Close your eyes and visualize your house color changing from brown to blue. Squint and think really hard. It’s a big decision, both expensive and important. What did you conclude? Will blue be the winning color? Or are you left unsure and worried that a bad decision will cost lots of money and an unsightly view every time you pull up into your driveway.
Never fear, AI is here!
Now, it’s not only people with good visualization abilities that can make color decisions easily. With AI, anyone can see what a color change will look like on the exterior of their home, front door, or anything.
AI is helpful technology, but the full story is that you need guidance and physical tools in addition to technology to make thoughtful, tasteful decisions that you will enjoy and not regret. Allow me to tell you a couple of recent stories of how I’ve used AI to assist clients with exterior paint selections.
A long-time client of mine, who lives in Chester Borough, is planning to change her stained, cedar shingles to a James Hardie fiber cement product. She had color samples on-hand and we discussed considerations such as her existing roof color and future landscaping changes. I took a photo of her home and asked ChatGPT to apply the specific James Hardie color. In just seconds, we had a stunning picture of how her house would look. My client hadn’t considered changing her shingles to plank and the width options of such planks. Again, I asked our AI friend to make the renderings. We also taped the sample chip to the house, backed up (never evaluate a color close up), and considered the effect. The meeting started with a dizzying amount of options, and ended with a clear path forward for the project.
(Submitted by Molly Higgins)
(Submitted by Molly Higgins)
In Mantoloking, I helped a client update her 1950’s style shore house using assistance from AI. I took into consideration the roof and window trim color, style of landscaping, and location of the garage doors. All of these elements constrained and guided the selection of color for her brick and siding. (Picking a color you like, but that does not flatter the fixed, unchanging elements makes for a poor result). As a designer, I knew immediately that given her red roof, the house would need a white with subtle pink undertones or a gray with green undertones. The client picked up several paint chips at her local store, but none of them made the cut. I uploaded a photo of her home to ChatGPT and asked for two renderings—one in Atrium White and the other in Edgecomb Gray. My client said the white was attractive but preferred the gray option. Next, we walked around her house holding my large, real paint swatch (not computer generated color) at various touch points to verify the decision.
AI’s ability to create quick renderings is helpful, however, the nuances of color and undertones, and the creation of a cohesive design plan is best left in the hands of a trained professional. As a designer, I know what prompts to give AI and it executes on my vision. After all, art and design are human talents. Plus, it’s important to note that AI often makes errors such as changing parts of a photo that were not requested. Although a useful tool, AI is not a replacement for a designer, and I promise that when you call, you will talk to me, not a robot.
Molly Higgins is a graduate of the New York Institute of Art and Design and holds a BS from Villanova University. Seven-time winner of “Best of HOUZZ,” Molly is a client service-oriented designer whose goal is to help families enjoy beauty, comfort and organization in their homes. An entrepreneur for over 15 years, she loves working in Chester and raising her three daughters here with her husband, Patrick.
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