Residential interior design is a luxury service. Period. AI and virtual reality are about to radically change how you deliver that luxury service.

In one of today’s four interior design business podcasts, interior designer Ellie Redders talks about her use of virtual reality as a tool to showcase her design concepts. And while this is pretty awesome for 2023, it’s nothing compared to what’s coming next.

Right now, Ellie’s use of virtual reality is way more impressive than floor plans and 3D renderings, but it’s nowhere near as cool as it’s going to be once AI really gets rolling.

Imagine this:

• During your initial site visit, you use your next-gen LIDAR app to accurately measure your potential client’s home

• You and your AI-powered design software create an amazing design concept

• That design concept is automatically generated as 2D floor plans, 3D renderings and a fully immersive virtual reality space

• In addition to the design, options for every piece of furniture, window covering, lighting fixture, etc are selected. These options will be classified by vendor, price, availability, etc

• When you present your design concept to the prospective client, they will be able to view and interact with your designed space in a fully-immersive virtual space.

• And once they’ve signed the contract, AI-powered software will set up a timeline, submit purchase orders, alert employees, vendors & trades to their roles in the project, etc

Now that sounds like luxury.

Today’s Interior Design Podcast Episodes:

• Design Dialogues - Beth Bieske - A Dialogue with Catherine Heraghty- 57 min

• A Well-Designed Business - LuAnn Nigara - Eddie Maestri: Analyzing Past Projects for Future Success - 1 hr, 3 min

• Damn Good Interior Design - Cheryl Kees Clendenon and Liz Lapan - What is the Cost of Doing Business? - 47 min

• Only Girl on the Jobsite - Renée Biery - Designing the Future: Ellie Redders' Journey into Virtual Reality - 1 hr, 19 min

Design Dialogues - Beth Bieske - A Dialogue with Catherine Heraghty- 57 min

In this episode, host Beth Bieske chats with Catherine Heraghty from The Stables.

Beth & Catherine talk about the early days of Instagram and the impact this has had on Catherine’s business, how she manages a team that works remotely and how this works so well for her and her team. They also touch on how the changes in building since Covid and how she navigates this with her clients. One of the other things we talk about is her working relationship with interior design photographer Nat from The Palm Co and how this is so important to the way she captures her project.

A Well-Designed Business - LuAnn Nigara - Eddie Maestri: Analyzing Past Projects for Future Success - 1 hr, 3 min

In today‘s episode, host LuAnn Nigara is talking about a topic she loves, project autopsies.

Her guest, Eddie Maestri, has also found these autopsies to help not only improve his overall business, but also the relationship with his team members.

Damn Good Interior Design - Cheryl Kees Clendenon and Liz Lapan - What is the Cost of Doing Business? - 47 min

In today’s episode, hosts Cheryl Clendenon and Liz Lapan discuss the cost of doing business.

Optics matter. Client's trusting you know how to manage money--matters. Understanding there is no free lunch--matters. And here is the drum roll take away….it takes money to make money. Ta da!

Professional designers understand that it costs money to travel to market to learn about the products they specify ( and usually sell for a profit) -- or how important it is to pay for a good attorney in your state to develop a contract to suit your needs--or to get a CPA help to know when to become an S corp. -

It costs money to do these things.

Who sold people the fairy tale this is a cheap business to get into? It is not. There are money and time costs. If it were a cake walk, everyone would do it.

And by the grace of all intelligent creatures--- anyone who balks at pay to play, orders 9.99 contracts off Etsy, crowd sources tax advice---- and then has the huevos to complain about clients shopping them or not wanting to pay their 200 buck an hour fees??? Are ya kidding me with this?

Only Girl on the Jobsite - Renée Biery - Designing the Future: Ellie Redders' Journey into Virtual Reality - 1 hr, 19 min

In today’s episode, host Renée Biery chats with designer Ellie Redder about how interior designers can/should present and communicate their designs using Virtual Reality.

In her business, Ellie has developed a highly organized process paired with the use of cutting edge technology to support clients in visualizing and help them with their exact specific selections and furnishings before making costly decisions and mistakes.