Don’t Be Afraid of Virtual Design—Embrace It!
“Some people call this artificial intelligence, but the reality is this technology will enhance us. So instead of artificial intelligence, I think we’ll augment our intelligence.”–Ginni Rometty, Former Executive Chair, IBM
It’s no surprise that many professionals across pretty much any industry are nervous about artificial intelligence, or AI. They are nervous about the possibility of AI taking jobs and replacing the human aspect for various industries, especially ours. We understand that it’s scary, but it doesn’t have to be.
In speaking to professionals in our field who are utilizing AI, especially when it comes to successfully integrating virtual design tools, they are excited about how the advanced technology will not replace the human aspects of our industry but enhance what we are already doing in this field.
“I know it can feel very daunting, but you’ve got to just dive in and not be scared,” says Jenna Gaidusek, owner of Jenna Gaidusek Designs, and CEO and founder of AI for Interior Designers. “It’s become a way to work 10 times faster and smarter. You’re consuming more because AI is simplifying it for you.”
Gaidusek first started working in our industry about 15 years ago, but she’s been a champion at virtual design and integrating AI into her business successfully for almost a decade now, even sharing her skills and how-to’s with some of the best in the interior design industry.
We had the pleasure of meeting Gaidusek this past spring and invited her to interview with us, sharing more about her work in the interior design industry and what led her to focus on virtual design and AI. Scroll down to learn more.
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Some Thoughts On… Intuition
Intuition—that gut feeling or sudden understanding that arises without conscious reasoning—may seem spontaneous, almost mystical, but the truth is that our life experiences deeply inform intuition. The brain processes these experiences, and even if we’re unaware, they shape our intuitive responses in powerful ways.
Think of intuition as the unconscious art of knowing. You don’t have to sit down to analyze facts or logically deduce a conclusion; instead, the answer seems to come to you. However, what feels like a quick, instinctive reaction results from a complex process happening beneath the surface. Our brains constantly collect and store information, even when we are not consciously aware of it. Over time, this accumulation of knowledge becomes the foundation for our intuitive responses. What feels instantaneous is often a conclusion our subconscious reaches, drawing from a vast store of memories, observations and past experiences.
Our early experiences play a crucial role in developing intuition. As children, we form patterns based on the situations we encounter. These patterns become internalized, helping us navigate the world. The same principle applies to learning skills or making decisions. A person who has grown up in a family of musicians, for example, might develop an intuitive sense for rhythm or melody, not because they were born with it but because they were surrounded by musical experiences from a young age. Over time, the brain creates shortcuts, recognizing patterns and forming intuitive responses based on repeated exposure and practice.
This idea is also seen in sports. Athletes often speak of being “in the zone,” where they perform effortlessly and make split-second decisions that seem instinctual. But these responses come from years of practice and experience, during which their brains have built up a vast library of patterns, movements and strategies. When they react intuitively, they’re drawing on this deep well of experience, even if they are unaware of it.
Emotions also play a significant role in shaping intuition. Our emotional responses to past experiences help our brains categorize situations as either positive or negative. This emotional “tagging” influences our intuitive reactions in the future. Here’s an example: Designer Amanda Nisbet once told me of her experience while in Italy as a student. She explained, “Living in the land of grand gestures, you’d see a woman who wasn’t conventionally attractive, yet she’d throw on a purple corduroy blazer, wrap an orange scarf around her neck and take off on a chartreuse Vespa, and she’d be stunning. That belief in trusting your taste and following your nose made a great impression on me.” Nisbet felt joyful in moments like seeing the woman on the Vespa, and her work as a consummate colorist years later, mixing seemingly disparate hues, reveals this connection between emotion and intuition.
In a bold gesture embracing a pink palette, this Manhattan dining room designed by Amanda Nisbet is sheathed in magenta silk wallpaper. The custom black carpet with a subtle silver abstract motif adds to the drama, as does the black-glass tabletop. Photographed by Roger Davies for the book “
Interior Design Master Class” from Rizzoli, New York.
