The Rise of Augmented Reality in Interior Design and Property Development

No matter how amazing augmented reality (AR) is, it is still mostly associated with games and entertainment. But this versatile technology has many more practical applications. Industries such as automotive, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and more are already benefiting from AR capabilities. And the property sector isn’t too far behind, as augmented reality developers are creating a diverse range of property development apps, some of which we’ll explore below.

Augmented reality in interior design is remarkably useful as well, as evidenced by the apps emerging from major home furnishing, hardware, and interior design retailers like IKEA and Lowes. So to compensate for the industry’s lack of adoption transparency, we’re going to highlight how augmented reality is taking off, how AR apps are being used, and how the technology is adding value on both the supply and demand sides of the property development vertical.

Of course, enhanced plans and drawings are helpful in the marketing and sale of interior design. Augmented reality could be particularly useful for marketing developments before they are even completed, as it can realistically visualize how imagined or partially developed projects will look when completed.

At some point during this lifecycle, attention turns from form and function to the more aesthetically oriented aspects, like the look and feel of a building’s interior. Here too, augmented reality finds good use, not only by architects, designers, and marketers, but also by those on the demand side.

Whether working with professional interior designers or taking the do-it-yourself approach, property buyers of all kinds can use real estate software with AR technologies to experiment with design elements and define how rooms will look before they ever have to commit to choices in coverings, furnishing, or fixtures.

It remains difficult to pinpoint the hard benefits of AR for property developers, designers, sellers, and buyers. For example, when interviewed, architect Greg Lynn refused to identify any specific future benefits of augmented reality for members of his profession, despite his own positive experiences with augmented reality.

However, the picture is clearer in the business of marketing and selling property, where AR technology is already becoming widespread.

On the supply side, buyers can use augmented reality apps to take virtual tours of buildings just by pointing their smartphones at an image. This can decrease the need for expensive and time-consuming property staging. The same applications can extend marketers’ reach, since they make it more practical for faraway buyers to make better informed decisions.

The benefits noted above extend to the demand side, too. Perhaps surprisingly, buyers don’t always feel the need to visit a prospective purchase. One in five property purchases in 2018 was made on a property-unseen basis, according to research by Statista.

However, when 3D virtual walkthroughs are possible with just a brochure and a mobile device, “unvisited” no longer needs to mean “unseen,” so purchasers can make faster, more confident choices when navigating their customer journey.

This also holds true for prospective buyers in local markets, because although they can conduct physical viewings, time and expenses can be saved by completing highly realistic, AR-driven virtual property inspections, during which they can move around the visualization at will. This is already possible on websites offering 3D virtual tours, but augmented reality makes the process more authentic—and accessible.

AR also allows buyers to more easily share their visualizations with friends, family, and colleagues. After all, what could be easier than laying a photo down and looking through your phone for a quick 3D tour?

While the potential benefits of AR interior design and property development uses may still be somewhat speculative, the interest and investment its receiving is undeniable.

Consider the case of Turner Construction. Turner is a leading international company that readily embraces new industry technology, including augmented reality.

Turner claims it has received a 10:1 ROI ratio on the $50,000 it spent on AR models for a particular construction project. The company told news site The Real Deal that this is because the client had clear visibility of the completed project early on in the process, and therefore did not need to request changes during later stages of construction.

Of course, interior design can be complicated, so augmented reality’s advantages will be warmly welcomed by DIY fans and professional designers alike. But the challenges of interior design pale in comparison to those of creating or restoring an entire structure.

Therefore, our first example of a property development AR app successfully eases the mental workload for architects and development professionals.

ARki is an architect’s AR app that brings conventional 2D blueprints to life, both by overlaying them with accurate 3D models and by adding extra interactivity and animation layers. For example, ARki can show how a construction will look with different building materials, conduct shadow analysis, and demonstrate wind circulation.

Floor plans and elevations are too simple, and 3D models only tell part of the story. AR fills in many of the missing pieces, enabling architects to interact meaningfully with prototypes of their proposed creations.

We’ve already mentioned the benefits of AR property brochures for property buyers. But what about people who do it the old-fashioned way? There’s undeniable adventure in cruising around a locality, looking at all the properties with “for sale” or “for rent” signs—or even peeking at those that don’t appear to be on the market.

Trusted homebuyers’ resource firm Realtor.com has the AR answer for those who enjoy old-fashioned house hunting. The company has improved its app by adding augmented reality features, one of which is called Street Peek.

With the app installed on a mobile device, a house hunter can simply point the camera at a property, and immediately see the database information about it:

Simply tilting the camera allows the user to see a map of the immediate area, showing the schools, facilities, and other features nearby. For those who’d rather not just look at 3D models, as enthralling as they may be, Street Peek seems to be the right app to take on a house-hunting expedition.

Hardware really could be the biggest constraint on the success of augmented reality in property development, interior design, and many other industries. No matter how powerful smartphones become, or how well they render graphics, AR’s big problem on these devices is the lack of true immersion.

An ultra-modern kitchen’s beautifully clean lines displayed on a phone screen may not be so convincing with the interior design’s real mismatched cabinets and cracked floor tiles visible in your peripheral vision. AR headsets or glasses can certainly solve this issue, that is, once viable designs enter the market and people overcome their reluctance to wear them.

As the image above suggests, such hardware is close to becoming reality. It may be AR’s catalyst to become an essential tool for property development and interior design professionals, property buyers, and DIY home design enthusiasts.

Perhaps the future will bring improvements to services like Hutch too, combining AR with human touch to deliver customized AR interior design and architectural services. Hutch actually started that way, but it has since graduated into an almost fully automated solution.

We should expect the unexpected in a technological field that is continually evolving. AR uses may take some surprising new directions in the near future. In any case, augmented reality has currently found a good home in the property development realm and is enjoying a warm welcome from builders, sellers, designers, and buyers alike.