Houzz has recently introduced a new Augmented Reality (AR) feature for 3D floor plans in Houzz Pro. Using their current home as a backdrop, users can go on a virtual tour in the app to preview a renovated design.
Houzz Pro is a subscription-based app for home renovation and design aimed at professionals. The app allows you to network with the Houzz community, which includes more than 65 million homeowners and home design enthusiasts. Also on the platform are 2.7 million home renovation and design professionals around the world, including architects, interior designers, contractors and landscape professionals.
“At Houzz, we’re focused on building technologies that make the home renovation and design experience more productive and enjoyable for industry professionals and their clients,” said Alon Cohen, Houzz co-founder and president. “Visual tools empower pros to easily communicate their vision for a project to clients. Now, we’ve created a true AR-enabled experience for residential construction and design pros to immerse their clients in a proposed renovation or redesign and better visualise how their space will be transformed.”
The 3D Floor Plan tool, included with any subscription to Houzz Pro, can be used to generate an AR version of a created design. This virtual walkthrough can help designers communicate the value of making major changes to a home, such as adding or removing walls, windows, cabinets or islands. Homeowners can see for themselves how proposed products and materials, such as benchtops and furniture, will fit within their homes.
Video demonstration of the AR feature
The 3D Floor Plan tool can currently be tried without charge by creating a free Houzz Pro account.
Kmart has added many more pieces to its Online Exclusives range, comprising of affordable larger-sized home solutions not previously available in store. Announcing more than 100 new styles for the home, they’ve already begun arriving online and will continue to drop in the coming weeks to form part of their ongoing range.
The Thorne entertainment unit
Kmart’s move to broaden its online-only offering started last year, with plans to continue to expand their offering and provide customers with greater access to homewares all year round. Styles were released as a test and learn during the initial launch, and the range now comprises of products within furniture, bedding, rugs, nursery products, fitness equipment, and outdoor play equipment.
“We promised we had more to come in the larger furniture range and we are so excited to now be delivering on this. We love the solutions and hope our customers do too,” said, Callum Smith, Kmart’s general manager for general merchandise. “We want to offer our community a complete solution for their home so as families grow or families downsize, they have access to great designs at the most affordable prices.”
This two-tone cot is an eye-catching addition to any nursery
Augmented Reality (AR) to visualise your purchases
Kmart are offering 48 products through Augmented Reality (AR) to see for yourself how they might look in your home. With an AR-compatible smartphone, you can scan, place, move, zoom in and out, or rotate, to view the product from all angles.
The new range also includes several exercise machines, such as this stationary spin bike
Got any questions? You can ask the KBot assist. The AI conversational chat assistant can answer product-related questions, recommend complementary products that are viewable in AR straight away, and can turn your thoughts into reality.
Kmart’s head of digital marketing, Melissa Wong said: “We launched KBot late last year and it has been received incredibly well and that is why it was the perfect time to extend this immersive engagement for our Online Exclusives range. It elevates the customer’s shopping experience by getting close with our products virtually and offering AI conversational assistance along the way.”
This desk with storage complements existing pieces in the Kmart range.
Visit www.klabs.com.au to enter the immersive product experience and explore, play and shop the new Online Exclusive range.
Kmart’s online exclusive range is available to purchase on the Kmart website.
As most of you know, I’m knee-deep in renovations at my house, so I thought I’d put together a list of handy online tools to help you plan and execute yours! I hope you find them useful.
Hipages
If you know tradies or have handy relatives, lucky you! I do not! When it comes to getting a job done at my house, it’s a bit like the blind leading the blind with my husband and I. This is why I love and use Hipages all the time. You hear so many horror stories about cowboys, that you want to feel secure you’re not being ripped off by rogue tradies. Hipages puts you in touch with three licensed trades for three free fast quotes for your job, whether it be painting, paving, garden maintenance or window-cleaning (I have personally used Hipages to find someone for all four things and more!). The best bit is you get to see their ratings and recommendations from other users. And Hipages make sure they are licensed for you. One less thing to worry about. I have hand on heart had nothing but good experiences hiring trades via this site. And there’s an app too which make it even easier. And in case you were wondering, the ‘Hi’ stands for home improvement! Get the app.
