How AI Tools can help solve your decorating dilemmas
Story and photos by SHARON WHITE | AI photos generated by DecAI
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hire a professional interior designer to style your home? Well, now you can call on artificial intelligence to generate ideas and produce images with the simple touch of a button. Get inspiration to transform a room — or even design your dream house — with the help of your computer.
After downloading a photo of any room in your house, AI can analyze the room’s dimensions and existing layout to create realistic 3D renderings. It makes suggestions that can:
- optimize your current furniture layout or recommends new ones
- create different color schemes
- introduce innovative ways to accessorize
- help define your style aesthetic more clearly
Unbelievably, you will be able visualize your spaces in completely different ways.
Computer applications have been used for decades in industries such as furniture design, fashion and architecture to name a few.
Take a look at my living room, entryway and backyard before and after I created new designs using AI.
Did I enjoy using this tool to reinvent my spaces…Yes! It was fun, and I came away with a few new ideas (like painting my red brick fireplace to lighten it up). The one thing this app could not do was redesign a specific wall I had my TV on. It kept thinking it was a living room remodel and insisted on putting a sofa on the wall, instead of giving me hints on how to design around my TV, which is what I wanted.
How to use AI to generate interior design ideas:
- Choose one of the many interior design apps available online and create an account at a nominal cost (I chose DecAI). I paid $7.99 to use it for one week.*
- Follow the instructions and download a photo of your room (e.g., living room, bedroom, bathroom, entryway). I used my phone to take pictures.
- Choose a style: For example — traditional, modern, cozy, minimalist, Scandinavian, luxury, farmhouse, mid-century, Mediterranean, rustic, etc. You can even pick a theme like Christmas or Halloween.
- Select a color palette.
- Press a button.
Your computer will produce original design options within seconds, and you can edit even more with prompts. You get to decide if you want to use your existing furniture layout or change it. Some websites even provide links to buy furniture.
Of course, AI can never replace the personal touch you put into your own decorating, using pieces you’ve loved and collected over the years. But with the magic of these design tools, you can reimagine your interiors, exteriors, gardens, patios and pools. You can experiment with ideas and layouts before you commit.
You can become your own interior designer — styling the home of your dreams with ideas you may never have thought of. The possibilities are endless.
*Note: Here are some other interior design apps: www.homedesigns.ai, www.homestyler.com, www.decormatters.com, www.roomgenius.com (Be sure to read the fine print when subscribing to these websites.)
