If you have a little patience for a little bit of a steep learning curve, and you think well in 3D, then I think Google SketchUp is the best thing going - and it's free! Watch the online video tutorials. Once you get the basic concepts you can go to work. It's a generic 3D modeler, but is particularly well suited for architecture. You really are virtually unlimited in what you can model. I've modeled our entire Kitchen/Family Room with vaulted ceilings running in two directions down to the fraction of an inch, and have used to plan our upcoming remodel.

Sketchup It has a learning curve but its very powerful and flexible. It's free and there are plug ins for kitchens if you want them. Many online tutorials to get you going. I've found it to be invaluable for working with my architect, KD and contractor-- really helps to communicate ideas clearly. Attached is a sample of one of my drawings rendered with a free plug in. We are using semi custom cabinets so I was able to use actual room and cabinet dimentions to get pretty close to what we eventually ordered. Having said that there is a lot of detail involved and I really relied on the pros once we exchanged ideas and made final decisions. It's fun too (eventually)! Here is a link that might be useful: Sketchup

Hmmm, I think jonnyp's "hd" might mean "Home Depot". They have their own program. I tried Google Sketch-Up two years ago, and couldn't get far on my own. It might be easier now and have more things from others to input and make easier instead of starting from scratch. We have Better Homes & Gardens Architectural Home Designer, and we have been delighted with the 3D views ("camera", "dollhouse", etc). Those views are so helpful to us so that we can see how it will really *feel* to be in the space. I'm not as proficient as my spouse, who was a whiz at graphic programs like Photoshop. Even so, I managed to mock up our existing kitchen so that it looked like our current kitchen. That's when I knew the program was really good. :-) I think AHD was $199 when I bought it. If I wasn't spending so much on my kitchen, I would have gone for the next higher version ($499) to get more flexibility on drawing custom cabinets. Still, the Arch Home Designer level was worth it for the visualizations out of the box. Plus every month, they have free webinars on how to do things--and those are good for learning as well. Here are some images from my use of AHD to plan my kitchen: http://s690.photobucket.com/albums/vv269/la_koala/June_kitchen_planning/http://s690.photobucket.com/albums/vv269/la_koala/June_kitchen_planning/ I just love how I can pretend to walk in the rear door and see how it'll feel.

Try google sketch up. It's free. There are also free training videos you can watch to learn it.