Welcome — plus 21 websites for free CAD blocks, an actual free CAD block, a book, and something cool
Hi!
If we haven’t officially met (or it’s been a while....I took a brief life detour to get divorced, eek), I’m Alexandra — a residential designer using AutoCAD for 20+ years on real projects with real budgets and real deadlines.
I don’t actually care about AutoCAD for its own sake. I’m a designer first.
But I care deeply about what being skilled at it has made possible in my career and I want to share that with other designers, especially interior designers.
Having replicable, professional CAD systems is a game changer in a highly competitive industry where every minute counts.
If you want your drawings to be professional, consistent, and easy for your team to follow — without losing creative control to another member of the design team (rhymes with smarkitect)— this email is for you.
Some of you signed up for my list of 20 (actually 21) websites where you can download free AutoCAD blocks last spring, but not everyone got it (or even knew about it!). So let’s start fresh:
👉 Download the free CAD block resource list here
Using ready-made, correctly scaled blocks is one of the easiest ways to:
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save time
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make sure your team is following the same standards
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stop guessing at sizes or layouts
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ensure that specified products actually fit
- bring your 2D drawings to life so clients and contractors understand them faster
Here’s how I’ll be emailing you from now on — useful, short and hopefully at least a little bit sweet:
1. I'll include a free CAD block
Something I made, actually use, and swear by. Call me a dork, but I think blocks are fun 🤓
(All blocks will be saved back to AutoCAD 2013.) Reply to this email and tell me what version you're using. I'd love to know.
This week's free downloadable CAD block is the Technivorm Moccamaster. My ex was a huge coffee lover and he swore that this luxury drip coffee maker was the bee's knees. I couldn't personally tell the difference but I do appreciate the sleek aesthetics. Plus it comes in lots of fun colors and looks like it will ship in time for Christmas if you have a chic coffee enthusiast in your life.
→ Download here. Let me know if you have any issues. This is my first newsletter and I'm terrified :)
2. A book I love
Sometimes design, sometimes not. Just books I’ve genuinely gotten something from.
Also: I plan to read a ridiculously over-the-top romance novel in 2026, so send recommendations.
This weeks book: Our Way Home by Heide Hendricks and Rafe Churchill. If I were somehow handcuffed and forbidden to design my own home, these are the folks I would hire. They rectify the bones of historic houses and layer in bold color combos and modern textiles. Yummmmm.
3. One cool thing
A product, project, or detail I’m into right now.
I've been in love with this bathtub for as long as I've been a designer. Do you know anyone who wouldn't take a bath in a gigantic Jordan almond, given the chance? I sure don't.
Next month I’ll also share details about a small beta of my AutoCAD course, The aCADemy, for designers who want a repeatable, professional drawing system that actually works for their business. No pressure — I’ll explain it when the time comes.
I’d love to hear from you! Hit reply if there’s a specific block you wish existed, a CAD question you’re struggling with, or anything you want to see in these emails. I read every response and genuinely want to help.
For now, grab the block list and steal whatever’s useful.
Really glad you’re here.
—
Alexandra
Studio Rose Design
www.studiorosedesign.com
P.S. CAD can be frustrating when you’re busy and cobbling drawings together — but it doesn’t have to be. We’ll talk about that too.
P.S.S. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases
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