How interior designers are using AI as a game-changing way to ‘try out new styles’

A recent survey by the Royal Institute of British Architects revealed that 41 per cent of interior design professionals now use artificial intelligence (AI), with the figure expected to rise over the next two years. ‘AI helps the client quickly see how an idea will look,’ says Alexis Givens (@on.the.shelfie), founder of design company Sasco Hill Studio, who incorporates AI software in the creation of moodboards and design schemes. ‘It helps them see the potential of a space when trying out new styles and upholstery techniques they may not have the courage to try in the real world.’

MEDITERRANEAN FANTASY This bedroom – part of an imagined house on the island of Capri – was designed to be like a ‘contemporary grotto’, according to its creator Seydou Djermakoye, who used AI in the process. With rustic furniture set against white walls, linen and stone, it conjures the feeling of ‘letting the outside in’.

Meanwhile, for non-pros, platforms such as midjourney.com require only an uploaded photo of your room, followed by a string of simple design commands – such as ‘large windows, warm colour palette, cosy atmosphere’ – to prompt an algorithm that creates an original image based on your preferences, often in seconds.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE For this cool, clean digitally created concept, architect Nicholas Préaud and artist Charlotte Taylor have combined playfulness with mid-century sophistication. The concave walls of the building and organic curved furniture are intended to exist ‘around and in between the landscape’ – here imagined as the Brazilian rainforest.

If you’re at the experimenting stage, try out different looks on superdwell.co, a free platform that enables users to test out any design styles – from art deco to rustic farmhouse. It offers AI-generated interior designers that convert the user’s specifications into a bespoke scheme.

ON THE ROCKS Could AI help us find new ways to build in places we’d never usually consider? This domed hideaway with a secret lift cut into a mountainside is a vision by artist and designer Riccardo Fornoni.

Don’t fancy dealing with bots? Withflitch.com is a design tool that combines AI technology with human stylists (from £25) to source pieces from more than 100 UK retailers. The platform pairs the user with a stylist to create a shortlist of furniture based on your desired aesthetic. AI then scans the UK furniture market before putting together several options to choose from.

MAKING SPACE In this concept for an airy open-plan living area, Préaud takes modern living to the next level. Combining high ceilings, white stone, pine and marble with minimal furniture, he blends Scandinavian minimalism with rustic charm.

‘It is a step beyond designing the room scheme,’ says co-founder Daniel Ufland. ‘AI-generated furniture looks great and allows users to see how a space might look, but it’s not available to buy. We bridge that gap.’

If you just want a spruce-up, homestyler.com enables users to test how furniture, walls or floors might look in a different colour or material for free. To find out which items would best suit your room, sofabrain.com analyses its dimensions, then suggests the best options.

CONCRETE CALM This imaginary forest dwelling from David Alf blends concrete with teak furniture and shelving to create a muted yet warm feel. The space is bathed in light from floor-to-ceiling windows.

Such convenience begs the question: if clients can obtain something that is supposedly 80 per cent as good as a professional’s work for free, will they still pay for the real thing? ‘Yes,’ says Givens. ‘AI cannot replace designers. It’s purely a tool that amplifies creativity, streamlines workflow and gives us opportunities to explore the unknown.’

Photographs from Living in a Dream, edited by Robert Klanten and Masha Erman, published by Gestalten, £35. To order a copy for £29.75 with free delivery until 16 March, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937