Best Free Kitchen Design Software Options & Home Design Tools

Planning to move into a new home or figuring out your redesign can be hard to imagine without seeing the rooms in person or having a drawing in front of you.

Not long ago, if you wanted to design a kitchen, you needed to rely on architects and designers to make a detailed floorplan. So, unless you have an architect or designer in the family, you may think your only options are hand drawing some blueprints or designing off pictures or rough drawings. However, you’ll be happy to know these are no longer your only options.

There is free kitchen design software available that is specifically designed to help you lay out furniture for a remodel, or play with different appliances or colour schemes, to build the kitchen (or any room) of your dreams.

Many large houseware stores, like IKEA, have built their own free interior design software to help homeowners design using IKEA products, while others help layout rooms using generic sizing and a broader selection of items.

We have collected the best FREE kitchen design software options available (plus some of the best free home design software online) and will run down users’ experience testing them all out.

Kitchen design software options

Why Use Free Kitchen Design Software?

The kitchen is generally the most popular and well used room of the home so whenever you are renovating or planning a new kitchen, home interior design software can help you to make sure you are not hindering the flow, accessibility, and organization of a well-designed kitchen.

Planning using software for interior design can give you a place to start and can help you visualize the room in 3D rather than a 2D blueprint or drawing. The best interior design software can help you bring your ideas to life and make them easier to show and describe to potential designers, contractors, and other specialists like cabinetmakers.

With so many free interior design program options to choose from it is always best to plan and organize so everyone is on the same page. The ultimate goal is to bring your family’s vision of a dream kitchen to reality!

Once planning your renovation is complete, make sure you have decided on a storage container to store your stuff while you renovate. A BigSteelBox can sit on your driveway or property for easy access.

Best Online Home Interior Design Software Programs (FREE & PAID)

IKEA 3D Kitchen Planner

  • If you are going to be buying IKEA furniture and furnishings to complete your remodel, then using programs for interior design like the IKEA planner is your best bet for kitchen remodelling software
  • Online interior design: free software platform, no downloads
  • Designs saved online so they can be accessed from any IKEA store, specialists in store can help you even if you have forgotten your design at home
  • You can be sure that all appliances, cabinets, and doors will fit the measurements of your kitchen because you only work with IKEA products
  • It does not allow you to design items to overlap or merge, so if cabinets do not fit in the room in the design software, they will not fit in real life
  • Once you are done you can print a detailed product listing or save it, knowing you can access it in store
  • Any products you use are on file, which will help if making exchanges or returns
  • Able to price out your new room easily
  • One of the easiest and best free kitchen design software programs for homeowners looking to spruce up the home with IKEA products

This tool is obviously less helpful if you do not plan on using IKEA furniture. Regardless, it would certainly help you visualize some of your ideas. Make sure to create an account before you start. Sometimes trying to make an account and save after working on a project can lead to losing your design. Check out IKEA 3D Kitchen Planner

Planner 5D

    • Online interior design software platform, no downloading
    • Create an account or sign in to get started
    • Available on Apple and Android devices
    • You can use already preloaded online interior designing templates or create your own layout from scratch
    • Very realistic designs, has some of the best 3D graphics available for interior design software online
    • Easy to design rooms down to small details
    • Specific module just for kitchens
    • Design ideas from online library and other home templates
    • Online design can be downloaded to Android or iOS app
    • Generates 3D rendering

This is not just for kitchens so some of the design aspects are limited in the kitchen model when compared to other software. It also may seem difficult or daunting to use for a beginner. Check out Planner 5D for desktop

Homestyler

    • Very popular interior design software
    • Design a room online free, no download
    • Specific kitchen module
    • Starts with the basic layout and lets you gradually layer in items like cabinets, countertops, sinks, and appliances
    • Interior design software generates 3D picture
    • You can upload a picture of your floorplan so you can trace over it, which will save you time recreating your home’s layout
    • Room layout software templates for basic layouts in library
    • User-friendly even though it is very close to a professional program
    • Associated with certain products and brands, which will help you find costs and availability of certain items (e.g. Kohler, Flor, Sherwin-Williams)
    • Easy to understand how-to online videos with detailed instructions

This interior home designer tool has a lot of options and takes a while to understand how to use all the features. The final drawings are quite basic and the software has no walk through ability. Check out Homestyler

Home Hardware

    • Online free interior design platform, no application download but may require a plugin download
    • Dedicated kitchen section of program
    • This interior designer software includes some things you may forget like switches, outlets, and vents, and shows how they are placed in the room
    • If items are sold by Home Hardware you can create a shopping list directly from the program
    • This program for interior design can create a room from scratch or use basic templates

Like many programs built by large home improvement stores, the tool links to the Home Hardware website so products which are not sold by Home Hardware may not be included in the product menu. Check out Home Hardware

Lowe’s Virtual Kitchen Designer

    • Free room design software platform, no application download but may require a plugin download
    • Specific kitchen designer, no need to scan through other room appliances or specifications.
    • Can use own specs or pre-drawn designs
    • Products are for sale at Lowe’s, things not offered in store may not be listed
    • Similar to Home Hardware designer, but specific to kitchens
    • One of the best kitchen design software tools online

Check out Lowe’s Virtual Kitchen Designer

Roomstyler.com

    • This interior design 3D software is similar to Homestyler but has a better layout and may be less complicated for a new user
    • Excellent floor plan software, and allows the upload of your own floor plan or to use preloaded templates
    • This interior design software can design any room in the home, but it has kitchen specific modules
    • Extensive colour selection
    • One of the only interior design free software options that includes additional kitchen accessories like utensils, glassware, dishes, small appliances, and cookware
    • Can completely design the kitchen down to last detail
    • Online videos and tutorials for the interior design software (free)
    • You can use the house interior design software without joining and there is an associated free app available

