The Best Interior Design Software & Biz Tools for Creatives According to Top Interior Designers
As a designer, it’s important to find the most streamlined tools for creating streamlined designs. With the help of some of our top interviewed designers, we have compiled a list of must-have business tools for today’s creators. From business communication to interior design software, here are some interior designers’ favorite tools to take you to new levels of creative freedom.
The Best Interior Design Software & Business Tools for Creatives According to Top Interior Designers
INSPIRED BY SOCIAL MEDIA
At Sire Design, they use image-based social media platform Pinterest to compile images to show clients’ inspirations and concepts that will define a project. In the interior design app world, Pinterest is an interactive place to create mood boards and find visual inspiration.
Instagram is a photo and video sharing network that allows users to follow and explore pages related to their interests. When it comes to networking with other inspiring creatives, keeping up with the Instagram accounts of their peers is certainly a modern designer’s go-to.
Not only does Instagram let me showcase my work- it provides an opportunity for me to get to know, and interact with my audience, and give them a glimpse of my reality. I share images of my family, my accomplishments, and also my struggles, and I think that resonates with people- someone being successful, but also real, on social media.
Kate Lester of Kate Lester Interiors
Houzz
Houzz is an online community and software for interior and architectural designers. The robust website allows its users to share their work and market their own designs to local patrons in their community looking to hire.
Behance
Behance is a media platform used to showcase and discover works in the creative world. It is a part of the Adobe products collection and is therefore compatible with many of the software creators use to create projects in their portfolio.
COMMUNICATION IS KEY
Teams
As a part of the Microsoft365 family of products, Teams is a corporate communications platform. Some of its key features include messaging, videoconferencing, and file sharing with seamless compatibility for Microsoft users.
Zoom
Zoom meetings is a user-friendly videotelephony software program developed for easy-to-use and modern group calling. With both a free and paid version, users can schedule and attend meetings with video and/or audio, whether they’re on a computer or calling in from a mobile device.
Slack
Slack is a messaging service designed specifically for in-office and corporate use. This service allows businesses to organize their communications into channels that can be dedicated to specific concepts or projects.
Not only so we can execute the project in an efficient way, but also so we can keep the client updated with what’s happening in their home. I really believe we are a better team, and can offer better customer care for our clients, because of Slack…
Nancy Carnonneau of Carbonneau Interiors
DESIGNING AIDS
Sketchup
The Sketchup suite of products caters toward 3D modeling for interior and exterior home design. The software is often regarded as easier to use than Autocad and more suitable for personal businesses.
People are visual and the more tools you have to set expectations and develop trust will ensure success in the project and happy clients that adore their new space. Having the ability to pull your projects into 3D is so beneficial and provides me with a more solid understanding of how the space will function.
Shoshanna Shapiro of Sho and Co
Autocad
AutoCAD is a commercial computer-aided drafting software for architectural design. Some of its most well-known uses are for large-scale civil projects, which require precise and accurate scaling.
Photoshop
Photoshop is one of the Adobe Creative Suite applications used specifically for graphics editing. For those with an imagination beyond their reality, mastering photoshop can be a useful tool for creating visuals for new ideas.
MARKET PLACES & E-COMMERCE
1st Dibs
1st Dibs is an e-commerce site for buying and selling luxury goods and high-end products. The site also provides buyers with an online source for antique and original pieces.
It’s not just for purchases, but it also serves as an at-your-fingertips encyclopedia of decades of style!
Kellie Burke of Kellie Burke Interiors
Material Bank
The logistics company Material Bank is for architectural and interior designers. This site allows users to request material samples from the largest online marketplace of design materials.
The best part of Material Bank is that they take the samples back, which is a dream come true to design professionals that are cognizant of waste and our industry’s impact on landfills.
Amanda Thompson of ALine Studio
PLANNING & ORGANIZATION
Teamgantt
Teamgantt is a cloud-based project planning platform for small to midsize teams. With its integrated resources, designers can maximize project efficiency with collaborative sourcing and sharing.
Teamgantt is an indispensable and yet easiest tool to use for business. We can track all our projects and manage team traffic online. I am impressed by how convenient it is.
Valeria Senkina of Dseesion
Dex app
The Dex isn’t specifically an interior design app, but it is a great alternative for all professionals who love their classic Rolodex but want to go digital. This app is a digital CRM that allows you to set reminders to reach out and maintain relationships.
Asana
Asana is an app and website which allows teams to manage, organize, and track their work. This is an especially great resource for designers handling multiple projects simultaneously.
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SMALL BUSINESS TOOLS
Ivy
Created especially for interior designers, the business management platform Ivy offers embedded features, including things like product sourcing, invoicing, and room boards to keep all of your necessities in one place. Sara Malek Barney, founder of BANDD Design describes Ivy as her favorite tool, tell us, “it is basically a hub for all things design! It helps me manage projects, save vendor and product information, and collaborate with my team.”
Airtable
Airtable is a cloud-based spreadsheet-database hybrid for business management. Through its integrated features, Airtable allows you to create individual software tailored to the visualizations of your personal business.
Dropbox
Dropbox is a cloud-operated file sharing and storage service. For designers with endless flows of digital files, Dropbox offers extended file recovery and freedom from file size limits.
Basecamp
Basecamp is a project management software for businesses of all sizes. Its popularity is largely due to its all-inclusive capabilities for resource sharing, project management, and in-house messaging.
The programme can be used on a desktop or a mobile phone app, this is really useful when decisions are made on-site, which can often be quite dynamic, and can be captured there and then on the app. I ensure that contractors use it, and encourage our clients to join us there too.
Rachel Usher of Rachel Usher Interiors
EstiMac
EstiMac is an interior design business software. Tailored specifically for designers, EstiMac offers rapid supplier selection, flexible cost and price entry, and images for bringing your projects to new levels of seamless presentation.
Studio Webware
Studio Designer is a software tool for interior designers, by interior designers. It provides everything you need to manage your accounts, from client collaboration to product sourcing tools.
PHYSICAL DEVICES
ColorReader by Datacolor
Datacolor is a color quality control tool dedicated to making color accuracy easy. In industries where color is everything, Datacolor is there to analyze, report, and visualize color results. The ColorReader App matches all major paint brands and digital color models.
I use a little gizmo called ColorReader by datacolor. You scan anything like fabric, wallpaper, or a wall, and it reads the color and tells you the closest color match paint. We use it all the time when we want to match a wallpaper and wall color for a monochromatic look. Clients think we’re so cool too!
Jennifer Walter of Folding Chair Co.
IPhone & IPad
No need to explain these devices, and when it comes to top interior designers favorite tools this one is a must in today’s technologically advanced age. Shalini Misra tells us the iPad Pro is her favorite, “it’s so handy for drawing and sketching over plans whilst on site. The camera is great for recce walkthroughs or new potential projects and also great for giving an impromptu presentation.”
Feature Image: Photo by undrey via Getty Images
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