Thinking further about the role intuition plays in the work of interior designers, imagine yourself walking into a room and immediately sensing what is wrong with its layout before you ever look at a floor plan. This ability comes from years of spatial recognition, having assessed many rooms before it. You instantly know that a window should be added to a long expanse of wall or that a room should be bathed in neutral colors to pay homage to a remarkable view into a woodland. Then, your mind works like a chess grandmaster looking at a board, intuitively knowing the best next move, drawing on countless hours of playing and studying the game. You picture a stone finish, you envision a flatweave rug; in your mind’s eye, you conjure a mix of silhouettes.
The lesson is that intuition is far from an inexplicable gift. It is deeply grounded in our life experiences. The brain’s ability to store, categorize and retrieve vast amounts of information allows us to make fast, intuitive decisions based on patterns we’ve encountered before. Understanding this connection lets you appreciate intuition’s inherently personal role in design. It is why no two designer’s work is precisely the same.
It’s what makes you an artist.
Stay updated on this series author,
Carl Dellatore, by following his
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Carl Dellatore & Associates – provides designers, architects, and creatives with writing, editing, and copyediting services by an established team to effectively reveal your story.
Virtual Design Is Beneficial—Not Scary
By Lindsay Field Penticuff
It’s been nearly 15 years since Jenna Gaidusek earned her degree in interior design and started practicing in our industry, but not in the traditional sense so many may think about when it comes to “practicing” interior design.
“After I finished school, I got my real estate license, because there were not a lot of jobs in Albany, New York, where I had gone to school for interior design,” says the owner of
Jenna Gaidusek Designs, and CEO and founder of
AI for Interior Designers. “I dabbled in that for a little bit, then I moved down to Louisville, Kentucky, where I started working for a larger, high-end furniture store as a salesperson so I could be in the industry again.”
She worked her way up in that company, moving a few times to help manage showrooms before landing in New York City.
“I decided that I didn’t want to be doing that anymore, and commuting and working for someone else, so that’s when I left and pursued virtual design—when all the virtual design companies were popping up—but I simultaneously built my own company while I work for them. I just always knew that it was what I wanted to do.”
To learn more about Gaidusek, what led her to working in interior design and her work, specifically, in the virtual design space, check out our Q&A with her below.
Why did you pursue a career in interior design?
“I always wanted to be an interior designer. I was one of the kids rearranging my bedroom on the weekends when I was supposed to be cleaning. I grew up as a 90s kid, so I got to play outside, but I was also introduced to games like ‘The Sims,’ where you could build your own houses, and that sparked my interest in the virtual side of things.
“When I first learned about [virtual interior design] I didn’t even know it was a thing, so I told myself that I was diving into it. It was so me, and I don’t even have to leave my house. When I was living in New York City, I was doing really long commutes, and it just drained me. I hated the commute, going out and the whole process is so time consuming; when we can streamline it from our computer at home.”
You’ve mentioned your passion for sparking ideas in other designers to change the future of the interior design industry. Could you elaborate on am instance when you felt your influence made a significant impact on someone’s design process or career trajectory?
“What I’ve found from those who do share feedback is that they thought that their business model had to look a certain way. They thought they had to go in person and charge a certain amount, and that this is the way it had to be done; until I told them that if they don’t want to do it, don’t do it. Do it the way you want to and find a way to price it and create the deliverables that you want to deliver. If you don’t do that, you’re going to be miserable and start to resent what you do. So, I’ve had people give me feedback that since hearing that and learning the techniques to practice virtually or implement those practices, that’s when they were able to be successful in their business; when they let go of the stigma surrounding virtual design.”
As a visionary entrepreneur, you've been at the forefront of revolutionizing visual communication within the interior design industry. How do you see AI further transforming this field, and what opportunities do you envision for interior designers?
“AI is an enhancement to our existing creativity—it is not a replacement. This is what I try to drill into everyone’s heads when I’m teaching about AI capabilities. If you look at it to being a superpower to enhance your existing workflow or creative process to cut down on time—which in the end will make you more money—that’s where I see this really going in the future, and it’s happening so quickly that we are going to see a lot of changes rapidly.”
Collaboration seems to be a central theme in your approach to design. Can you share a memorable collaboration experience where you and your client(s) brought a design vision to life through effective teamwork and communication?
“What I’m doing right now is working with a builder, the broker and real estate agents in Florida on new construction. We collaborate as a team through emails, MyDoma, chatting, Zoom and phone calls. But I understand that it takes a lot of trust and understanding of my style and how they work and operate to get it done. It’s been so rewarding, though, and those are my favorite types of projects.”
