MILAN — Interior designers’ use of artificial intelligence tools skyrocketed in 2025. In a report compiled by researchers at Surveys & Forecasts and commissioned by online design marketplace 1stDibs, the share of designers adopting AI tools tripled in 2025 to 29 percent, from just 9 percent in 2023.
Its use is only expected to increase, with another 20 percent of designers indicating that they plan to integrate AI tools into their work in the near-term.
“This year’s survey results also highlight a fascinating contrast: Designers are embracing the future by beginning to adopt AI tools for efficiency, while also looking back to vintage and antique furniture for inspiration and quality craftsmanship,” 1stDibs’ editorial director Anthony Barzilay Freund said in a statement previewed by WWD on Friday.
The study lists renderings and presentations as two key areas in which AI is applied in the design practice. Despite the uptick in use of AI tools, 24 percent of design professionals are “strongly against” the application of AI in their practices, as the debate about its role in creative industries continues to evolve, the report evidenced.
Across the board, the race for a powerful AI tool for interior design — one that goes beyond merely creating an image of a room — has intensified.
Havenly AI
Courtesy of Havenly Brands
In October, Havenly Brands, the Denver-based interior design platform founded in 2014, said it will unveil Havenly AI, its AI-powered design assistant with what it contends is “genuine design expertise.” The platform is available through the Havenly iOS app, a chat-based tool that creates hyper-personalized, instantly shoppable designs, “delivering professional-grade results,” founder Lee Mayer told WWD.
Elsewhere, professionals are still experimenting with AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude to help run their businesses more efficiently, though many AI models weren’t designed with interiors in mind. While these platforms can produce images, they don’t truly understand space, style, or how people live in their homes, industry leaders say.
The market, however, is burgeoning with new players. In 2024, tennis champion and entrepreneur Venus Williams, along with tech start-up veterans Raffi Holzer and Edward Lando, launched Palazzo, an AI-powered interior design platform that produces instant room transformations and provides visual tools, among other services. Also in 2024, Presti, a Paris-based start-up, developed a tool that incorporates real product imagery into an AI-generated room.
In terms of style, the 2026 Interior Design Trends by 1stDibs pinpointed that eclecticism and maximalism were among the top design trends. Chocolate brown prevailed again as the top colors designers anticipate using in 2026 and that collectibles from the 1920s to 1950s and pre-1920s antiques are growing in popularity, while interest in the 1970s has declined.
In terms of macro themes, tariff talk reigned supreme. About 92 percent of designers report that tariffs introduced in 2025 have had an impact on their businesses.
