AR for residential interior designers
Residential work is emotional and spatial at once. Clients are deciding how they will live, and they are doing it from images. AR review gives them something closer to the real thing for the decisions that matter most.
Where residential decisions go wrong
The expensive surprises in homes tend to be physical: a sofa too deep for the room, a dining table that crowds the walkway, a light fitting hung at the wrong height. All of them are questions of size in a specific space.
Where AR review helps most
- Large furniture: sofas, beds, dining tables.
- Rugs and layouts: footprint against existing pieces.
- Built-ins and joinery in a bay or alcove.
- Light fittings and wall pieces, for height and presence.
How to run the review
Send the link a day or two before the meeting so the client can try it at home. Ask them to place the piece where it will go, walk around it, and note questions. Bring those notes to the meeting instead of discovering the issue after delivery.
Mistakes to avoid
- Sending the link without context. Tell the client what to look at: where it will sit, how it relates to the door, whether the walkway still feels comfortable.
- Testing only in a cleared room. Place the piece with the existing furniture still there, because that is how the room is lived in.
- Skipping a test on your own phone first. Check the model’s size and loading time before the client does.
- Using AR to settle questions it cannot answer, such as colour under evening light, which needs physical samples.
Including the partner who cannot attend
Residential decisions often involve more than one person, and not all of them make the meeting. A link they can open on their own phone, with the presentation attached, lets them see what the others saw.
Pairing it with the rest of your process
Use concept boards and renders for direction and atmosphere, then AR for the final check on key pieces. See how to present interior design to clients for a full structure.