Beaumont Tiles’ What’s My Style app
Beaumonts What’s My Style helps identify your style from the top 10 global interior design trends based on your personal tastes and responses to a two-minute quiz.It’s like having your own personal stylist to help you nail the current trends with complete confidence, no matter your budget. It then recommends an on-trend style guide to achieve your designer look, of must-haves for each room including colours, stand-out furnishings, signature fittings, tiles and bathroomware, all curated to evoke creativity and design flair. Get the app.
Latitude Financial Services website
Latitude have some great online tools to help you work out which loan or card would work best for you and your circumstances. There’s also a personal loan repayment calculator and a handy budget planner to make sure you don’t borrow more than you can comfortably afford. Visit Latitude’s website.
If you’re thinking about financing your reno but worried you might get in over your head, check out this video with Jen and Jess Aloi from Latitude. It contains some great advice about how to borrow responsibly.
Reece Bathrooms’ 3D Planner
Reece marketing manager Belinda Geels said that making the bathroom design experience as easy and visual as possible was key to this online tool’s development. As well as allowing users to select from the entire range of Reece bathroom products and preview how they’ll look, the 3D Bathroom Planner also lets you choose fittings, lighting and tiles to complete the look. Read more.
Here’s a short video about how it works:
The Houzz app
This one’s all about inspiration! Browse more than 14 million high-resolution photos of home interiors and exteriors. Choose by style, location or room, such as kitchen or bathroom. Save and share photos with friends, family and home professionals and then even use the Sketch feature to annotate and draw directly on photos from Houzz. What’s more, you can connect with over 1.5 million active home improvement professionals, including architects, general contractors, interior decorators, repair professionals and more, to find the right person for your project. Get the app.
Findanarchitect.com.au
This tool, from the Australian Institute of Architects, helps you find the right architect for your job. There’s also lots of information on what architects actually do and why you might need to use them. Visit the site.
Naomifindlay.com
Naomi Findlay is Australia’s rapid renovation expert and a regular contributor here and on our sister site Reno Addict. Check out her site for free downloads, advice articles and to find out when she’s next speaking at a city near you. Visit the site.
Taubmans’ Paint Planner Tool
The Taubmans Paint Planner is designed to do the thinking for you. It will put together a customised list of everything you’ll need for your paint project; from what materials to buy to how long it will take. You might be surprised at how quickly your room can be transformed! There’s also online colour charts (although these should be sued as a guide only), painting tips and a paint calculator. Check it out.
IKEA Place augmented reality app
Coming soon, this app from IKEA will let you visualise what furniture will look like in your own home. We think this will be particularly useful when designing your open plan spaces. Read more.
Pinterest
And last but not least, I can’t finish an article about where to go online for help planning your reno without pointing out the obvious! Pinterest is, in my view, the best starting point for inspiration and getting ideas. You can use this on desktop or download the app. And it’s great for creating your own online moodboards which you can easily share with others. Visit the site.
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We hope you found this guide useful. Let us know in the comments if we’ve missed any great online tools!
Have you ever looked online, found the perfect sofa, been totally excited, only to buy it, take it home and realise: “Oh crap, it doesn’t fit”? You wouldn’t be alone. How a piece of furniture looks online versus in your home can vary dramatically. So here’s where IKEA Place comes in.
An augmented reality (AR) app, it lets people confidently experiment with the design of their home, office, school or studio. From sofas and armchairs to coffee tables and storage solutions, all of the products in IKEA Place are 3D and automatically scaled – based on your room dimensions – with 98% accuracy. The AR technology is so precise that you will be able to see the texture of the fabric, as well as how light and shadows are rendered on your furnishings.
So how does it work? Turns out it’s pretty simple. First download the app and snap a photo with your device of the place where you would like the IKEA product to be. Next browse through the app for your item of choice, select it to insert it into your photo and then move it into place. And you’re done (watch the video below if you’re still a little confused)! You can then share your photo or save it and use the app to price and reserve the item.
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More than 2,000 IKEA products will be available when the app launches. The items in the first release are aligned to the living room, so expect some of IKEA’s most recognisable faces such as the VIMLE sofa, the STRANDMON winged chair and the LISABO side table.
IKEA Place will be available to download from the App Store soon, so stay tuned!
