8 Ways to Plan Your Dream Home—Before Furniture Purchase

So, you’ve got your empty house—now it’s time to turn it into your dream home. You’ve spent hours browsing Amazon, but you didn’t check out any furniture. Why? Because we all know the disaster of buying a giant couch only to find it doesn’t fit your space! Trial and error is part of the process, but thankfully, you don’t have to rely on guesswork alone.

With the right tools, you can visualize your dream home before making any purchases. Here’s what you should look for in a home design tool:

1. Convert a 2D room plan into a realistic 3D representation.
2. Explore every corner and view your room from any angle.
   
3. Compatibility across devices, so you can design on your phone or laptop.
4. Room scanning function—no more measuring by hand!
5. A wide variety of furniture options.
6. Ability to add doors, windows, and adjust wall and floor colors.
7. An intuitive user interface.

Here are some tools that others have found helpful for home design. Give them a try too:

Nestingale

Nestingale guides you through designing your dream home—from gathering inspiration to visualizing and creating your perfect space. Start with our style quiz to find the design that fits your home. Then, create a room layout on the mobile app or website, or scan your space with your iPhone Pro. Adjust windows and doors as needed, and place furniture from our handpicked collection of high-quality designer pieces. Easily arrange, rotate, and experiment until it feels just right. The total furniture cost is shown in the top-right corner, and no matter how much you buy, shipping is always free.

More than just a visualizer, Nestingale is the complete guide you need to bring your vision to reality. Best of all, it is completely free to use. Try it today and design the home you've always imagined!

IKEA Kreativ

When it comes to furniture, you know there is IKEA! Aside from its debatable kitchen planner, IKEA offers IKEA Kreativ, a room planner that allows you to place, remove or rearrange items in your virtual space. The good thing is the collection of styled room templates, perfect for those who are really into those iconic IKEA showroom setups. However, keep in mind that IKEA Kreativ only features IKEA furniture, and some users report that the website may slow down if you add too many items to your virtual room.

Source: IKEA Kreativ

Sweet Home 3D

Sweet Home 3D is an interior design software launched in 2006—surprisingly early for such a tool! As a result, there's a good amount of documents, reviews, and tutorials available online. Since it's a desktop application, you’ll need to download both the main app and additional libraries to get started. While its furniture library is limited and intended primarily for simulation, you’ll need to search for actual products in the real world to match the designs you create.

Source: Sweet Home 3D

Planner5D

Planner5D was initially designed for home design amateurs but has gained significant popularity among professionals. Users appreciate its intuitive interface and support for multiple devices. While the paid version unlocks a wider range of options, including advanced customization and 3D rendering, the subscription prices are high. Despite the cost, the paid versions are highly rated for their comprehensive tools and ease of use.

Source: Planner5D

Coohom

Coohom is a 3D room design platform with a global user base. It’s known for its ability to quickly create 2D and 3D floor plans and render high-quality visuals. However, some users find the interface unintuitive, especially for beginners, and note that the free plan has limited access to advanced features and a somewhat restricted furniture library compared to competitors.

Source: Coohom

Draw it by hand

Sometimes, the simplest approach is the best. Start by sketching your home's layout on paper. Then, draw your favorite furniture on another sheet, color them, cut them out, and place them on your layout to see how they fit together. This won’t be the most precise method, but working with your hands can increase creativity and help you visualize your space more intuitively. Plus, it’s a fun activity if you have kids—letting them join the journey of turning an empty house into a cozy home!

Start from small parts

Rather have something real that you can see and touch? try beginning with smaller elements. Browse Pinterest for color pairing inspiration and use Adobe Color to create your palette. Visit fabric stores to mix and match in person, or move around chairs and tables at a friend’s place to observe. Afterwards, collect your favorite combinations and organize them in a scrapbook to build a visual guide. This may provide you a clue of how your future home could come together.

Live there first

If you ask experienced homeowners, they’ll often tell you: Live in your home first. Even if it feels empty, living in the space helps you discover essential details—like which spots get the best natural light, which rooms feel warmest, and where the quietest corners are. As you settle in, you’ll also realize which furniture is truly necessary. After all, if you’re already enjoying your space as it is now, why rush to fill it with bulky items you may not need?

Conclusion

Now that you've explored these tips for visualizing your space, it’s time to bring them to life! The table below provides a quick comparison of the tools we've discussed, helping you find the one that best fits your needs.

Wishing you a joyful journey as you create your new home. Don’t forget to follow Nestingale for more expert interior design tips—we can’t wait to see your warm, welcoming space come to life!