How AI is Redefining the Future of Interior Design

By Anjana Nair - Interior Design Faculty

While creativity, intuition, and understanding of space usage are important aspects of interior design, an interesting trend has begun to evolve in our industry: interior design is quietly benefiting from the power of artificial intelligence as a co-designer.
While AI might be perceived as a tool only applicable to data scientists or engineers, in reality, AI is changing the way interior spaces are thought of, organized, and customized.

From Sketches to Smart Ideas - Traditionally, it has taken designers many hours to generate design concepts through the process of material discovery, mood boards, and sketching. However, with the emergence of AI technologies, it is now possible for designers to generate multiple design concepts in as short a time as it takes to read this paragraph, although the process is still as creative as it has ever been.
It is worth noting that the emergence of AI technologies has actually hastened the design process rather than replacing it with artificial creativity.

Visualization Unlike Any Other - One of the major advantages of AI in interior design is advanced visualization. Today, it is possible to create highly realistic interior designs, and in some cases, it is even possible to make changes in real-time to furniture, lighting, or materials used in interior designs.
Client presentations also become all the more interesting with advanced visualization in interior designs. Clients are able to see instantly how changes in lighting, texture of walls, or flooring materials will look in the entire room.

Creating Environments for People - At the end of it all, interior design is all about people, and AI examines lifestyle trends and functional needs to help designers understand their users better.
For example, AI tools may suggest the optimal office design for maximum efficiency, lighting, or furniture placement to improve room traffic flow, thus enabling designers to create beautiful and functional spaces.
Encouragement of Sustainable Desig n- Today, design is making sustainability its top priority. At the beginning of the design process, AI systems may aid designers in making better choices by simulating sunshine, energy use, and efficiency in materials.
Designers may create spaces that are aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly by making maximum use of natural sunlight and green materials.

The Leader Is Still the Designer
All these advancements notwithstanding, AI would still be unable to replace emotion, culture, and spatial storytelling in a project.
While having a perfect layout and color scheme is a part of a lovely home, it is also about creating a space that is inviting for its users.
While AI can assist, suggest, and evaluate, it would still be up to the designer to make the final decision on the creative concept.

Design's Future
The relationship between AI and interior design would continue to grow stronger with more advancements in technology. Interior designers would be able to be more efficient in their work by having more ideas and creating more customized spaces if they can integrate these technologies in their designs.
AI is actually making us more creative instead of replacing a designer.