March 29, 2004

By: Dough Dobson
Website: http://www.1st-in-home-decor.com

Powerful Home Design Software Developed by Chief Architect

Meredith Corporation, publisher of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, today premiered its new home design software, Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 6.0. Meredith partnered with Advanced Relational Technology Inc., the parent of Chief Architect, to develop a software series that extends our editorial expertise into a home design product that is powerful, fun and easy to use for the home enthusiast, says Meredith Publishing Group President Stephen M. Lacy. We know that Americans will spend more than $122 billion dollars on remodeling this year, and we believe this product will give them the confidence and tools they need to create the homes of their dreams.

In particular, Lacy states that among the many features Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 6.0 will offer consumers is a library of household items including over 4,300 different types of furniture, appliances, windows, doors, cabinets, and accessories. In addition, the product’s Design Planning Center provides key information for planning your kitchen or bath, as well as the design of your home’s exterior. The software also features automatic 3D models with virtual walk-throughs, a project cost estimator, and several Better Homes and Gardens home design style templates that allow users to pre-set their design plan to meet their personal style. Whether your decorating taste is artsand- crafts or traditional, country cottage or contemporary, the specialized custom templates will let you choose from dozens of paint colors, cabinets, moldings and more based on individual style.

Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer offers an array of architectural design features to help home owners create a vision of their dream home including:

- Design Planning Center for decorating guidelines, tips, and advice on selecting materials

- Realistic 3D models and virtual animated walk-throughs

- 1,500 sample home plans

- Space planning for furniture and room layout

- Project cost estimator

- Library of 4,300 objects including furniture, appliances, windows, doors, cabinets, and more to complement your designs

- Landscaping and terrain tools with over 1,000 plants

- Interior and exterior design tools, including the Material Painter

- Free tutorial CD with how-to training videos

- Home design style templates that range from traditional to contemporary designs complete with paint colors, cabinets, and moldings Greg Wells, President and CEO of ART, says, We are very excited with our Better Homes and Gardens partnership. The Better Homes and Gardens brand has great recognition and is one of the most trusted brands in the home design market.

Their unique ability to provide home enthusiasts with insights, ideas, and inspiration for their home design and styling, combined with our powerful home design software, will give the entire Home Designer product line enormous consumer appeal.

About The Author:

Dough Dobson is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-home-decor.com.  Home decorating tips and ideas to showcase any room with style.