From dreaming to doing

April 2025

Have you ever looked at a room and just knew what it could become? You could see the potential, the textures, the paint color, the layout. You tried to explain it to your partner, maybe a friend, and they just stared at you like, “Hmm no... I don’t think that would look good.”

Welcome to my life. Or at least the last 12 years of my marriage.

I’m a design lover with no credentials. While I don’t actually regret my career choices, I do light up when I imagine how to transform a space. Give me a blank wall, a free weekend, and some paint, and I’m in my happy place.

We live in a house built in 1798 and I’ve spent countless weekends dreaming about ways to update it, reimagining walls, adding built-ins, or layering in warmth through textures and colors. A couple of years ago, my husband gifted me a circular saw and a woodworking bench to help me bring my ideas to life. Well, I still haven’t used them (maybe this spring!), but he has, because let’s be honest, every one of my projects is really a “we” project.

So… what does this have to do with AI?

This is SheRunsOnAI™, after all. And here’s where it gets exciting: Generative AI has completely changed the way I bring my ideas to life, especially with tools like ChatGPT’s image generation.

If you tried AI image tools when they first came out, you probably remember the weird fingers and floating lampshades. But things have seriously leveled up. The visuals are now realistic, refined, and actually useful, especially if you’re trying to explain an idea that only exists in your head.

These days, I just snap a photo of a room, upload it into ChatGPT, and describe what I’m imagining. Within seconds, I get a mockup. I’ll iterate with prompts like:

“Clear this area but keep the walls and windows”, “Add a built-in bench on the three walls and a round table”, “Add linen Roman shades on all the windows”, “Add cushions in hot pink, purple, and blue, no floral prints.”

A few tweaks later, I have a visual I can show my husband so we can align quickly and get one step closer to turning the idea into reality.

You can find some pictures from my latest project on Instagram under stories.

The Value, Moving From Idea to Action

For me, the value is being able to turn my vision into a reality. These mockups help me move from idea to action, faster. Even if generated version isn’t perfect (it rarely is), it’s more than enough to get started.

And just to be clear, this project isn’t one I’ll tackle solo, this requires a professional (I'm sure my husband will be relieved).

What about the pros?

You might be wondering, what does this mean for interior designers and architects?

The truth is, this will absolutely change the game. But in a good way. For professionals who embrace it, AI becomes a creative accelerator. It helps them explore more ideas, get on the same page and create beautiful spaces much faster. A few of my friends in the industry are already experimenting with it—and they’re excited about what it unlocks.

As for me? I’m not replacing a designer. I probably wouldn’t hire one for the kinds of projects I take on anyway. What AI gives me is a creative superpower I didn’t have before: the ability to show people what I see in my head, and then make it real.

That’s the magic. It’s not about replacing the joy of designing. It’s about amplifying it.

The dream now...

Now, I get to daydream not about what this space could be, but about actually sitting in it, with a cup of tea, next to Leorimar Pareja Williamson, brainstorming the next She Runs on AI article.

Inspired to reimagine a room? Maybe your home office? Your kid’s playroom? We’d love to hear about it—and maybe even feature it.

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