My Experience with Redecor – Home Design Game
I grabbed this app out of pure curiosity last year after seeing someone post a screenshot of their design on Reddit. Honestly, I thought it’d be another one of those fake mobile games that just pushes ads on you every 30 seconds. But the concept of interior design without spending real money on actual furniture pulled me in. I’ve been using it on my Samsung Galaxy A54 for just over a year now, mostly during my late-night wind-down time or when I’m waiting for my coffee to brew in the morning. It’s strangely satisfying to pick paint colors and arrange throw pillows in a way I’d never afford in real life. The graphics are decent for a mobile game — not pixelated or laggy on my phone. But I’ll be real: the novelty wears off after a while, and you start noticing the patterns. Some rooms feel too similar, and the voting system can be frustrating when you pour effort into a design and it gets like 3.5 stars. Still, I keep coming back. There’s something calming about it after a stressful day.
Features Worth Noting
The main draw is the design challenges. You get a blank room with specific requirements — like “modern living room” or “cozy bedroom” — and you pick from a catalog of furniture, wallpapers, flooring, and decor. Some items come from real brands, which is a neat touch. You can vote on other people’s designs, and that part actually helps you earn in-game currency. The social features let you chat with others, but I honestly never use that; feels unnecessary for a game like this. There’s also a “My Designs” gallery where you can save and share your favorite rooms. They add new items every few weeks, which keeps things from getting completely stale. But I wish they’d add more variety in room layouts instead of just swapping out the color palette.
What Needs Work
The biggest annoyance is the currency system. You have cash and gold, and gold items are way too expensive for what you earn. I’ve hit a wall multiple times where I can’t afford a nice rug or a decent sofa without either grinding those voting rounds for hours or caving and buying gold packs. Also, the design challenges repeat — I’ve seen the exact same “beachside bathroom” challenge three times in the last six months. Feels lazy. And the voting mechanic can be weird. Sometimes you get matched against someone with obviously better items, and it’s just not fair. Lastly, the app asks for permissions I’m not comfortable with — like accessing photos and storage. I denied those and it still works fine, but why does a design game need my photo gallery? That’s shady.
Pricing
You can play for free, and I’ve managed over a year without spending a cent. But the free experience is slow. You earn maybe 500 coins per challenge win, while a decent sofa costs 2000 gold coins. Gold items are locked behind a separate currency that you earn very slowly or buy with real money. Packs range from $2 to $100, which feels steep for a mobile game. I refuse to pay because I don’t trust the developer with my payment info. If you’re patient, you can scrape by, but if you want the good stuff, you’ll feel pressured to open your wallet.
Developer Notes
Reworks Ltd. seems to update the app regularly — every few weeks there’s a new theme or item pack. That’s good. But I’ve noticed the updates often introduce more paid items rather than quality of life improvements. There’s no way to filter items by style or color in the design mode, which is a basic feature I’d expect after a year. The app also has a tendency to crash occasionally when loading a new challenge, though restarting fixes it. I haven’t contacted support, so I can’t vouch for them, but I’ve seen reviews saying it takes days to get a reply.
Security & Privacy
This is where my guard is up. The app tracks your activity across other apps and websites — I checked the privacy policy. It collects personal info like email, device ID, and purchase history. Third-party analytics are baked in. For a design game, that’s excessive. I’m not comfortable with my data being sold to advertisers. I use a throwaway email and denied photo access. If you care about privacy, be careful. The app works fine without those permissions, so who knows why they ask.
How do the design challenges work in Redecor?
You receive a blank room with specific requirements like 'modern living room' or 'cozy bedroom,' then choose from a catalog of furniture, wallpapers, flooring, and decor—some from real brands. After completing your design, you can submit it for voting to earn in-game currency.
What is the 'My Designs' gallery feature in Redecor?
The 'My Designs' gallery lets you save and share your favorite room creations. It's a handy way to showcase your best work and revisit past designs, though the app also adds new items every few weeks to keep the catalog fresh.
Why can't I afford gold items in Redecor without spending real money?
Gold items are priced high—like a sofa costing 2000 gold coins—while you earn gold very slowly through challenge wins and voting. To speed things up, you can buy gold packs ranging from $2 to $10, but you can also grind voting rounds for hours to earn more.
Why does Redecor ask for access to my photos and storage?
The app requests photo and storage permissions, likely for saving or sharing your designs, but you can deny these and the game still works fine. Many users find this request unnecessary for a design game, so it's safe to decline if you're uncomfortable.
How does Redecor compare to other home design games like Design Home?
Redecor focuses on interior design challenges with real brand items and a voting system to earn currency, while Design Home often emphasizes more social features and a wider variety of room layouts. Redecor's free experience is slower due to its dual currency system, but it's less ad-heavy than many competitors.
