Rearrange your home layout with Concepts

Become a design whizz with the help of this precise drawing app

IT WILL TAKE

1 hour

YOU WILL LEARN

How to create a precise room layout with Concept’s tools

YOU’LL NEED

iPhone/iPad running iOS 9 or later, Concepts app, stylus (optional)

If you’re looking for a design app that bridges the divide between rough sketches and pinpointaccurate plans, Concepts could

be for you. It provides a variety of drawing tools from freehand brushes to predefined shapes, and offers a choice of grids and guides to work on, coupled with precise measurement tools, multiple layers and the ability to share your finished work.

Concepts is free to use, but there are several in-app upgrades. The Pro upgrade (£7.99) isn’t required for this project, but you might want to shell out for one or two of the design packs – they’re £1.99 each (or £4.99 for three), and we’ve made use of two in this project: Blueprint | Structure and Blueprint | Furniture. They simply add some predefined shapes that work well for building design and adding furniture.

Redesign your home

The step-by-step guide reveals how to use Concepts as part of a simple home redesign project. Before following it, download and open Concepts, then tap the + button to set up your first project. A blank drawing called ‘Untitled’ will be created. We need to configure the document for our project, so tap the Settings button in the bottom left-hand corner and work your way through the various options on offer.

Key settings include the grid type (we recommend 10/100), which should be set to Always Show. Set the Scale to 1:40mm, then choose ‘Metric (mm, cm, m)’ under Units. Switch on all Snap options, then scroll down to the Interface section to experiment with how the interface is laid out (left-handers can move the sidebar to the right of the screen, under Preferred Hand, for example).

Once done, tap the X button to return to the main menu, and follow the step-by-step guide. Things can be a little tricky at times – we recommend consulting the manual (you can view it within the app or online at concepts.tophatch.com/manual) to familiarise yourself with Concepts’ key tools. Nick Peers