AI in Interior Design: How to Keep Pace, Stay Relevant, and Elevate Your Value

We Are in the ‘Before’ - Even in the Week GPT5 launches

Right now, we are living in the before.

The rules are still being written. The winners of this particular battle - human designers versus the rise of AI-driven design - have not yet declared themselves.

That means there is everything to play for.

History tells us that in moments like this, the ultimate advantage rarely lies with those who have the biggest budget or the flashiest tools. It lies with those who make a conscious choice: to approach the challenge with clarity, curiosity, and courage.

As with most business success stories, the outcome will hinge not on what technology can do, but on how you choose to meet it:

• Your mindset - whether you see change as a threat or an invitation.
• Your approach - whether you cling to the old playbook or start writing the new one.
• Your next step - whether you wait to see what happens, or take the lead in shaping it.

We are at the beginning of a defining chapter for interior design. The next moves you make will decide whether you’re part of the group that gets swept along… or the one that sets the pace.

 Introduction

The tools that can transform an interior designer’s workflow already exist - at least in part. Some are polished, affordable, and ready to use today. Others are still early-stage, promise more than they deliver, or they are expensive and available only to firms with big systems budgets. But here’s the key point: it’s only a matter of time - and not much time - before these capabilities are superhuman and available to sole-trader and small-studio designers.

And it won’t stop there. The next wave is agentic AI systems - autonomous assistants that can be sent out to act on your behalf in the real world, and can even collaborate with other AI agents to handle complex, multi-step projects. Imagine giving your AI assistant a high-level brief (“Prepare the presentation package for next week’s client pitch”) and having it:

• source suppliers
• update plans and renders
• liaise with other AIs for scheduling, cost checking, and ordering
• return to you with a finished, client-ready file

In other words, the entire workflow of an interior design practice could soon be handled - or heavily assisted - by AI. 

This creates both a threat and an opportunity. If you operate as a vanilla designer, indistinct from the competition, you risk losing market share to digital-first competitors who are faster and cheaper.

But if you adopt these tools as they mature, you can match your digital competition on efficiency and productivity - and use your freed-up time and energy to build strength in the things AI currently can’t replicate: the uniquely human qualities you bring to your clients.

The Design Process - 20 Stages, Now with AI Assist

Below are the key stages in a typical residential design project, along with examples of how AI can (or will be able to) help you complete them faster, more accurately, or with more creative range.

1. Take the brief 

• Voice-record the meeting → instant AI transcription.
• AI summarises key points, priorities, and constraints.
• Drafts a formal brief, highlighting areas for clarification.

2. Analyse the brief

• Extracts themes, mood keywords, and functional requirements.
• Cross-references with case studies and flags mismatches (budget vs scope, style vs architecture).
• AI analyses for hidden preferences (e.g. "client keeps mentioning natural light", and flags as a key driver) 

3. Concept (early stage and improving fast👇) 

• Generates mood boards via Midjourney/DALL·E.
• Suggests colour palettes with real-world paint equivalents.
• Builds a “design narrative” linking visuals to the client’s story.

4. Survey the space

• LiDAR scans → AI converts to scale CAD/BIM files.
• Identifies structural elements, and potential design opportunities.

 5. Draw plans and elevations

• AI-enabled CAD plugins (e.g., Autodesk, SketchUp Copilot) auto-draft plans from scan data.
• Suggest optimal layouts according to design brief constraints - in development.
• Flag non-compliant elements against building regs.

6. Spatial planning (some available, some currently in development👇)

• AI runs multiple layout options instantly, showing trade-offs (storage vs circulation space).
• Simulate furniture arrangements and circulation flow using digital twins.
• AI auto-generates dimensioned layouts and 3D visualisations.

7. Sourcing (this section is also early stage / mixed success👇)

• Upload mood board → AI finds supplier matches via visual search.
• Auto-compile supplier contact lists, price ranges, and lead times.
• Suggest alternative products if lead times exceed deadline.

8. Decorative scheme 

• Generate multiple “style storyboards” with fabrics, finishes, and colours aligned to brief.
• AI suggests complementary finishes and styles from supplier catalogues (coming).
• Test colour schemes under different lighting via AI rendering.

