Home decor goes DIY online

Websites give consumers control over a wide variety of materials, services and pricing options

When it comes to his do-it-yourself online products and services for home decor, Chen Zaochun, president and chief executive of BDhome, says they include: "Living area, dining area, bedrooms, study, decoration, art, lighting, carpeting, curtains, textile, you name it."

Chen has been working in the housing sector for more than two decades. He is now eyeing innovative home decoration and furnishing.

It is a 4 trillion yuan ($620 billion; 543 billion euros) market, a cake "too huge to be ignored".

Using Dassault Systemes' technologies in transformative digital services, DIY platform aims to provide 3-D technologies that can recreate a physical showroom experience online.

China's home decoration market is using internet technologies to move offline showrooms online, creating a one-stop location for design and purchase of products and services for home decor.

Online showrooms are virtual meeting points for consumers, designers, constructors and product suppliers. More than 50 home decoration websites were established by 2015.

More than 35 have received funding from venture capitalists, according to a research report by the Beijing-based SootooTOO Research Institute, which focuses on online markets.