AI is making its way into every industry—and interior design is no exception. From auto-generated floor plans to AI-styled renderings, the tools are becoming more accessible every day. At Beyond the Box, we see AI as exciting, but also recognize its current limitations.

Where We’re Using AI Now

Personally, I love AI for polishing up an email, brainstorming content, or getting unstuck when my words need a little refining. It’s like having an editor who never sleeps. For this blog, I dumped all my thoughts into ChatGPT, then asked for help organizing and editing. 😊

In design, we’ve started experimenting using AI to support design concepts and inspirational ideas. It can speed up the process of pulling together inspiration and exploring ideas.

Why We’re Not All In—Yet

AI-generated design is everywhere right now. Scroll through social media and you’ll see “dream kitchens” and “fantasy bathrooms” that are gorgeous but often completely non-functional.

• Cabinet doors that can’t open because of impossible angles.
• Lighting fixtures floating in space.
• Layouts that look stunning in an image but would never work in real life.

That’s why we haven’t fully jumped headfirst into using AI design renderings with clients—because at the end of the day, we’re here to create spaces that actually work for your life.

The Future We Hope For

Where could AI truly shine? Taking on the heavy lifting of paperwork. Imagine if AI could streamline contracts, submittals, or order tracking—freeing up our team to focus on what we love: helping people design amazing spaces!

Because the truth is, AI will never:

• Read your body language when you’re torn between two colors.
• Notice the pause in your voice when you talk about your dream kitchen.
• Replace the human experience of connection, trust, and storytelling that makes design meaningful.

Playing with AI

To really show what this looks like, we decided to include some of our own AI-generated prompts and results. These mood boards and bathroom concepts aren’t polished “finished projects” — they’re a window into what happens when you ask AI to dream with you.

Sometimes the results are inspiring, like a beautiful mood board for a timeless, heritage-style kitchen. Other times… they’re downright comical. (Yes, we’ve seen a toilet appear in the middle of a shower and niches placed in hilariously impractical spots. 😂)

And that’s exactly the point: AI is a conversation starter, not a replacement for real design. By playing with these tools, we can quickly explore ideas, showcase different styles, and get our clients excited about possibilities — while also reminding them why human creativity, problem-solving, and practicality are essential in bringing a project to life.

Please create me an AI mood board: heritage design, small kitchen, luxury, timeless.

Ok now please create a mood board for a full primary bathroom remodel. the shower to be quartz slabs, with an accent niche in green, dual sink vanity with sconce lighting and tall mirrors. we need a wallpaper selection that is bold and timeless. client name jane smith. please showcase pictures and then includes swatches for all the items.

Now please create three bathrooms photos — all showcasing different layouts and options but that look like realistic completed projects.

1. Yes, here is that toilet in the shower!

2. Beautiful, but we would never leave so much room on one side of the vanity, and push the vanity into the shower glass. Plus, how does one enter this lovely shower.

Can you give me a top down view of this same bathroom?

3. We lost a sink and a toilet appeared blocking the cabinet after the question. Oh, and now someone can enter the shower but the water will go everywhere without glass on one side.

Final Thought

AI is an incredible tool—but it’s just that, a tool. It can enhance creativity, streamline workflows, and open up possibilities. But design will always be about people: listening, interpreting, and telling the story of how someone wants to live in their space. And no algorithm can replace that.