IDD Newsletter Oct. 30 '26 - I tested the AI. And I have thoughts..

Hi there, designer 👋

🎧 No time to read? Listen instead. 

LISTEN TO THE VOICE MEMO

Okayyyy…After last week’s Ana vs. AI newsletter, it became pretty clear that AI is one of those topics that brings up ALL kinds of feelings. 

And honestly? I get it. I have feelings about it too.

You already heard plenty of them last week. 😂

But here’s the uncomfortable truth I’ve had to admit to myself:

It really doesn’t matter how I feel about where technology is going if I refuse to evolve and end up getting left behind.

And I kind of did that. For almost a year, I basically put Interior Design Den into a closet because I didn’t know what to do with it. Sales slowed down to almost nothing. Designers weren’t exactly running around searching for ways to sharpen their Enscape skills anymore.

They were searching: How can AI make my workflow faster?

And meanwhile I was sitting over here like…But guys!!! You still need SKILLS!!! I STILL believe that. I will probably take that opinion to the grave.

Technology should never be an excuse to let your actual design skills get rusty.

SketchUp matters. AutoCAD matters. Understanding space planning, construction, materials, scale, proportion and documentation matters.

Knowing how to actually execute what you’re showing a client matters.

You need the brain to think, to design, and don't let AI take that away from you...

That is still my five cents and I don’t see that changing.

BUT…I also run a business. And businesses have to evolve. They have to listen. They have to pivot. 

And yes... I still have environmental concerns.

Those didn’t magically disappear because I started testing AI. I have a six-year-old son. You don’t think I wonder what the world is going to look like for him someday? Of course I do. I think about it ALL the time.

And yes, I truly hope the technology evolves alongside better solutions for the massive amounts of energy and water required to support it.

But I also realize that me refusing to touch AI isn’t going to stop thousands of data centers from operating. 

So instead, I keep coming back to the same question I talked about last week:

Can I use this intentionally?

Can I use it where it actually saves meaningful time?

Can I still remain completely in control of my design?

Can AI become one tool inside my process instead of replacing the process?

And I’ve actually started thinking about it another way too:

Maybe this kind of efficiency should be treated as a privilege.

Think about it.

We suddenly have technology that may be able to take something that used to require HOURS of production and help us accomplish part of it in a fraction of that time.

That’s pretty incredible. It means:

What am I going to do with that privilege?

Can I spend more time actually designing?

Can I improve my drawings?

Can I spend that time growing my business?

Or maybe… can I just get a few hours of my life back?

That’s where AI starts making more sense to me.

Use the technology intentionally. Appreciate the efficiency. But never outsource the thinking that makes you a designer.

And THAT is what I’ve been testing this week.

And you guys…

I have to admit something. I’m impressed. 😳

I’ve been experimenting with this new platform, and one thing immediately changed the conversation for me:

I can upload my actual SketchUp model.

Not just screenshots. My actual model. My design.

And within the platform, I can move around my SketchUp model, control my camera angle, choose the exact view I want…and then use AI to render that design.

And THIS is where something clicked for me.

I’m still the designer.

AI isn’t delivering this project from concept through completion.

I am.

The only step I’m potentially bypassing is part of the rendering production.

Instead of manually setting every material, lighting condition and rendering setting…I’m giving the platform instructions and asking it to visualize the design I already created. 

So now I want you to see the results.

Below is the exact same project. I’m going to show you:

SKETCHUP → AI

Same design. Same model. AI-generated visualization.

↓

Prompt: render the following image without modifying my camera angles and proportions, preserve all interior finishes as shown in my SketchUp model, show polished black marble with veining as shown in image - do not modify the veining direction, keep the rug pattern in light beige color, add wide plank oak floor as shown - do not modify the width of planks, add white bouclé to the sofa and loung chairs, add blue sky in the exterior with low amount of clouds, add trees and grass 

SKETCHUP → AI

↓

Prompt: render the following image without modifying my camera angles and proportions, preserve all interior finishes as shown in my SketchUp model, keep the rug pattern in light beige color, add wide plank oak floor as shown - do not modify the width of planks, add white bouclé to the sofa, dark green velvet pillows as shown, add soft beige plaster finish to the wall behind art, add trees and greenery to the outside and soft glass reflections

SKETCHUP → AI

↓

Prompt: render the following image without modifying my camera angles and proportions, preserve all interior finishes as shown in my SketchUp model, keep natural walnut in low sheen for cabinetry, add wide plank oak floor as shown - do not modify the width of planks, keep black countertop with veining in low sheen finish, keep soft beige plaster finish on hood and two walls side by side, add soft glow to wall sconces and pendant above dining table, add light color leather in camel color to the dining chairs, add white ceiling with general downlights, add trees and greenery to the outside

And now…Look at them. Really look. Because I have. 😂

And I have to admit - the AI result is pretty damn good! 

There are still situations where Enscape gives me much more control.

And I’m definitely not ready to throw my traditional rendering workflow into the garbage.

BUT…

If you put these two visuals next to each other and told me one required a fraction of the production time? That gets my attention. 😑

But THIS is the conversation I wanted us to have.

Not:

AI IS AMAZING!!! EVERY DESIGNER NEEDS AI!!!

And not:

AI IS DESTROYING DESIGN AND WE SHOULD NEVER TOUCH IT!!!

Neither one feels particularly useful. I want to know:

Can this genuinely improve our workflow without removing the designer from the design?

I’m starting to think the answer might be yes. And if I can build a workflow where you still:

DESIGN in SketchUp → maintain control of your model → communicate your actual design → use AI intentionally → dramatically shorten part of the rendering process…

then I think that’s worth paying attention to.

Because maybe AI shouldn’t be something we use just because we can.

Maybe it’s something we use when the value it gives us actually earns its place in the process.

That feels very different to me.

So apparently my 50/50 is shifting a little. 😂

Don’t worry. I’m not suddenly becoming the AI girl. HAHA.

But I promised you I would test this with an open mind. And that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m experimenting. I’m figuring out prompting.

And most importantly, I’m trying to figure out whether this is something I would genuinely feel comfortable teaching you.

Because if it is? Then yes.

I think there may be a place for it inside my SketchUp course. Not to replace SketchUp. To build on top of it.

So take a look at the images again. SketchUp. AI. Enscape.

Hit reply and tell me. Because apparently this experiment is continuing…

and I have a feeling Ana vs. AI may need a Part 3. 😂

Ana 🌸
Interior Design Den

P.S. I recorded another Studio Voice Memo for this one too. If you’d rather listen to me talk through all of this instead of reading it 🎧