9. Presentation materials (some early stage, but improving fast👇)

• Automatically compile final boards from AI-curated images, plans, and renders.
• Create client-friendly copy explaining design rationale.
• Export interactive PDFs or AR walk-throughs with one click.

10. Lighting Design 

• Auto-generate human-centric lighting plans based on room usage and architectural constraints (partially available, edging towards reliable).
• Simulate light levels and temperature over 24-hour cycles.
• Suggest fixtures matching desired ambience and budget.

11. Kitchen Design (available now but not fully-autonomous, with product recommendations held up only by the creation of commercial apps👇)

• Generate multiple kitchen layouts optimised for flow, storage, and ergonomics.
• Suggest appliance and material combinations with supplier data.
• Produce detailed joinery drawings from concept sketches.

12. Bathroom design (as above)

• Auto-layout sanitaryware and fittings within given dimensions.
• Check compliance with accessibility and plumbing requirements.
• Render finishes with photorealistic AI imagery for client approval.

13. Other specialist design  

• Auto-design small features (fireplaces, bespoke joinery, niche storage).
• Suggest proportionally correct detailing based on style library.

14. Produce estimates (once suppliers start offering open, real-time pricing feeds👇)

•  Link product list to live supplier pricing feeds.

• Auto-calculate total costs including delivery, VAT, and contingency.
• Flag areas where budget could be optimised without design compromise.

 15. Produce schedules  

• Auto-populate FF&E (furniture, fixtures, equipment) schedules from sourcing database.
• Attach images, dimensions, finishes, and supplier codes automatically. 

16. Produce specifications (again, dependent on human integration of systems with live supplier data)

• Generate technical specs directly from selected items’ manufacturer data.
• Format automatically for contractor-ready documentation.

17. Schedules of work (a vision of the near future, likely to be achieved by the development of agentic systems)

• Auto-generate a project programme based on chosen design, build time estimates, and supplier lead times.
• Flag potential sequencing conflicts.

 18. Meetings 

• Auto-record and transcribe meetings.
• Produce instant action lists and assign deadlines.
• Summarise decisions and update project tracker automatically.

19. Phone calls

• AI call summaries (via integrated CRM tools).
• Auto-log updates into client/project management software.

 20. Revisions  

• Detect requested changes from client feedback and auto-update drawings, schedules, and visuals.
• Suggest alternative solutions if requested change causes conflicts.

The majority of these actions can be reliably performed now by AI, others are in development, and that development is racing along. Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI) says he expects AGI (artificial general intelligence - a machine intelligence capable of understanding, learning, and applying knowledge across a wide range of tasks at a level equal to or beyond that of the average human) by the end of the decade 

Why Should You Care?

Because if you ignore this, you risk becoming slower, less responsive, and less competitive than AI-enabled rivals. In an industry where efficiency and precision matter, falling behind in your workflows can mean losing clients before you even pitch.

What Does It Mean for You?

It means your competitors - whether human or digital - will soon be able to deliver high-quality design packages at speed. If you want to stay relevant, you need to match them on productivity while offering a client experience they can’t:

• Human insight – seeing beyond the obvious to understand people’s needs and aspirations.

• Emotional intelligence – navigating relationships with empathy, tact, and awareness.

• Creative leadership – inspiring confidence through vision and originality.

• Trust – earning confidence through reliability and integrity.

• Aspirational presence – cultivating a personal brand and reputation that clients admire and want to align themselves with.

What Should You Do?

1. Adopt AI early – Learn the tools as they become available so you can use them instinctively.
2. Invest freed-up time in your “Veblen Service” qualities - the high-value traits that make your work desirable to high-net-worth clients:

Create scarcity and exclusivity around your services 

Amplify the prestige of your business and personal brands

Establish your authority and thought leadership

Strategically price above the market

Cultivate high-profile referrals and testimonials

Deliver exceptional personalisation and service

Elevate your network - move in rarified circles 

Gain visible recognition and awards

Maintain disciplined boundaries and grow your confidence 

Continuously innovate your model - don’t just match the market; evolve ahead of it.

Final Thought

The future belongs to those who blend the speed and precision of AI with the depth, taste, and human connection only a skilled designer can provide.

But it is all still to play for! If you've read and understood the 20-point list above, you're currently (August 2025) ahead. By embracing these tools and working now to build strength in your personal value, you won’t just survive the AI era - you’ll lead in it.