Oct 3 • 📝 Tips
How to Use AI Renders Right
There’s been SO much talk about AI renders in interior design, and I’ve been playing around with them for quite a while now.
If I’m honest, I used to find them pretty frustrating. You’d ask for one small change and suddenly three other things that were right had changed too. Then you’d fix those, something else would change, and before you knew it, you’d spent ages trying to get an image that was only sort of right.
But I’ve noticed a real shift recently, and I’ve actually changed my mind about how useful they can be.
Traditionally, we tend to use renders towards the end of the design process — once the plans, elevations, materials and details have been worked through, we create a visual of what the finished space is going to look like.
But I think there’s a really interesting opportunity to use AI much earlier than that.
Think about those little design decisions where you’re trying to work out, does this feel right?
I’ve got a project at the moment with a beautiful piece of stone being used in the kitchen. We’re deciding whether to leave the splashback plain, add a small shelf, and if we do add one, whether it should be stone or timber.
These are the sorts of decisions that can be surprisingly difficult to visualise from a 2D drawing, or even a 3D model where the materials, colours and tones aren’t accurately captured.
Now we can quickly create a few versions and actually look at them!
Instead of asking, “Okay, what do you think of this? What about this version?”
They can see the options, you can talk through them together, and if something isn’t quite right, you can change direction before you’ve gone too far.
For me, this is where AI renders are becoming really useful — as a design development and decision-making tool.
Particularly for people who struggle to visualise from drawings, it can give them a much clearer understanding of what we're talking about and make them feel more confident about their decisions.
There is one really important thing to remember, though.
An AI render is not a perfect representation of what is going to be built. It can get things wrong. Materials, proportions can be wrong. Details can be invented, and sometimes it will show you something that looks fantastic but isn't actually what you've designed, or even something that would never practically work.
So don’t treat the AI image as the finished design. Use it to help you develop the design.
Professional renders still absolutely have their place. But I think we no longer have to wait until the end of the process to use accurate visualisation.
And as a designer, that’s the bit I’m finding really interesting.
Have a play with it on your next project. Pick one design decision you’re currently working through and create a couple of options. See whether it helps you have a better conversation about what feels right.
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How to Use AI Renders Right
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