What Is the Best App to Design a Living Room?

JBy Jeffrey Escobar4 min read

House AI is the best app to design a living room you already have. You upload one photo of the room, set the room type to living room, and pick a style. The app redesigns that photo in about 15 seconds, with the walls and windows where they are. The sofa, rug, and lamps in the design can then be matched to products you can buy.

A living room holds the biggest pieces you will buy: the sofa, the rug, and the TV wall. Most design apps make you build the room first. House AI starts from the room itself.

A lived-in living room before and after a Japandi redesign, with the same sofa wall, window, and floor
Generated with House AI.

Why House AI comes first for living rooms

House AI does three things better for a living room than other kinds of design apps. It starts from a photo, so there is no floor plan to draw and no furniture to drag into a 3D model. It has 300+ styles, so you can see the same sofa wall as Japandi, Mid-Century, or a look you describe in your own words. And it matches the furniture in a design to real products from 330 retailers, including IKEA, West Elm, Wayfair, and Castlery.

It runs on iOS, Android, and the web, and it covers 15+ room types, including kitchens and bedrooms. Renders come out at up to 2K resolution.

The same living room in Scandinavian, mid-century modern, industrial, and Mediterranean styles, in a grid
Generated with House AI.

How House AI compares with other kinds of living room apps

App typeWhat you start withWhat you getBest for
House AI (photo redesign)One photo of your living roomA redesigned photo of the same room in about 15 seconds, with furniture matched to products from 330 retailersSeeing a new style on your real room before you shop
3D floor planner appsA floor plan you draw or scan, with furniture placed by handA to-scale 3D model of the roomChecking exact sizes and spacing
AR furniture appsYour phone camera pointed at the roomOne product at a time in the live camera viewSeeing whether a single piece fits one spot
General image generatorsA text promptA made-up room, not yoursMood ideas with no real room behind them

IKEA Kreativ, which reached the IKEA app on iOS in the US in June 2022, can scan your room, create a 3D replica, and delete your existing furniture so you can fill the space with products, according to Apartment Therapy. House AI works from a single photo and shops across 330 retailers, with IKEA among them.

Diagram of four kinds of living room design apps and what each starts from: a photo, a floor plan, a camera, or text
Diagram by House AI.

How to design your living room in House AI

Step 1: Take one wide photo

Stand in a corner in daylight so the sofa wall, a window, and the floor are all in the frame.

Step 2: Set the room type and pick a style

Choose living room as the room type, then pick a style from the grid or describe the look in your own words. Every user gets 3 free designs a day, and the free tier needs no credit card. Free designs carry a watermark.

Three phone screens: a living room photo uploaded, the living room type selected, and the style grid
Screenshots from the House AI app.

Step 3: Shop the pieces you like

Open the furniture list for the design you like best and compare the matched products. If you want more than 3 designs a day, paid plans are $9.99 per week or $39.99 per year, with unlimited generations.

A phone screen listing a sofa, a rug, and lamps matched to a redesigned living room
Screenshot from the House AI app.

What a design app can't do

House AI does not measure your living room, and small details, like the arm shape of a sofa or the pattern in a rug, can drift between the render and the products you buy. Colors on a screen also look different from fabric in your own light. Use the design to choose a direction, then check sizes and order samples.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free app to design a living room?

Yes. House AI gives every user 3 free designs a day with no credit card. Free designs carry a watermark.

Can I design my living room from a photo?

Yes. Upload a photo to House AI, set the room type to living room, and pick a style. The redesign takes about 15 seconds on average.

Which app should I use for exact furniture sizes?

House AI shows the style and does not measure. For exact sizes, use a tape measure or a to-scale floor planner.

Keep reading

Sources: Apartment Therapy, "IKEA's App Update Can Delete Your Furniture and Replace It With Theirs," June 24, 2022, checked October 3, 2026. House AI figures come from the House AI app.