Video:How Kitchen Design Software Works

Transcript:How Kitchen Design Software Works

If you can't stand the sight of your kitchen even when the dishes are done, then it's time for a change. Using kitchen design software is the perfect start for your renovation project. I am Juliana for About.com and I am going to show you how kitchen design software works.

All Kitchen Design Software Has Pros and Cons

No software is perfect for every project, and some are more user-friendly than others. So it’s a good idea to spend some time looking at the various options. You may find that one program is just right for helping you measure and layout a floor plan for your kitchen. Another may be better for interior design aspects because it has a greater variety of kitchen cabinet choices.

If you don't feel like spending a fortune for a professional kitchen design-specific software, your choices fall into two categories. 1.) Generalized home design software packages with a good selection of kitchen design components; or 2.) CAD (computer aided design) programs that require you to create your kitchen designs from scratch.

Consider Home Design Software Packages

Programs that fall into the first category are usually very comprehensible and easy to use. MyHouse is a good example for generalized home design software that can be used to plan a kitchen renovation project. Simply create the basic floor plan by choosing the appropriate wall components and add furniture and other components. Programs like MyHouse might be easy to use but they are only as useful as the selection of design components they offer. If your dream kitchen is not a standard one, you'll having a hard time planing your project by using a generalized home design software.

Computer Aided Design Software Are Popular for Kitchen Design

Computer programs that fall into the second category – CAD software – are far more powerful than their generalized counterparts. However, if you don't have any experience in graphic design, it will take you a few hours to learn how to work with a CAD program and a couple more hours to find out how to use it for your project properly. Google SketchUp is a good example for this category. It allows you to create any form and shape in 3D and is fairly easy to use and allows you to let your creativity run free. Nonetheless, it does require a lot of time to build a model of your kitchen since you have to start from scratch. You can save time, though, by using a previously built kitchen model that other SketchUp users uploaded to Google 3D Warehouse.

Thank you for watching. If you would like to learn more about home renovations, log on to About.com .