How designers are using AI to reimagine living spaces, The Vancouver Sun, March 2026

This article was written by Lise Boullard and originally published in The Vancouver Sun.

Architects and interior designers have long enlisted tools to help them analyze design concepts and communicate their ideas. Visualizing something that doesn’t already exist — then illustrating it in a way for others to understand — is the essence of the profession.

Before digital tools became mainstream, renderers would sit down with architectural plans and hand-sketch and paint illustrations. These works were used in marketing materials, client approvals and more. Then, software like AutoCAD entered the scene, speeding up the process and shifting the skill set from hand drawing to graphic design.

Today, the profession is evolving once again with architects and designers leveraging the power of AI for renderings and real time mock-ups. Bao-Nghi Nhan, partner and director of architecture at Vancouver’s McKinley Studios, whose team has already integrated a number of AI tools into its processes, believes that accepting and embracing the technology will put firms ahead of the competition. “Early adopters will likely be in demand,” she says.

In creating the client-facing renderings for a waterfront Chesterman Beach home in Tofino, which at press time was under construction, McKinley Studios used AI tools for concepts, to accentuate fine details in renderings, and for client presentations.

During the early exploration phase of the firm’s prefabricated Commonplace homes project, McKinley used AI scripts to mock up a variety of design options, and to analyze how the homes would potentially sit on different land sites. “We were able to site test and review multiple options in a [much shorter] time period,” says Nhan. Once the renderings were finalized, the team also used AI to refine the visuals. Nhan credits AI for streamlining internal processes at the beginning of the project, improving client communication, and boosting client buy-in in the early design phases.

AI tools can be impressively speedy and create sleek outputs, but Nhan says they can’t replace human ideation and intuition; designers and architects need to maintain their role as curators and thinkers to avoid generic results. “All tools, whether they be 3D modelling, drafting, BIM or AI tools should be used with intention, and grounded by the author’s conceptual framework,” she says.

Like McKinley Studios, Jamie Banfield Design has also integrated AI software into their design workflow for interior and architectural design. They use AI image-generation tools Midjourney, DALL·E, and Stable Diffusion to brainstorm concepts, develop mood boards, and explore different design directions. “This allows us to quickly explore the form and function of a space, helping to avoid expensive on-site errors or late-stage changes of direction before committing to detailed modelling,” says Banfield.

When it comes to reviewing, co-ordinating, and editing design PDFs, and communicating across consultants, trades, and permitting authorities, Banfield draws on AI design collaboration tool Bluebeam Revu. “AI helps us pressure-test ideas,” he explains, enabling his team to make better-informed decisions. “[This elevates] the quality of our work and strengthens collaboration.”

So are design professionals concerned about AI’s impact on the job market? Banfield believes the AI evolution will change designers’ roles — but could actually make their work even more interesting. He sees video communication, avatars, and AI-assisted visualization replacing the need for hand-sketching and streamlining communication. “[With AI] information can be shared more clearly and consistently across teams and time zones, reducing bias, misinterpretation, and reliance on static drawings alone.”

Designers will then have bandwidth to focus more on higher level strategy. “This shift allows designers to sit more confidently in the problem-solving and strategic seat, guiding outcomes rather than simply producing documents.”

But Banfield says he’s not worried AI will replace the need for human designers and architects. “AI doesn’t replace authorship, judgment, or responsibility, it amplifies them. When used thoughtfully, these tools allow us to design more responsibly, communicate more clearly, and spend more time on the parts of our work that truly matter: understanding people, responding to context, and shaping meaningful spaces.”