Military families are professionals when it comes to making a house a home. Whether residing in on-base or off-base military housing, those living the military lifestyle have figured out creative means to repurpose the curtains from one home into throw pillows in their next home. The creativity would impress even the most seasoned interior decorators.

For those who enjoy the challenge of decorating a colonial with rooms of many colors as much as a southwest rambler in cool neutrals, there are a variety of mobile apps that will help you decorate your home “virtually” before stroking a paintbrush or moving a couch.

Here are three of our favorites:

1. Houzz

This website and mobile app is the HGTV Dream Home on steroids. Apologies for those who have yet to discover Houzz, as your life will never be the same. If you can dream it, it is on Houzz! There are more than 258,000 photos of kitchens alone. You can create “ideabooks” where you place photos of the different elements you like and even include personal notes. Many of the photos display green price tags, which when clicked on, will display details, such as the manufacturer, measurements, and information about that product. It’s a great tool if you are looking for new appliances, cabinets, lighting fixtures, or any other home essential.

Explore photos for a dream closet, spacious pantry, outdoor living space, home office, or kids’ rooms. Sort the photos by style, such as modern, traditional, contemporary, eclectic, or choose to sort by region, which will give you perspective on local trends. You can even find contractors in your local area along with photos of their work and reviews from customers. This app is free, so download it and see what all the fuss is about.

2. Paint Tester

Paint stores and home improvement centers have come a long way in providing sample portions of paint colors, but it can still be a challenge to pick out the perfect hue. Harder still is to imagine what that small sample will look like on a whole wall. The Paint Tester app will aid in the visualization process. Paint swatches of probable colors onto a well-lit area of your wall, then take a photo with your phone. Open the “color picker,” zoom in on the paint swatches in the photo, and tap. This color is now loaded and ready for you to “paint” with. Apply the paint with the use of a bucket or brush, and if you can’t stay within the lines, apply tape to the walls using the tape tool. Don’t want to go through the process of painting swatches? You can choose a paint color right from the app to try on for size.

3. SnapShop

If you have ever walked into a furniture store, you understand the feeling of sensory overload that can hinder you from being able to think straight. Not sure if the black entertainment center at IKEA would look better in your room than the dark oak piece at Horchow? From the comfort of your home, you can try things on for size using the SnapShop app.

Capture a photo of the room you are decorating, then select furniture, lighting, and accessories from the SnapShop catalogue, consisting of items from Horchow, Pier 1 Imports, IKEA, CB2, and Capitol Lighting, then place them in your room. Resize, tilt, and move items until your room looks exactly the way you want. Tap on the shopping cart that appears when you select an item and it will provide you with the retailer, price, dimensions, and even a link that will take you to their website to purchase the item. It is a modern-day version of window-shopping.

While military spouses will likely continue to drag every curtain they ever bought with them from house to house, hopefully the electronic age will make the constant adventure of redecorating a little bit easier.

Do you have a favorite decorating app you would like to share? We would love to hear from you!