AI tools for architects and interior designers: our selection (5)

AI for architects and interior designers

For architects and interior designers, AI can support visual exploration and the preparation of project records. It can make an idea easier to discuss before you develop it further. DecorAI can suggest a new interior from a photograph, while Midjourney can generate images and variations from a written description. During a working day, you might explore a room concept in the morning, discuss selected images with a client and use Cogram to prepare meeting notes and follow-up actions. These materials can help clarify expectations and record what participants discussed. They do not establish structural feasibility, product availability or compliance with applicable requirements. A convincing perspective may suggest dimensions, junctions or materials that cannot work in practice. You still need to connect each proposed choice to measured information, project constraints and the checks or approvals required from the people responsible for delivery.

Tasks where AI saves time

• Generate visual variations from a written description to prepare a focused discussion about the client's preferred atmosphere.
• Virtually furnish a photographed room to explore an interior concept before checking dimensions against the actual space.
• Replace a selected area within an image to compare different visual treatments for the same interior space.
• Search for furniture using a description or reference image to prepare a shortlist for further product checks.
• Group products on a visual board to present related furnishing choices clearly during a client project meeting.
• Prepare meeting notes and extract follow-up actions for review before sharing them with the relevant project participants.

Our picks

Picks set by simple rules on the verified data, with no partnership:

• Best scored : RunDiffusion. 81/100 on our access and transparency grid.
• Cheapest paid option : Onton. First plan at $8 per month.

The best-scored tools at a glance

RunDiffusion 81/100

RunDiffusion lets people and teams creating visuals generate images and videos. It also offers image editing and upscaling, cloud execution of ComfyUI and Automatic1111, and team usage tracking. Features: Generate images with multiple models; Create videos from instructions; Edit and upscale images. Entry price: $8.79 per month, with a free tier. Runs on: web browser and API. Data hosting: United States.

DecorAI 53/100

DecorAI lets people planning interiors imagine new decoration from a photo. It virtually furnishes rooms, changes facades or gardens, turns sketches into realistic renderings, and supports targeted image edits. Features: Imagine new decoration from a photo; Virtually furnish an empty room; Change the appearance of a facade or garden. Entry price: $24 per month, with a free tier. Runs on: web browser.

Midjourney 46/100

Midjourney lets people creating visuals generate images from descriptions and produce variations. It also supports replacing selected image areas, composing images with multiple layers, and generating short videos. Features: Create images from a description; Produce variations of an image; Replace a selected part of an image. Entry price: $10 per month. Runs on: web browser.

Cogram 46/100

Cogram lets project teams write meeting minutes and extract follow-up actions. It also prepares site visit reports with photos, organizes project emails, and tracks requests for information and submitted documents. Features: Write meeting minutes; Extract follow-up actions; Prepare site visit reports with photos. Entry price: $79 per month. Runs on: web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android, Microsoft Teams, and API.

Onton 38/100

Onton helps people explore new interior decoration from a photo. It lets them search for furniture using text or images, collect products on a visual board, and revise a proposed layout. Features: Explore new decoration ideas from a photo; Search for furniture using a description or an image; Group products on a visual board. Entry price: $8 per month, with a free tier. Runs on: web browser.

In figures

Of the 5 tools selected for this job, 3 (60%) offer a free tier, 40% have a public API and 1 have a French interface. The median entry price, per month, is $10 (across 5 tools with a published price). 1 disclose where data is hosted, 0 of them in Europe or on device.

AI image generators

To create images from text: 2 tools. See the whole category.

Architecture and interior design

To visualise a room or building: 2 tools. See the whole category.

Project management

To plan and track projects: 1 tool. See the whole category.

Job-specific precautions

Plans, photographs and discussions may contain confidential information about clients and their premises. Check permissions before uploading material or recording meetings. Review the usage terms for reference images and generated outputs. Describe visuals as concepts when dimensions, products and materials remain unverified. Check technical constraints, accessibility and applicable requirements against the actual project documents. Review meeting notes carefully, particularly decisions, responsibilities and reservations. Keep a record of approvals so that a generated image or draft note does not become an unintended commitment during subsequent project discussions.

Where to start

Choose a limited task, such as exploring an interior concept for a room you have already measured. Use DecorAI with an authorised photograph and a clear design intention. Compare the time involved with your usual preparation, including image selection and checks. Record whether the visuals make the client discussion easier. Discard options that create unrealistic expectations about the space. Keep the workflow if it reduces preparation time without increasing the explanations or design corrections needed later in the project.

Want to go beyond a single tool? AI agents chain several tasks on their own; our quiz helps you pick one.