This interior designer isn’t afraid of AI, and here’s why.

As we grapple with the future of creative work in the face of AI, this interior designer has no fears about AI taking my job.

I’m not worried about being replaced by robots… are you? Midjourney image generated by the Author.

#1 — The stuff you see designed by AI isn’t buildable.

If you pay attention, you’ll notice that AI gets a LOT of things wrong when generating images. Most noticeably, fingers — too many, too few, facing the wrong direction… But beyond that, AI doesn’t quite understand the relationship between the human body and physical objects. For example, the man below sitting seems to be merging with the Eames chair… and what’s going on with his right arm?

Midjourney got the mood right, but what’s happening with his right arm, and why does he seem to be merging with the chair? Midjourney image generated by the Author.

As humans, we intuitively know how a human body is supposed to look, making those errors immediately obvious to our eye.

Less obvious are things interior designers notice, like railings dead-ending into a floor, windows to nowhere, and faucets in bizarre locations... Lately, I’ve noticed Midjourney likes to add an overabundance of cabinet handles to kitchen cabinets — doubling and tripling up unnecessarily on some doors or drawers while skipping them entirely on others:

Midjourney Trying Hard: I’d happily live in this kitchen, but I certainly wouldn’t trust AI to order my cabinet hardware in the right quantity. Midjourney image generated by the Author.

AI will get better at these details, but even so, you can’t build a kitchen off of a concept. You still need to take those ideas and turn them into to-scale plans that fit the client’s real-life space and daily activities, not to mention their real-life budget and timeline.

I’m all for using AI to generate and communicate design ideas quickly — why spend more time on a task than you have to? I have no fear it’ll replace the detailed work a designer must do to make that idea buildable.

#2 — Interior design is Soooooooooooo much more than coming up with a creative idea or developing a buildable design plan.

Here’s a short list of what it means to be an interior designer:

• The Intake. Before you can start working on a client’s design, you have to help them articulate their vision. Most clients have no clue how to describe what they want, no idea if what they want is feasible within their budget or timeline, and also don’t know how to resolve what they want with what their partner wants.
• The Ideas. Once we understand our client’s goals, visions, and budget/timeline limitations, we finally get to come up with creative ideas. But of course, not just any creative idea. It has to fit the client’s vision and be made of things you can source or build within the client’s budget and timeline.
• Sourcing. Ideally, you’ll be able to source everything from reputable, reliable vendors. Since not every budget allows for every choice to be as ethical and sustainable as we’d all like, we have to help our clients make informed decisions.
• Implementing. If you’re helping your clients implement their design, you have to make sure everything arrives on time and in good condition (and help deal with it when they don’t).
• Communicating details. How should the installer finish the cut end of tile where the backsplash ends? How will the contractor know to hold onto that toilet without damaging it because it’s meant to be reinstalled?
• Keeping projects on track. Clients frequently second-guess their decisions or come across shiny new ideas long after construction has already begun. When not addressed well, these shiny-object moments can sabotage a project with scope creep. We have to keep our clients focused so they get to their goals on time and on budget.
• Calming down clients. Even if your project goes smoothly, clients get nervous. When they start to panic it’s our job to reassure them that they’ve made good decisions and that it’s all going according to plan.
• Strategize solutions. In every project things “happen” — we’ve all gotten the call that there’s an unexpected sewer pipe right where we planned to place the bathroom door. Even when your job is “done” you have to be on your toes, ready to find a solution that keeps the project moving forward.

AI will continue to get better at generating ideas, but idea-generation barely scratches the surface of why it’s helpful to hire an interior designer. What makes us invaluable are our soft skills: helping clients articulate what they want and need, educating clients so their expectations align with their budget, and juggling the emotions of everyone involved as months pass and bills come due.

I don’t want to diminish the very real challenges that AI poses to the art community (especially around copyright) and to the world at large. It’s alarming how hard it’s getting to tell real from fake.

But interior design is as much about taking care of people with patience and compassion as it is about being a creative artist. We joke that people call us “marriage counselors” and “therapists” — but really, it’s no joke. The best designers are as compassionate as nurses, as creative as fine artists, and as thorough as accountants. And that’s a special sauce that AI is going to have a hard time trying to imitate.

Don’t fear AI.

So I say don’t fear AI, embrace it for the tool it is. Use it to enhance your efficiency and let it handle the mundane, freeing up your time to focus on the uniquely human aspects of your job that no AI can replace.

Improve your soft skills like interviewing, communication, and people management. The more you can effectively help clients articulate their visions and help them navigate the complexities of human interactions, the more you’ll make yourself a valuable, irreplaceable resource in a future where AI can be an ally, not a threat.

So go ahead and try out all the AI tools. Use them for inspiration. Dream boldly. Then get to work making that gorgeous vision buildable within budget.

Like this and want more? Check out my podcast Stuff Interior Designers Need To Know.

About the Author

Hi there! I’m Rebecca, author of Happy Starts at Home and a business coach for residential interior designers who need help defining their niche, communicating clear client expectations, and setting beautiful business boundaries. 💪

After 17 years running my residential interior design firm Seriously Happy Homes in Seattle, I closed the doors to move to Paris, France! 🇫🇷 If you’re in Paris, reach out and let’s have coffee and a croissant! ☕️ 🥐 You can find me on Instagram at beseriouslyhappy.