“Create the perfect bedroom”

If you're an IKEA fan like me, you'll be glad to know that the new IKEA 2008 catalog is out, with more than 300 pages full of ideas and suggestions for home furnishing and decoration.

Now, what does all that have to do with software? The answer is easy: along with their catalog, IKEA has launched a set of software decoration tools that can help you redecorating your life. One of them is this Home Planner Bedroom, which includes the whole bedroom section of the IKEA catalog and enables you to plan your bedroom's new decoration without actually moving anything.

Home Planner Bedroom features a very simple interface where you can create the floor plan for your bedroom, choose the new furniture and even see how everything looks in a three-dimensional image. The program also generates the approximate budget and enables you to upload data to the IKEA server, so that they're ready to use when you visit your local store to buy the furniture.

On the downside, and despite being an IKEA fan, I must admit I found the program to be too simple: the interface looks dull, furniture is poorly drawn and the 3D rendering is clunky. I guess software development is not IKEA's strong point.

IKEA Home Planner Bedroom is an easy-to-use 3D decoration tool that lets you test IKEA furniture at home before actually buying anything.

Languages:

English

Notes:

Prices shown in the program are valid until June 30th 2008

OS requirements for IKEA Home Planner Bedroom:

OS: Win2000/NT/XP/Vista

Pros

Can be customized to your actual bedroom's size and layout
Creates a budget with IKEA's official prices

Cons

Dull design
Furniture needs improving
3D function is clunky

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From the publisher of IKEA Home Planner Bedroom

Become your own interior designer with the help of the IKEA Home Planner Bedroom tool. Thanks to our easy-to-use software, you can choose furniture to fit the exact measurements of the bedrooms in your home.

Experiment with different combinations, swap things around and try different styles until you’re satisfied with the result. Choose everything from beds to PAX clothes storage. You can view and print out the best options, with all the measurements, just like an architect.

Once you’re happy with your plan, save it straight onto the IKEA server so that you can pick it it up at your nearest IKEA store. This way, you can get final planning advice and assistance from us before purchasing the products you need to make your virtual bedroom a reality.