UK-based “room planning” service MyDeco has launched in the USA in a move that ties in with the company switching its fun, useful interactive tool from Flash to Javascript.
Launched in February 2008 by Brent Hoberman, co-founder of Lastminute.com, MyDeco allows users to mark out accurate 3D representations of rooms in their house and fill them with real-life items. As well as being able to see what that new TV or those new curtains will look like, the service lets users buy the items directly from the site.
It’s been something of a hit in the UK, now boasting over a million visitors per month, over 100,000 registered members and over 175,000 room designs having been created.
The US site stocks 7 million homeware products from over 1,200 American retailers; from big box stores to niche retail outlets.
The launch of the US site coincides with MyDeco joining big names like Google, Apple and Facebook in an exodus from Flash to more lightweight tools that work on a wider range of devices.
The new 3D room planner is built in JavaScript instead of Flash, making it accessible on web-enabled mobile devices as well as full-fat browsers. MyDeco says that the tool uses high quality CGI with physically correct light simulation for a professional 3D effect.
Having given it a whirl, we’ll agree that it’s a fast and easy way of planning out the room of your dreams – and running up quite a hefty shopping list in the process. Once saved, your room designs can be rendered into sleek look 3D views like the one below.
Pretty slick, must be said
Is there some reason that you selected or that mydeco selected a room that was created 18 months ago in September 2008 under the old planner using Flash not Javascript at the example in your article?
If you mean the render at the bottom, that was supplied by MyDeco as an example. The screenshot at the top of the post was created by me using the Javascript tool about 10 minutes before publishing the post!
Thank you! I had rather thought I saw the hand of mydeco on that error!
Regards,
Sylvia
Great post Martin thanks for sharing it.