Check out Roomstyler 3D Planner

Top Paid Options

If you’re still unconvinced that you can get your planning done with one of the free options listed above, here are some of the top options to buy:

Home Designer Interiors

  • Offers 2D and 3D options
  • Create your room to the smallest detail and you can import your own pictures to see what your old furniture will look like in the new design

 

TurboFloorPlan 3D

  • Features and large object library
  • Easy to learn but cannot export into PDF

 

HGTV Ultimate Home Design Software

  • Very comprehensive
  • Good for planning the majority of the job yourself
  • Can save to PDF
  • Check out HGTV Home Design Software

 

Other Interior Home Design Software

Now that you’re set with your kitchen planning you may be looking for other resources to help you with your remodel or home building project. We have collected some of the best home plan software tools available.

The majority of the house designing software options are free to use. Some offer a free trial or have a cost for additional features.

Because these home remodelling software resources are free, you can try out your options before you find the one that is best for you. Many have online tutorials or videos that demonstrate the functionality of the professional interior design software. These videos will make it easy for you to use the program and make sure you use it to its full potential.

If you’re looking for some help with planning the design of other rooms near your new kitchen (like living rooms next to open concept kitchens) here are some great designer tips, examples and checklists to keep you on track.

Online 3D Interior Design Software: Room Design

Room Sketcher

  • Can help you choose and view furniture for any room
  • Presents floor plans in 2D or 3D so you can show your ideas to contractors and designers
  • Furnish and Decorate with our easy-to-use, drag-and-drop Home Designer

 

Roomle

  • Another easy-to-use room design program, but a little bit more interactive
  • You can upload a sketch and the system will suggest a floor plan template to match
  • Once you have designed your room you can share it and receive feedback on your design

 

Backsplash.com

  • This kitchen design software is specific to back splashes and countertops, trying to make sure all the aspects of your kitchen work together
  • This online program lets you choose from hundreds of colour and pattern combinations so you can visualize how your cabinets will look with your new countertops and back splash
  • You can test out and price your products before you buy

 

Easy Track

This is a helpful online software that helps to make sense of something many people struggle with keeping organized… your closet. You enter your closet dimensions and they recommend an organization system that works for any kind of closet.

Decorating Software for Painting Rooms

Color Jive

By uploading pictures of your room, you can paint the room by applying any of the colour palettes available. Popular brands Benjamin Moore and Sherman Williams have multiple colour palettes to choose from, but you only get three different colours per picture upload with the free version.

Sherwin Williams Color Snap Visualizer and Benjamin Moore Personal Color/Colour Viewer

These two are very similar, both allow you to fully browse the colour catalogue of each brand while uploading your own images to modify. Each are free and do not require registration.

 

Lighting Design Interior Decorating Software

MEGAMAN

This interior design software free download helps make it easier to decide if your newly designed room will have enough light. This free interior design program for planning lighting calculates lighting design both inside and outside of the home and gives specific product specifications and data sheets with all the information you need. This will be helpful when dealing with electricians or deciding between products.

Window & Door Design Interior Decorating Software

Window World Visualizer

With this program, you can upload your own image or use existing ones to see how different styles of window will look from the outside of your home. This tool is great when beginning to design a new home or looking to change the exterior of your existing structure.

Exterior Design Software Online

Eldorado Stone Outdoor Design Tool

This tool allows you to play around with different features to see how they fit together and decide if they are compatible with each other in two pre-loaded designs. You cannot upload your own picture, but you can see available items and connect with local dealers to request quotes on your design.

DesignScape Visualizer

This resource is provided by Cambridge Pavingstone, so you are limited to using their products and solutions, but it is a great tool to design, layout, and envision your exterior project. You can use your own photos and modify as you like. It’s great for driveways, walkways, and landscaping projects.

Garden Design Software (Free Online plus Paid Version)

Garden Planner

This free 15-day trial lets you plan out different greenery along with paving, paths, and fences to create the garden of your dreams. It is $38 to upgrade to the full version once the free trial has concluded.

Plan-a-Garden

This is great for the serious gardener who wants access to any kind of tree, shrub, or flower. This tool lets you choose from more than 150 types of greenery and flowers while adding buildings, sheds, fences, ponds, and decks to your layout.

DIY Tips and Tricks

Renovate your World

This tool can help you learn how to do just about anything for your home renovation. It can help with things as simple as painting tips and installing ceramic tile, to things more complicated like constructing a simple deck. It even gives you a quote on time, material, and cost of the project. Great for getting an idea of costs as you shop around.

Instructables

Need help with a DIY project? Always check Instructables first to see if there is a detailed tutorial already on the site.

HGTV Video Tutorials

The HGTV website is filled with instructional videos on how to do fun design tasks at home and take on some more difficult DIY projects.

We hope that you’ve found some tools here that will help you to renovate your home to better fit your style or plan a new home that you will love. These programs are built by experts to make sure the designs you have in mind are possible and will look beautiful.

Free kitchen design software will help make even the most dramatic kitchen makeover doable and will help you visualize your ideas. If you are continuing your makeover into other rooms or outside of the house, our list of other free interior design software programs will help you get started.

Renting a BigSteelBox During Your Renovation

Renting a BigSteelBox as extra storage during a renovation is a great option, and one of the most popular reasons why people use our service. You can easily request a quote online or give us a quick call at 1-800-373-1187. We are happy to help you!

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