Have utilizing virtual interior design practices helped streamline the design process for you?
“When I teach other designers’ techniques within my workload, they can adapt one thing and continue to do other things the traditional way, but this entirely streamlines my process. I’m not traveling, I’m not going to get samples, I’m not delivering them to the client’s house. There’s none of that. I have a one-hour meeting that’s virtual and everything else is entirely online.”
Do you think the pandemic helped others hop on the “virtual bandwagon?”
“It was definitely the tipping point for designers and clients to really get on board, and I think a lot of designers who were hesitant to do e-design, because they looked down on it, are now wondering why they were doing all these things when they didn’t have to.”
Your journey involves numerous relocations and career advancements, each contributing to your growth as an entrepreneur. How have these experiences shaped your perspective on entrepreneurship and resilience within the design landscape?
“I’ve lived in a lot of places. I think I counted one time and I’ve moved 16 times in my lifetime. I’ve lived in a lot of different diverse and culturally melting pot types of places. That, 100%, is why I’m at where I am today and why I understand people’s decision-making or their style a little bit more. … I have traveled and love to travel still, and experience new people and new perspectives, and get a different sense of what the world is, because I did get out of the small town where I grew up. I think that’s why I’m able to relate to designers and clients on so many different levels.”
You emphasize the importance of helping clients create spaces that they truly love and feel comfortable in. Can you describe a particularly rewarding moment when you felt you had achieved this goal for a client, and what made it stand out to you?
“The most rewarding thing is that the majority of the clients who I have worked with previously are coming back to me eight years later, and they want to continue to work with me. One of them is building a brand-new house and she isn’t yet sure how she needs me, but she is calling me because she loved what I did for them. The style is totally different, but she trusts me. I had another client recently come back to me saying she needs a refresh with three of her rooms. I haven’t talked to her in about six years. The best part isn’t the pictures you get at the end, it’s the fact that clients remember you and want to come back to you.”
Building and maintaining a thriving online community requires dedication and vision. What strategies have you found most effective in fostering engagement and collaboration within your community of interior designers?
“Just be real. I am who I am online in real life. I think it’s easiest to be yourself, and it connects with people. I’m also blunt about things, which I think really helps me connect with people. They don’t want you to sugarcoat it—just tell me what it is so they can move on with their day—and I think that really resonates with the design community.”
In your experience, how has the integration of AI technologies impacted the creative process for interior designers, and what advice would you offer to those looking to incorporate AI into their design practices?
“It has entirely elevated my process. What used to take a very long time to find inspirational images on Pinterest or Instagram, then share and go back and forth, I can now generate in a matter of minutes, and I have them more tailored to the ideas I have in mind. AI can really enhance your workflow and get you to the best results faster. It doesn’t replace anything that we’ve been doing; it’s just a new way to do it, and I still render, source my products and do the backend work. These integrations with the software tools I’m using enable it to be done faster and more efficient. For designers who are hesitant about AI at this time, you’re probably already using it and don’t even know, because it’s in almost everything at this point, but it’s here not to replace your work, but to enhance it.”
Is it hard to convince longtime designers that AI can be helpful not harmful?
“A lot of my students come from all corners of the industry, but a majority are seasoned designers in the luxury space, which is interesting. They have been some of the first to adapt to the new processes, because they see these luxury AI-generated images that they relate to and want to figure out how it can help their client experience. With AI, they are starting to see that it’s not replacing them—it’s helping their bottom line and helping them make more money. Designers are more receptive than I thought they’d be.”
Reflecting on your journey as a trailblazer in leveraging technology to elevate the interior design industry, what are some key lessons you’ve learned along the way, and how do you envision the future intersection of technology and design?
“I know it can feel very daunting, but you’ve got to just dive in and not be scared. It’s become a way to work 10 times faster and smarter. You’re consuming more because AI is simplifying it for you.”
What advice would you like to share with new and seasoned interior designers?
“You are in control. It’s your business. You don’t work for someone else. You get to set the rules.”
Stay in the loop with Jenna's latest design adventures by following her on
Instagram, and be sure to explore her
site for more of her innovative work. For deeper dives into the world of AI and interior design,
click here for additional educational resources.
