AR/VR concepts in Interior Design

Today's world is undergoing a wave of digitalisation and no industry has remained immune to this global evolution. Now, how does this affect interior design? While hand drawing remains an important part of the designer's life, the current digital process has impacted professionals with new interior design software such as Autocad or SketchUp that enable designers to create a project plan, visualise spaces in 2D or 3D, and style multiple elements of the space for decorative and functional purposes. Thus, each component may be digitally represented in order to create an accurate representation of an interior, allowing designers to practically envision and design an area before the start of the actual execution process.

Once these types of tools became available, concepts such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) emerged as major advancements with the potential to enhance current visual representations in this industry. To begin, let us attempt to define these terms in a technological sense. Virtual reality takes precedence over the app users’ environment, transporting them to new locations and replacing their vision, while augmented reality increases it. The AR apps create an extended model of the real tangible environment by implementing digital visuals, audio, and other perceptual impulses supplied via advanced technologies, making them significantly more useful for commerce and gaming. Matter of fact, the interior design industry began to incorporate the same concept.

For example, in 2014, Dulux, the UK's largest paint company with over 1,200 available colours, launched the Dulux Visualizer app to assist clients in selecting colours for their interiors and working with specialists to accomplish positive outcomes. In 2017, IKEA developed the IKEA Place app which allows users to digitally insert 3D IKEA items in users’ rooms, enabling potential or current customers to select the ideal colour or dimension of the furniture, hence minimising the volume of customer care issues. While VR/AR apps are intended to eliminate inquiries and automate the process of design or decor, does this effectively mean that interior designers' services will be reduced? The relationship between technology and employment has always been contentious. While it may appear that way, augmented reality apps provide a forum for aspiring interior designers to showcase their work.

This type of technology which enables the user to play with design aspects and establish the appearance of spaces prior to assigning furniture, decorations, or fitting, may be beneficial. Houzz which is an interior design and house repairs portal, employs AR to enable individuals to pick among over 10 million units from 20,000 vendors, by scanning room photos and locating acceptable combinations in its library.

In this approach, an augmented reality framework is applied to interior design in order to integrate selected virtual items into the actual furniture environment, thereby saving time and money and aiding the tool's user in making decisions. As a result, the creative process becomes more vivid, simple, and sophisticated in an age of digitalisation, where augmented reality not only generates visual innovations that make virtual environments more authentic, but also provides more accurate assumptions.

By Cristina Gore

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