How AI Is Transforming Interior Design

AI is rapidly changing the world and the field of interior design is no exception. In a highly visual industry that places great value on seeing a concept before starting a project, innovative design tools have always been at the forefront. Now, with the advent of AI, there is more scope than ever to show your client what they can have before they sign the contract.

AI interior design tools

AI-powered design tools make use of algorithms to create design concepts and layouts based on user inputs, such as the room size of a room, the client’s budget and personal taste in design styles.

They also help you save time and resources by allowing you to swiftly develop numerous design concepts for one project and showing your client how various pieces of furniture, colours and finishes could look.

Below we outline some of the most popular AI tools that interior designers are using today.

We recommend exploring the free or trial versions of these tools first to familiarise yourself with their features. Once you know your way around the various programmes, you’ll be able to best ascertain which tools will benefit you the most.

Most popular AI interior design tools

Planner 5D: A user-friendly tool with great flexibility for creating floor plans, room interiors and 3D renderings.

InteriorAI: A platform that can generate customised interior designs, from room layouts to bespoke furniture, based on user preferences and input.

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) design

Most interior designers are aware of AI tools and many of us have been using them for some time already. But in modern interior design, there are multiple technologies that are transforming the way design is done.

We’re talking about virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). So, what’s the difference between AI, VR and AR? Here are the key differentiators.

• AI-powered interior design tools use artificial intelligence to analyse personal preferences, suggest complementary colours and styles and offer interactive design options. These tools help designers create more personalised and engaging designs for their clients. They are not immersive, they are widely available and they have a relatively low cost.
• Virtual reality (VR) creates digital versions of spaces that users can explore in an immersive way. This allows clients to visualise their space before any physical work is done and to experiment with different layouts, materials and finishes. The platforms are fully immersive, not as widely available and come with a high cost.
• Augmented reality (AR) overlays digital content in the real world. This allows designers to see how specific design elements will look in a particular space, without having to make any physical changes. The platforms are partially immersive, not as widely available as AI and have a mid to high cost.

So in summary, VR and AR technologies can be powered by AI algorithms to improve the design process. To use these technologies, you’ll need to invest in a compatible device and appropriate software.

VR & AR design platforms

SketchUp: 3D model software that is extremely popular and offers VR and AR capabilities when linked to compatible devices such as Meta Quest Pro and Microsoft HoloLens.

Foyr: Cloud-based software that is very powerful and offers VR and AR features for design presentations.

Autodesk 3ds Max: Professional 3D modelling and rendering software that is a favourite among architects and that can create VR and AR visualisations.

Personalised interior design tools

Based on a user's interests and lifestyle, AI systems can suggest particular furniture pieces, colour schemes or design components to add to their space. They can also assist designers in creating specialised, one-of-a-kind designs for their clients.

We recommend using AI data-driven tools to gather insights about your customer preferences and improve your design concepts.

Interior design tools for customising design

Midjourney: An AI-powered platform that provides personalised design recommendations and helps interior designers manage their projects.

DecorMatters: A mobile app that uses AI to offer personalised design suggestions based on user preferences and allows users to visualise designs in their spaces using AR technology.

Canva: A graphic design platform that can help you create personalised design mood boards, presentations, and visual content based on user preferences.

Tools that track data and trends

Certain AI tools can track existing interior design trends, predict the next big thing and analyse the data from trends to help you ensure total client satisfaction. 

You can use AI-powered analytics tools to monitor general trend preferences or, if you have enough data on your clients, you can input their preferences to make sure your suggestions are relevant and have great appeal. 

AI data & analytics tools

WGSN: This trend forecasting platform analyses data to give you insights into interior design as well as other industries.

Google Trends: A user-friendly free tool that lets you track popular keywords and search terms related to interior design and architecture. 

Chaos Scans: This tool consists of an extensive library of realistic materials, allowing you to deep dive into textures, colours and finishes that are currently trending. 

Improved Client Communication 

While these tools are not exclusive to interior design and can be used in almost every area of business, they are changing the way we manage our client communication and projects by vastly improving speed and efficiency.

AI chatbots like ChatGPT can be programmed to manage certain areas of client communication - for example, scheduling appointments or answering FAQs. When used correctly, they can save you a huge amount of time on admin.

We recommend Integrating a chatbot into your website to respond automatically to live chats and enquiries. This will help you to streamline your customer interactions and ensure that you never leave a potential client hanging. 

ChatGPT: An AI language processing tool by OpenAI that can fulfil a variety of functions, including creating content, providing instructions on how to learn a new skill and finding the answers to questions. From a business perspective, you can incorporate it into your website or emails to optimise your client communication., 

Bard: Google's answer to ChatGPT. It has the same capabilities, but the key difference is that it draws real-time information from websites for its responses. The responses from ChatGPT use a restricted data set that has not been updated since 2021.  

Trello: This project management tool helps you track budgets, deadlines and other admin elements of your projects. The greatest advantage of Trello is that it can be integrated with language tools like ChatGPT to enhance your client communication within its project management processes. 

ProjeX: Our very own revolutionary project management software, built by designers for designers. This custom-built tool easily deals with all the headaches that we know you hate. It's free when you sign up for a (also free!) trade account. 

How FCI can help you with AI and interior design

We're a tech company hiding in a furniture showroom and we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of innovative technology and new software. Our designers use many of the tools mentioned here on a daily basis, so we're well-placed to help you get started or deepen your understanding of how to use them. 

Get in touch with us today and let's enhance your design business with the latest AI-powered interior design tools.