Creators and connoisseurs are levering the newest interior design trends and harnessing the power of 3D and augmented reality (AR) to create their dream spaces
Key takeaways:
- The pandemic has disrupted the way we think about lifestyle and living spaces, perhaps irreversibly
- 3D and AR tech is engineering a fundamental shift to both the demand and supply sides of lifestyle décor and interior design trends
- 3D-fication of assets is all it takes for consultants, manufacturers and brands in the décor planning and interior design space to hop aboard 3D and AR’s immersive juggernaut
The pandemic has forced us to rethink the way we live and work. Newfound focus on mental wellness, home-office setups and hygienic, well-ventilated spaces has revolutionized the way architects, designers and real estate builders are conceiving living spaces, while radically shifting the expectations of a new generation of buyers. With their superpower of spatial visualization, 3D and AR technologies are only fanning the flames.
Three broad functionalities – all achieved virtually – are enabling 3D and AR to re-engineer the status-quo in the interior design industry:
- Allowing prospective buyers to explore and understand specs, dimensions and details of a piece of art or décor from new angles and 360-degree perspectives.
- Change color, texture and appearance to explore new moods and judge aesthetic fit.
- Place items in new backgrounds and contexts, such as the user’s own environment, to explore spatial compatibility.
Whether a designer of contemporary interiors, an architect specializing in innovative solutions or a real estate player looking to gain a competitive edge, this is an exciting time to engage with emerging visual technologies like 3D and AR. As 3D and AR push the boundaries of creativity, personalization and convenience, designers, creators and builders are witnessing – and actively contributing to – the blossoming of the next era of digital transformation in these (and related) industries.
The 3D and AR era is uprooting deep-seated practices and engineering fundamental change in the home interiors industry. It is much more than just fitting an objet d'art to a bedroom or boardroom. As Jeremy Jankowski, Pinterest’s Creator Management Lead for Home and Design puts it, “It’s about inspiring new ideas and speaking to new projects.” And, indeed, bringing creator and buyer closer than ever. Here’s a quick dive into how the action is panning out.
The 3D and AR era is uprooting deep-seated practices and engineering fundamental change in the home interiors industry.
How 3D and AR is reinventing the supply side of interior design
- The transformation sets in early in the product development cycle, when stakeholders and decision makers across real estate, urban design and lifestyle engage in planning out a property. 3D and AR allows the seamless transposition from drawing board to real-world environment, quickly and effortlessly.
- With the help of pop-up 3D models, overlaid with rich informative content and contextually amplified digital drawings, designers and engineers can now ‘preview’ the interplay of people and spaces in advance, bringing their brainchild to life with greater confidence. This is a key USP of 3D and AR tech, since one in five property purchases was made sight-unseen in 2018. Interior designers, ambience stylists and creative marketers – with one finger firmly on market trends – are now brought in to add signature value to projects. As they blend deep domain learnings and consumer psychology insights with 3D and AR-fueled ‘spatial trials’ and ‘virtual immersion’, which offer realistic visualizations of buildings and interiors that are yet to see light of day, interior designers and lifestyle architects can suggest tweaks and introduce twists – bringing their unique vision to life while giving modern buyers exactly what they need.
Click in "See in your space" to see this sofa in your home
- Consumers, investors and clients can often struggle to decode and interpret traditional 2D drawings. To bridge the gap, design professionals, until now, had to make do with creating 3D renderings and architectural models to scale, which come with their own drawbacks. After all, it can be just as hard to relate to models, or to scale them mentally to comprehend their impact in reality – and that’s not to mention the time and cost involved in their production. 3D and AR tech effortlessly does away with these issues.
- Finally, convenient, immersive online demos – which require just an internet connection, as in the case of the solution developed in the deep-tech labs of Enhance 3D and AR Solutions – do away with the need for laborious and expensive property staging and site visits, and render geographic distance irrelevant, opening up new avenues of distribution and exponentially expanding a business’ potential market.
The upshot? Big ticks against some of the most challenging boxes in contemporary commerce, and a strong case for the digital transformation of interiors firms and design businesses through 3D and AR.
How 3D and AR is reimagining interior design trends form the demand side
The unprecedented power to transform a personal space in the unfettered and unlimited universe of 3D and AR is freeing consumers from reliance on imagination and guesswork, turning what can be a tedious and confusing task into something joyful and inspiring. After all, prospective buyers can now visualize life size renderings of their dream furniture and décor elements, precision-scaled to their own environment, before making a purchase – and all with just a few clicks on their favorite device.
The unprecedented power to transform a personal space in the unfettered and unlimited universe of 3D and AR is freeing consumers from reliance on imagination and guesswork.
Indeed, 3D and AR tech makes the process of designing a space an addictive visual adventure. Whether decorating a new home or planning the makeover of an existing one, the ability to virtually preview the finished product through the spectacular prism of 3D and AR lets homeowners and workplace designers:
- Bring out their creative side by experimenting with spatial position, mixing and matching properties like texture and shade, and altering context and background to hit upon the permutation and personality they’re looking for.
- Immersively experience décor elements like furniture, art, lamps, mirrors, curtains, rugs and more in an authentic ‘trial experience’ that helps purchasers buy with confidence, thereby reducing returns.
- Map furniture and artwork specs to the dimensions of their home or office to ensure everything fits and sits snugly.
- Understand complex artistic concepts and yet-to-be-born blueprint prototypes in vivid, realistic ways.
- Connect, collaborate and co-create their dream spaces with interior designers, architects and artists for a truly personalized outcome – with 3D and AR solutions that allow for purposeful interactions and granular feedback.
3D and AR: dressing up the future
With virtual showrooms and the metaverse fast becoming a reality, dressing up one’s personal universe is only going to get more exciting. Statistics paint an inviting picture for all stakeholders:
- 80% of shoppers surveyed said they have become more willing to try new brands online since COVID-19
- 71% of Gen Z love personalized retail experiences
- 83% see shopping as a form of entertainment
With its ability to create jaw-dropping moments for lovers of smart art and refined living, 3D and AR is helping consultants, manufacturers and brands in the interior design space respond to each of these signals. Perhaps the best part? All it takes to leverage the immersive experience trend is the 3D-fication of existing assets like 2D design-boards and blueprints, a solution outfits like Enhance 3D and AR Solutions are geared to provide. Indeed, homeware firms are already busy developing 3D models of their product catalogues. For interior design and décor pros, it’s a signal to go visual and think big.
