iPhone since well, the iPhone came out. These two apps from paint giants Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams let you snap a picture of something you see with your phone and then plunk it into their color device, which magically matches it to a paint color from their collections. Once you have a color they use your iphone's GPS to give you an address of the closest paint store. Brilliant!



2. CraigslistPro and Ebay:
With the economy being less than kind on our home decoration budgets lately, it's key to make use of online resources like Ebay and Craigslist to find affordable decor. Now you can use these sites in app form on your phone to locate affordable used furniture and accessories on the go.


3. Yard Sale Mapper:
Living in Brooklyn, I've learned to make good use of stoop sales (we don't really have yards as much here), but if you're lucky enough to live in a place where yards are more common, be sure to download Yard Sale mapper- it will help you find yard sales based on your location and what day it is so you can shop to you heart's content.


4. A Level: 
This app does exactly what its name would suggest: it acts as a bubble level using your iPhone. Out at a thrift store and want to see if that vintage table is level? Just use your phone's app. Want to see if the gallery wall you just hung is even? Just use the app. Perfect for someone like me that's always losing small tools like levels.

5. HandyMan Sidekick:
Need to calculate how much paint/wallpaper/wood you need for a room? HandyMan sidekick can help. Just enter in a given room's measurements and the HandyMan will tell you how much to buy. Added bonus? The app uses the iPhone screen to act as a flashlight when you're working in dark conditions.

I hope these apps will help you when tackling your next home project. There are great new apps and online tools launching every day, so if you've got a favorite you didn't see here, please share it in the comment section below. I know I could always use a little extra help when it comes decorating my home...

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Design*Sponge is a daily website dedicated to home and product design run by Brooklyn-based writer Grace Bonney. Launched in August of 2004, Design*Sponge features store and product reviews, sale and contest announcements, new designer profiles, trend forecasting and store/studio tours. In addition, Design*Sponge features a unique section dedicated to covering student design, national and international design shows. The site is updated constantly throughout the day (with an average of 6-10 posts a day) and attracts a core group of devoted readers. Design*Sponge currently has over 60,000 daily readers.