About Us

About Modelrooms

Hi, I’m Katie Galvin, inventor of Modelrooms and lover of all things house plan related.

I have been working with Architects and Interior Designers for over 20 years. I trained as a graphic designer and modelmaker but my passion was always in the area of architecture. To be more specific I love plans, drawings, and all things building related. I run my own scale modelmaking business. We make models for Architects and Interior Designers.

Our job as modelmakers is to present architects plans in a way that everyone can understand them. I wanted to find a way to make scale plans easier to understand for non-architects.

The Spark that led to the invention of the Modelrooms Kits

When I was helping my brother understand his house extension plans I could see that he was stuck in ‘decision paralysis’ with 2 very different layouts to choose from.

The problem was he was looking at plans with no furniture. As homeowners we relate to furniture and physical stuff way better than empty room shapes. Once I added scale furniture to the plan he said he felt like someone “turned the lights on”. Within hours he knew exactly what he wanted and was ready to move forward with his plans.

The best way to plan a successful renovation is to literally think through your day to day movements … then look at how your plans work in each scenario.

We call it ‘Test Driving’ your house layout

After all you wouldn’t dream of buying a new car without taking it for a test drive … so why take the risk of ‘hoping’ your house layout will work.

If you do nothing else, find a way to do this … obviously we think the best way to do it is with one of our magnetic planning kits. If you have the time, you can also draw the furniture to scale with graph paper, cut out the pieces, and create your plans on paper.

Kitchen planning is not rocket science but there are just SO MANY OPTIONS …

It can feel daunting if you have no design skills.

You might be surprised to know that even if you ‘can’t draw a straight line’ you can create a scale plan in less time than it takes to boil the kettle. Modelrooms wants to help you get control of your renovations and talk confidently about your new plans with your architect or builder.

The stakes are so high when you renovate. If you get it wrong you have to live with a bad layout … or pay a fortune to change it.

If you get your layout right you can feel confident that your new home will be a success.

Test Drive your home layout before you start renovating.

 

Our Professional Interior Design Kits

Soon after launching our signature Home Design Kit we were amazed at how many Interior Designers and Building Professionals were buying our kits. We hadn’t realised it, but naturally if you need to communicate your design with a client you are going to love anything that quickly gets your client on board with what works … and more importantly what does not work in their space.

We followed the launch of our Home Design Kit with a more comprehensive Interior Designer Kit. A bigger kit with more roomsets it works for even the largest of homes. All packed in a professional portfolio case. Interior Designers, House Builders, Kitchen Fitters and Building Professionals were all looking for a way to quickly communicate on-site. A way to explain concepts to clients who just can’t read architectural plans. Believe it or not about half of the world struggles with reading architectural plans. Often the most frustrating part is when one half of a couple ‘gets’ the plans and the other is totally lost. It means no one wants to move forward because of the fear that they will not like the end result.

Recently I worked with my sister on her tiny cottage renovation. My sister is way smarter than I am but when it comes to understanding space and visualising plans she feels lost. So often I had to say ‘no that wont fit in your house’ to pictures from her Pinterest boards. With the Modelrooms kit she was able to physically move the pieces and see for herself what would and would not fit. It literally saved hours of me trying to explain the space. Or worse she could have ordered stuff and found out the expensive way that her space was too small for her ideas.

We recently further extended the range with our Bepoke Interior Models. These are for the client with a budget to get a physical model of their space. Also used by Interior Designers when they have a special design they want to keep as a showcase in their office. Use it to wow potential new clients. We all have those special jobs we loved where we know we did an amazing job and got the space just right. Nothing feels better than knowing you made the most of a layout and fixed a ‘broken’ plan. We can even model the before and after version if you really want the ultimate showcase.

For queries about our kits feel free to contact us and we will happily help you out