The Roomvana blog
Practical guides to restyling real rooms — styles, colors and makeovers, with before/afters from actual photos.
Landscape design software and apps: how to pick the right one for your yard
Compare landscape design apps and software for your yard: AI photo redesigns, iScape, Planner 5D, SketchUp, PRO Landscape and Yardzen, with 2026 prices.
2026-10-20
How to design a landscape, step by step
Design your own yard step by step: map sun and drainage, call 811, draw a plan to scale, build hardscape first, then plant. Plus the 3-5-7 rule explained.
2026-10-20
Front yard landscaping ideas: one ordinary yard, redesigned four ways
20 front yard landscaping ideas, shown on one ranch-house yard redesigned four ways, with tips for small yards, low maintenance and dry climates.
2026-10-20
Backyard landscaping ideas: one ordinary yard, redesigned four ways
Backyard landscaping ideas from one yard redesigned four ways, plus zoning, privacy, shade, ideas for kids and dogs, and what to build first.
2026-10-20
Patio ideas: one plain concrete slab, four ways
Patio ideas visualized on one cracked concrete slab, restyled four ways, plus paver patterns, materials and how big a patio needs to be for a table or sofa.
2026-10-20
Can ChatGPT do landscape design? A side-by-side test on one backyard
ChatGPT can suggest plantings and redesign a yard photo, but results depend on the prompt. See our test against Roomvana, prompts to try, and both tools' limits.
2026-10-20
Warmer colors, smaller changes: what homeowners tried this fall
Kitchens tripled their share of design tests in a single week. The colors, styles, and changes real homeowners chose heading into fall 2026.
2026-09-08
Virtual staging, explained: costs, rules, and where the limits are
What virtual staging is, how its cost compares to traditional staging, the disclosure rules, when it backfires, and how to try it on your own listing photo.
2026-08-31
Japandi interior design: a practical guide
What Japandi is — Japanese wabi-sabi meets Scandinavian warmth — plus its palette, materials, common mistakes, and how to preview it in your own room.
2026-08-31
Mid-century modern living room ideas — and how to see them in your own room
What makes a living room mid-century modern — the furniture shapes, colors and lighting behind the look — and how to preview it on a photo of your room.
2026-08-31
Modern farmhouse exteriors: the elements, the colors, the preview
What makes a house look modern farmhouse — board-and-batten, black windows, mixed materials — color combos that work, and how to preview it on your home.
2026-08-31
Greige paint colors: why they work and how to pick yours
What greige is, the classic shades worth sampling — Agreeable Gray, Revere Pewter, Edgecomb Gray — and how to test them on your own walls before buying.
2026-08-31
Bedroom paint colors: what works, what to skip, and how to test
Bedroom paint colors that help a room feel restful — soft greens, warm neutrals, moody blues — the ones to skip, and how to preview them on your own walls.
2026-08-31
Kitchen cabinet paint colors: how to choose — and preview first
Kitchen cabinet paint colors that hold up — whites, greens, navies, near-blacks — how to work with counters and floors, and preview them on your cabinets.
2026-08-31
12 backyard ideas on a budget that don't look cheap
Twelve budget backyard upgrades that look pulled together — gravel patios, string lights, dark fences and zones — plus a way to preview your yard.
2026-08-31