From Sketches to Reality: Generative AI in Interior Design
Interior design, a field traditionally reliant on human creativity and expertise, is undergoing a transformation. The catalyst? Generative AI. This powerful technology is redefining the design process, turning rudimentary sketches into stunning, realistic visualizations. It’s like having a magic wand that brings your design ideas to life, allowing you to experiment with themes, lighting, and materials without the usual time and resource constraints.
But the magic doesn’t stop there. These AI-generated images are just the starting point. They pave the way for designers to delve into the nitty-gritty of design — precise measurements, sourcing materials, and determining actual lighting sources.
In this article, we’ll journey through this fascinating blend of AI and human expertise, explore its impact on interior design, and peek into its promising future.
Stable Diffusion
Meet Stable Diffusion, a rising star in the field of generative AI. It’s an artist of sorts, starting with a blank canvas and gradually adding details until a complete picture emerges. This artist doesn’t work alone, though. It’s guided by a noise schedule, a tool that determines the level of randomness at each step of the creation process.
ControlNet
But what if you could have more control over this artist? Enter ControlNet. It’s like a director guiding an actor, allowing you to define object boundaries in your image. With ControlNet, you can instruct the AI on where to place each object in the painting, giving you the power to shape the final masterpiece.
Stable Diffusion with ControlNet
Imagine taking your simple sketches and transforming them into realistic images. That’s the magic of Stable Diffusion and ControlNet. In my own journey, I’ve harnessed the power of AUTOMATIC1111’s Stable Diffusion Web UI interface, coupled with the Realistic Vision checkpoint model, to generate images on my computer. I’ve used Scribble’s “invert” preprocessor for the ControlNet.
But don’t just take my word for it. I invite you to witness the transformation process in action. Check out the video below to see how I’ve set up my system and how the magic unfolds.
Dive into the Setup:
If you’re intrigued and want to try your hand at setting up Stable Diffusion with ControlNet, there are comprehensive tutorials available. These guides are designed to be user-friendly, making the process accessible even if you’re new to AI technologies.
Here are a few resources to get you started:
Unveiling the Results
Now, let’s pull back the curtain and reveal some of the results I’ve achieved using this setup. Full disclosure: I’m not a sketch artist. The sketches I used for this experiment were sourced from freepik.com.
Let’s take a look at how these simple sketches were transformed into realistic images.
Living Room:
Sketch:
Prompts: living room / living room, neutral pink / living room, soothing green
Negative Prompt: deformed frames, semi-realistic, cgi, 3d, render, sketch, cartoon, drawing, text, close up, cropped, out of frame, worst quality, low quality, jpeg artifacts, ugly, duplicate, morbid
Results:
Wall Decoration:
Sketch:
Prompts: wall decoration / wall decoration, bubble gum pink / wall decoration, soothing green / wall decoration, charcoal theme
Negative Prompt: deformed frames, semi-realistic, cgi, 3d, render, sketch, cartoon, drawing, text, close up, cropped, out of frame, worst quality, low quality, jpeg artifacts, ugly, duplicate, morbid
Results:
Botanical Garden:
Sketch:
Prompts: botanical garden / botanical garden, beach / botanical garden, mountains
Negative Prompt: deformed frames, semi-realistic, cgi, 3d, render, sketch, cartoon, drawing, text, close up, cropped, out of frame, worst quality, low quality, jpeg artifacts, ugly, duplicate, morbid
Results:
Baby Room:
Sketch:
Prompts: RAW photo, a baby room interior with pastel-colored walls, a white wooden crib, and a soft plush rug, high detailed fabric:1.2, 8k uhd, dslr, soft lighting, high quality, film grain, Fujifilm XT3
/ RAW photo, a baby room interior with a nautical theme, featuring a boat and sea creature wall decals, high detailed wood:1.2, 8k uhd, dslr, morning light, high quality, film grain, Fujifilm XT3.
/ RAW photo, a baby room interior with a forest theme, high detailed fabric:1.2, 8k uhd, dslr, soft lighting, high quality, film grain, Fujifilm XT3.
/ RAW photo, a baby room interior with a minimalist design, featuring a simple wooden crib and a monochrome color scheme, high detailed wood:1.2, 8k uhd, dslr, soft lighting, high quality, film grain, Fujifilm XT3.
Negative Prompt: deformed frames, semi-realistic, cgi, 3d, render, sketch, cartoon, drawing, text, close up, cropped, out of frame, worst quality, low quality, jpeg artifacts, ugly, duplicate, morbid
Results:
Limitations
As with any technology, Generative AI has its limitations (at least for now). For instance, it may stumble over certain elements, such as text. In one of my results, the clock interior was having messed up numbers — a detail that the AI missed. However, these minor hiccups can be easily addressed in post-processing, like adding the clock numbers before presenting the final image to the client or adjusting the scale of objects to be more closer to real-world measurements.
Another point to note is that the current technology does not allow for exact measurements, a crucial aspect in interior design. But remember, every technology has its learning curve and room for improvement.
The Verdict
Despite these limitations, the results are nothing short of impressive. It’s a testament to the power of Generative AI in transforming simple sketches and prompts into realistic-looking images.
For interior designers, this technology is a game-changer. It’s like having a magic wand that brings their ideas to life, providing a visually engaging starting point for their projects. It’s a catalyst for creativity and innovation, enabling designers to visualize various design concepts and effectively communicate these visions to their clients.
Peering into the Future
As we look ahead, we can expect these technologies to evolve and mature. Future advancements may offer designers even greater control, such as the ability to specify exact measurements, leading to more precise and detailed visualizations. The potential for integrating AI with interior design is vast, and we’re just scratching the surface. The future of interior design is here, and it’s being shaped and powered by AI.