• News

January 12, 2006 - Swatchbox Technologies, a leader in home design software tools, announced today that Daltile, the nation’s largest manufacturer and distributor of ceramic tile and natural stone, has launched Design-A-Room, a design tool created using Swatchbox’s powerful Virtual Design toolset.

“Obviously, we are thrilled to have Daltile using our technology to help their designers and customers make more confident and informed purchase decisions,” said Michael Brunzell, vice president of sales and marketing for Swatchbox.  “The ability so see millions of possible tile, stone, slab and paint combinations on a photograph of your own room is really astounding.”

Following is an excerpt from the Daltile press release regarding the software’s launch.

Daltile Launches “Design-A-Room” Software
Program allows users to see company’s products in photo-realistic rooms;
can be used online or downloaded directly to user’s computer

DALLAS, January 11, 2006 – Daltile, the nation’s largest manufacturer and distributor of ceramic tile and natural stone, has launched a new design program, aptly called “Design-A-Room,” that allows users to view Daltile tiles and slabs in a selection of photo-realistic sample rooms or in photos of the user’s home which are uploaded into the program. The program features the Daltile’s entire catalog of porcelain, ceramic, natural stone, glass, metal and mosaic tiles, as well as stone slabs, medallions and decorative elements from all of the product collections.
“Design-A-Room” can be used to simulate a wide variety of applications, including floors, walls, backsplashes and countertops, as well as painted surfaces with the entire Sherwin Williams paint collection.  Using the easy-to-follow instructions, users first select an image or upload their own.  They can then create a number of surfaces and can then customize the tile color, patterns and grout colors.  “Design-A-Room” also allows users to print, save and e-mail their projects for reference.
“There are a number of room-design programs out there, but Daltile’s ‘Design-A-Room’ takes it to the next level.  Where others have limited product offerings and available room scenes and tile patterns, ‘Design-A-Room’ features every single product made by Daltile – including slabs, medallions and decorative elements – and more than 50 patterns.  We’ve pushed the limits of the design tools now available to our customers,” said Matthew Kahny, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Daltile.
 “Design-A-Room” can be used at no charge online via the company’s website (www.daltileproducts.com) or can be installed as a stand-alone program on the user’s computer for a small fee.  The stand-alone version boasts enhanced features not available online, including the ability for users to upload actual room photos from their homes.  Both versions include preloaded room scenes and are automatically updated as new products are introduced by the company.

About Swatchbox Technologies

Swatchbox Technologies™ (www.swatchbox.com) is a leader in virtual design tools for the home. We provide virtual design tools for manufacturers, retailers and online publishers. The company’s Swatchbox Rendering Engine enables homeowners to design and decorate using digital photographs of their own homes to make better design decisions before embarking on home improvement projects. Manufacturers of home design products gain increased awareness and purchase consideration of their products through interactive product placement within the company’s home design tools. Retailers provide homeowners with design tools that encompass entire home improvement projects and enjoy higher average ticket. Online publishers that offer home design tools on their websites benefit from increased traffic, session duration, user registrations and incremental advertising revenue. Swatchbox Technologies clients include Ace, Alcoa, Armstrong, Benjamin Moore & Co., Clopay, Dupont, Lowe’s, Mohawk, Pittsburgh Paints, Raynor, Sherwin Williams, Time Warner, True Value, Valspar, and Wayne-Dalton. Swatchbox Technologies is based in Westborough, Massachusetts.