Decorating Your Home with a Designer Versus AI

Dear CJ,

I have been playing around with decorating my home with an AI app. I like some of the ideas, but I’m not sure about others. What are the benefits of decorating a home with a designer versus AI?

Respectfully,

Stephanie T.

Dear Stephanie,

Thank you for reaching out about this. I’ve found that some of my clients use AI for ideas for their home projects. But I have also been finding out from them the challenges they face after they come up with a decorating concept from AI.

Let me share some of those with you and hopefully that will guide you in making a sound decision on how to proceed with decorating your home with a designer versus AI.

here are the pros and cons you need to know...

1. A Designer can do more than help you visualize.

   Designers not only have the professional, skilled training but also have the ability to visualize the options in their minds. Some years back, I was presenting a webinar for interior designers on decorative window treatments. In preparing, I came across an online article that stated that only 10% of the population can visualize. I was taken back by this statement because for those of us that have the ability to visualize it comes so easily. After thinking about it, it came to mind that almost every one of my clients on the initial consultation shared their frustration for not being able to visualize. It makes sense, because a large majority of the people that hire an interior designer are left brain thinkers where designers are naturally right brain thinkers and work hard to develop the left brain to run their business.

   So with that said, AI can help you with visualizing the end result if you know what to ask for. Whereas, a good designer will work to understand your preferences, lifestyle and the appropriate style for the home you live in. Designers will also take in consideration what you already own and love; those pieces you don’t want to part with.

   Designers’ software is generally much more sophisticated, giving you the best visualization and rendering of the end result. Designers will also preselect the furniture, fabrics, and accessories so you don’t have to do the searching. They make those selections based on what they already know about you, whether from an intake form or, in my case, a client profile and the initial meeting.

This is an AI generated rendering. It’s not bad for those of you who want to search for products and the right vendors to implement it.

This is a 3D rendering by one of my designers, using actual products the client could purchase. Our software helps visualize the space beautifully in natural lighting.

2. A Designer can help you weigh out the choices.

In my experience as a designer, clients don’t always say yes to everything we select. It’s exciting when they do, but it’s not always the case. That said, we generally come prepared with other options so the client can be part of the selection process without being overwhelmed by too many choices.

Just yesterday, a new client contacted me about shutters she was about to order through a vendor she found before hiring me. I knew the vendor and felt confident she was in good hands. However, she told me that he was recommending 3” shutters for her traditional home. I felt the 2.5” would be a better fit for her traditional style and preferences. Plus, she has a very unattractive view she is trying to conceal while still letting in some additional light. She has 2 large skylights near the windows that do a great job of flooding the room with natural light. That said, she put a photo of the window into an AI tool. It helped her see what the difference would look like, but she still couldn’t decide. She was literally at the airport getting ready to board a plane to Florida, and she was so overwhelmed. I called her, and we talked through the pros and cons of each option. She decided to order the 2.5” that I recommended. I have seen so many shutters installed in my decades as a designer; I know it will be the best choice for her and her husband.

3. A designer can help you find the right vendors and contractors to see your project to reality.

I've worked with several clients for decades, designing and redesigning their homes to suit their ever-changing lifestyles. In many cases, their grown children have hired me, some to work with them locally and some to work with them virtually. But just last week, one of my clients, whom we are finishing up on some large projects we took on this year, told me that his daughter-in-law was working with an AI app to design their new-to-them home. He said she was doing a decent job, but the downside was that she didn’t know who to turn to for implementing the designs. So, she is using all the contractors and vendors I used for his project. With all the business him and his wife have given me, I was happy to see them share our sources with their son and daughter-in-law. I know they’re in good hands.

If you have connections like this, AI might be a good fit for your home decorating projects; if not, it can be frustrating and detrimental to your project. If you plan to go this route, please read this to help guide you.

I hope this helps you understand the pros and cons of decorating your home with a designer versus an AI ap. Good luck!

If you’re still struggling, consider my Local or Online Design Services!

I’m here to help!

Your Home Loving Expert,

CJ