I tried an app that shows you what furniture looks like in your home before you buy it

The INSIDER Summary:

• Buying furniture is often challenging because you don’t know what an item will actually look like in your home.
• Houzz’s new 3D tool lets you try furniture before you buy it.
• INSIDER talked to Houzz to find out more about the free app.
• I’ve been using the 3D tool for days, and I’m impressed by how realistic and helpful it is.

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One of the hardest parts about decorating your home is imagining what furniture would actually look like in one of your rooms.

Just because you find a table you love at IKEA, after all, doesn’t mean it’ll look great once it’s in your cramped kitchen. And the last thing you want to do is buy an expensive item you can’t return, especially if you did all the heavy lifting yourself.

That’s exactly what Houzz set out to fix with its new augmented reality tool.

The home design platform released a “View in My Room 3D” option on its free app in early May. The feature lets you “try out” furniture in your home the same way you would clothing in a store. You don’t have to shell out a single cent; you barely even have to lift a finger. 

Naturally, when I first read about this tool, I was skeptical, as I often am about new gadgets or apps. I downloaded Houzz on my phone, expecting to be underwhelmed.

After playing around with the 3D tool for the past two days, however, I’m actually impressed. 

Having lived in small rooms for the past four years, I’m a sucker for interior design ideas — especially ones that save me time and optimize the little space I have. Houzz’s 3D tool checks off both those criteria, easily. Here’s how to use it: 

Open the app and start browsing through products you want.

You can either tap on one of the app’s categories (e.g., “Home Decor” or “Kitchen & Dining”) or search for a specific item (e.g., “Armchair”).

Add the “3D” filter to see only products that are available in 3D view.

Follow the instructions on the screen to move furniture around your room.

Point your camera where you want the furniture to be in your room. On your phone screen, use one finger to move the 3D product. Use two fingers to rotate the product 360 degrees. Double tap the product to bring up other options including “Add to Cart,” “Duplicate,” and “Delete.” And pinch in and out with two fingers to make the product smaller or bigger.

Currently, there are over 300,000 furniture and home decor products you can view in 3D on Houzz’s app. And “this is really just the start,” Gabriela Hebert, director of branding and communications at Houzz, told INSIDER. “Our product catalogue is growing daily.”

In fact, since the 3D feature launched in early May, users who have “engaged” with the tool are 11 times more likely to make a purchase than users who haven’t, Hebert added.

So far, Houzz’s app is only available on iOS. But if you have an iPhone or iPad, you can download it for free on the App Store, and try out the 3D tool feature for yourself.

For more from INSIDER home, click here.

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