AI Design Apps: Did They Make My Apartment Look…Weird?

The AI Interior Designer: A Search for the Perfect Digital Decorator

The allure of a perfectly designed home isn’t new, but with the rise of generative AI, the promise of a personalized, tech-powered makeover seems closer than ever. I recently decided to test this out firsthand, leveraging various AI tools to redesign my studio apartment. I envisioned a sleek midcentury modern aesthetic, and with a modest budget, I hoped AI could bridge the gap between my dreams and reality. However, my journey unveiled a truth – while AI is a powerful tool, its journey towards becoming a reliable interior designer is still in its nascent stages.

My experiment involved exploring a spectrum of AI platforms, ranging from broad-based chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini to specialized design apps such as Spacely AI, Decoratly, and RoomGPT, even including Ikea’s custom ChatGPT designed for furniture suggestions. My strategy was simple – I uploaded images of my apartment and provided two prompts: “Give me a storage solution for this area” and "Transform this image into a midcentury modern-style living room." Let’s delve into the results:

ChatGPT and Gemini: The Multi-taskers With Design Aspirations

As language model heavyweights, ChatGPT and Gemini were not geared specifically for design. Still, I was hopeful for insights and perhaps even photo edits reflecting their suggestions.

While both provided reasonable storage recommendations – with ChatGPT even advising on materials for maintaining the midcentury modern theme – neither could manipulate the image or generate personalized design concepts. Essentially, they remained strong conversational AI but fell short as interior design collaborators.

• Cost: ChatGPT (free and $20 per month), Gemini (free and $19.99 per month with Google One).

Ikea’s AI: A Salesperson With Design Ambitions

Ikea’s custom GPT chatbot, launched in February 2024, aimed to guide shoppers through the furniture selection process. It felt more like a product recommendation tool than a true design assistant. When I uploaded a photo of a rather cluttered corner of my living room, it suggested a storage rack for my yoga mat (and what it interpreted as a travel pillow) – a solution that seemed more focused on selling its products than addressing my specific needs.

While it did provide accurate furniture suggestions based on my midcentury modern and dark wood preferences, the experience felt transactional rather than creative and left me longing for more immersive design assistance.

• Cost: Free at the OpenGPT Store.

Spacely AI: Promising, But Still Under Construction

Spacely AI, a popular choice among online design enthusiasts, offered promising features, including photo redesign, room furnishing, and prompt-driven modifications. I was impressed by its customizable approach, allowing users to adjust adherence to style preferences, colors, and textures.

However, the limited capabilities of the free version hampered its potential. While it recognized my desire for midcentury modern style with predominantly wooden furniture, the generated images were largely inconsistent with my expectations. For example, my plastic containers morphed into wooden cylinders, while a lemon seemingly transformed into a blue egg. It seemed the AI struggled to interpret some objects, highlighting the ongoing challenge of image recognition within generative AI.

• Cost: Free and $20.75 per month (yearly plan) or $39 per month (monthly plan) for the Pro version.

Decoratly: Style Vision, But With Limitations

Decoratly presented a unique approach, offering style transformations through photo editing. Sadly, for free users, the experience was underwhelming, resulting in generic designs featuring bland white and black furniture devoid of personality.

Upgrading to the Pro version granted access to the "Build a Prompt" feature and image filter, allowing me to guide the design process with curated descriptive terms. Unlike other AI’s, Decoratly didn’t allow freeform prompts; users had to select from predefined words like "midcentury modern," "dark," "wooden," etc.

The generated image felt more cohesive than those from other platforms, capturing the desired style. But it still exhibited eccentricities, like placing a mysterious table-like object atop the transformed electric fan and placing my monstera plant in a precarious, miniature pot.

• Cost: Free and $12 per month for the Pro version.

RoomGPT: A Missed Opportunity

RoomGPT, among the dedicated AI design platforms, was the most disappointing. It felt like the bare minimum was done to redesign my space; a few items were changed to fit the midcentury modern aesthetic – like adding a couch to an area that lacked one – but my TV and media console were inexplicably removed, leaving the room inconsistent with the desired style.

RoomGPT operates on a credit system, where each rendered image uses one credit. The free version offers two free credits, followed by paid tiers based on credits or design renders.

• Cost: Free (2 credits), $9 (30 room designs), $19 (100 designs), $29 (200 credits).

Waiting for the AI Interior Designer to Grow Up

Ultimately, none of the platforms revolutionized my design journey. They primarily presented furniture recommendations, which I could have achieved through a simple web search. The AI failed to grasp the nuances of my apartment or offer true style transformations.

While the promise of AI-powered interior design remains alluring, it’s clear that this field is still evolving.

Here are some hurdles that AI needs to overcome to become a dependable interior design partner:

• Object Recognition: AI struggles with accurately identifying various objects in a given space, often leading to bizarre transformations or inaccurate recommendations.
• Style Understanding: AI needs to develop a deeper understanding of design styles, including their defining features, color palettes, and material choices – creating truly personalized and consistent results.
• Spatial Awareness: AI needs to be able to grasp the complexities of space, including dimensions, flow, and functionality, to propose solutions that are both aesthetically pleasing and practical.

The Verdict: AI Needs More Time to Flourish as an Interior Designer

The current generation of AI-powered design tools is an interesting starting point, but they are far from ready to become a one-stop-shop for interior design. While they can offer some helpful suggestions and insights, they fall short when it comes to truly understanding our style preferences and spatial constraints.

The future of AI-powered design is promising, but we are still awaiting the advent of a truly intelligent, design-thinking AI that can help us create the homes of our dreams. For now, we’ll have to continue relying on our own creativity and the help of traditional design resources.

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