TNS
AI can now help plan a room before a single chair moves, testing layouts, colours, furniture and styles in seconds.
How well do AI tools help when it comes to interior design?
Author: Eva Dignös
Berlin — Will the table really fit between the window and the door? Will there be enough room to get around it without bumping into the corner? And would that maximalist wallpaper actually suit your home?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly helping people visualize how furnishings might look in their homes before they commit to a purchase.
Such digital tools are helping at the stage when you look for ideas for your interior design plus when it comes to the actual planning.
How well do they work, though? We tested a couple from the wide range available that are suitable even for people with no prior experience.
You upload pictures of a particular room and apply different interior design styles, create floor plans and furnish them, or design new room concepts based on text input.
This can be very practical. It is not just a digital gimmick, if you ask Eva Hofmann, an interior designer and AI consultant from Bavaria. “These tools can be a helpful source of inspiration, as long as you don’t expect them to come up with the perfect interior design suggestion in 30 seconds.”
Start with popular voice-based chatbots such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini or Claude AI, she says. Their strength lies in their ability to engage in dialogue.
In response to queries, the AI refines its suggestions or offers alternatives. “The more precise the prompt – that is, the instruction given to the tool – the more helpful the answer,” says Hofmann.
Conversely, this means that a very general question such as “What might a home office workspace in the living room look like?” is unlikely to yield a practically useful answer.
What do I actually want? Work on your prompts
A good prompt should describe the project as specifically as possible, Hofmann says.
So consider why you need a workspace in the living room, how often and for how long will you use it – and should it be hidden away in the evenings? Do you need storage space or a place for a printer alongside the desk?
“Ideally, specify which colours and materials you prefer too,” she says. Once you’ve got the answer, you can then go into more detail, ask follow-up questions or for advice, just as you would in a chat with a designer.
The aim is to define your individual needs as clearly as possible.
“Most people don’t give enough thought at the start to what they actually want to change. They just sense that something isn’t quite right,” says Hofmann.
A human architecture or interior design professional knows exactly what questions to ask.
“AI is always keen to offer a solution straight away.” And because the systems work with learnt patterns and trends, the answers are based on what is generally popular.
“But just because green walls are in vogue doesn’t mean they automatically suit me and my flat,” says Hofmann.
My feelings about furniture
Your decorating decisions are not just about the size of your room, number of windows or ceiling height. “A room is made up of many elements, including the light, the view and the materials,” says Catharina Förster, professor of interior planning and design at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Germany’s Dessau.
The way we live is deeply personal and individual, she says. “Developing a sense of what works for you is also part of personal development.”
You may then wonder how or whether AI can capture emotional attachments to a piece of furniture, for example. After all, in functional terms, it might make sense to position a cupboard behind the room door so that you have a good view of the windows opposite when you go in.
But that self-same cupboard could also be an heirloom you are deeply attached to. You may want to display it more prominently. Much depends on who lives in the home, says Förster. “Families, for example, have completely different needs to single people.”
Pick the right tool
Specialized tools allow for more detailed and visual planning than ChatGPT and the like. Consider Planner 5D, RoomGPT, Interior AI and Homestyler. RoomGPT, for instance, offers various interior design options based on uploaded photos, while with Planner 5D you first create a floor plan and then use AI to position the furniture.
You can usually test a tool for a brief trial period, sometimes with limited functionality, free of charge. Generally, after that, you need a paid subscription. And some stores, such as interior design chain IKEA, offer their own apps for their products.
AI specialist Hofmann recommends you try out several tools. Consider whether they are intuitive to use and if they offer all the features required for your interior design project?
Bear in mind also that AI planners are often overwhelmed by complex architectural features such as sloping ceilings, bay windows, load-bearing walls or split-level layouts.
The tool may generate suggestions that fail to take structural constraints or structural requirements into account. The tools are also sometimes weak when it comes to light simulation.
Most apps do not adequately replicate how natural light changes a room at different times of day. “You can’t rely on the colour representation on the screen,” says Hofmann. Apply a test coat of paint to your walls when you’re choosing new colours.
She also recommends that you always view samples on walls or on the floor in person. “You have to experience that in the room.”
Avoid entering sensitive details
The tool you pick may suggest you upload photos of your home. That means you are sharing personal information. Most providers store these images on their servers. “It’s essential to check the terms of use beforehand, particularly regarding how long data is stored and whether it may be used for training purposes,” says Hofmann.
With a subscription, some providers offer more options to customise data protection settings, such as having images deleted immediately after use.
European providers are subject to the General Data Protection Regulation, which offers a certain level of protection. Providers outside the EU may be subject to different standards. If in doubt, remove any sensitive details such as valuables or private photos before you upload any images.
More broadly, thinking interior design, with or without AI, can generate perfect results is the wrong approach, says architecture professor Catharina Förster.
An AI simulation can “create a pretty picture”. But how it actually feels when you place your armchair against the wall the AI suggests is something you have to feel for yourself.
That feeling may also change over time. Maybe you like sitting near the window in summer, but not in winter. As Förster puts it, living is not something that you finish doing. “It is a process.”
Credits: TCA, LLC.