How to Get Started with Midjourney Interior Design for Your Next Project in 2024

AI this, AI that. Artificial Intelligence is everywhere at the moment and whether you like it or not, it is here to stay.

AI can produce a lot of negative comments, and I get it. There are so many questions about where AI is heading, will it lose people their jobs? Is it not just copying other people’s work?

Interior design is a fast-moving business, and if there are any tools that will make designer’s jobs easier, why would you not use them? Midjourney, in particular, is a tool to aid, not to take people’s jobs. This amazing AI tool can only inspire.

It will never be able to replace the human element of hiring a designer or planning a room layout. Of figuring out where to put plug sockets or telling you what colors work best.

Midjourney Interior Design

This AI-powered platform offers a novel approach to designing spaces, enabling designers to explore unprecedented creative possibilities and present their ideas in a more dynamic and engaging way.

In this article, I’ll delve into how interior designers and homeowners can leverage Midjourney to transform their next project.

Embracing AI in Interior Design

The adoption of artificial intelligence in interior design signifies a shift towards more innovative and efficient design processes.

Midjourney, with its advanced AI capabilities, serves as a creative partner, helping designers generate unique visual concepts, refine ideas, and communicate their vision with unparalleled clarity and speed.

One of the key challenges in interior design is conveying an abstract concept in a way that clients can easily understand and connect with, especially with custom furniture. Midjourney excels in this area by transforming textual descriptions into compelling visual representations.

This not only enhances the designer’s ability to communicate their ideas but also enables a more collaborative and iterative process with clients. It also helps homeowners come up with ideas of their own, giving you color ideas, texture, and furniture placement.

Getting Started with Midjourney

To harness the full potential of Midjourney in interior design, it’s essential to understand the platform’s capabilities and how to effectively integrate it into your design workflow.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to using Midjourney for your next interior design project:

Step 1: Set Up Discord

If you don’t already have a Discord account, you’ll need to create one. Download the Discord app for your device or use the web version, and sign up for an account.

Step 2: Join the Midjourney Discord Server

Once you have created a Discord account, head to the Midjourney website and click on – Join the Beta. You will then get an invitation to join the Midjourney Discord channel. Click Accept Invite and off you go!

Step 3: Subscribe to a Plan

You will need to subscribe to a Midjourney plan to start using it. Unfortunately, due to the sheer amount of people using the app, it no longer offers a free tier or trial period to new users.

You’ll need an active subscription to generate new images and depending on what level you subscribe to, this will determine how often you can use it.

I am currently on the standard plan and have just been given access to Midjourney Alpha due to my extensive use on the platform. I find this is more than enough for my website and social media images.

To subscribe, head to one of the newcomer rooms on the left of the page. It will look something like #newbies-11 or #newbies-41. Type /subscribe (this is called a slash command) in the message field, and hit enter. Slash commands are how you interact with Discord bots like Midjourney.

You will then be given a link that prompts you to sign up for a Midjourney plan.

Step 4: Create Your First Image

Midjourney is tailored for a community of artists, hence its operation on Discord, yet the #newbies channels can often be overwhelming due to the frequent posting of prompts and requests by numerous users.

Nonetheless, browsing through the various channels offers valuable insights into effective and less effective practices, what prompts to use, and the general frustration of users! :)

I always create my images in “Direct Messages” as it cuts out all the noise and it is basically just my little world on Midjourney.

People will still be able to see what you create in the members gallery and if you want to go completely private, you need to upgrade your subscription to Pro or Mega. I don’t really mind who sees my images of yet another sage-green kitchen!

All you need to do is enter /imagine into the message box and off you go! You need to prompt Midjourney to create an image, which is a whole other blog post, but here are some examples:

• Create a mood board for an interior designer who is designing a new kitchen with neutral colors and brass hardware

• A hyper-realistic render of a dark bookcase in a dining room with a vintage table and chairs and a chandelier hanging above the table

• A CAD like drawing of a contemporary garden design, with a pond and pathways included

Step 5: Edit Your Images

It may take a few attempts, tweaks, and different prompts to get the desired result, but once you are happy, you will need to upscale the image so that you can save it.

Underneath every set of image results, you will see buttons: U1, U2, U3, U4, V1, V2, V3, and V4.

The U buttons upscale the image on their own so that you can open this image, right-click, and save it to your PC. The V buttons create a new, but very similar image which means you can see different versions.

There is also a re-roll button which will use the same prompt, but create 4 entirely new images.

When you select the U buttons, this image will upscale and give you some more options to edit your image. This can slightly vary, depending on your image, but in the main they include;

• Upscale (Subtle): doubles the size of your image and keeps details very similar to the original.
• Upscale (Creative): also doubles the size of your image and adds new details to the image.
• Vary (Subtle): produces variations that retain the main composition of the original image but introduce subtle changes to its details.
• Vary (Strong): makes significantly bigger variations.
• Vary (Region): modifies a selected area within a generated image without changing the entire image.
• Zoom Out 2x: pulls the camera out and fills in details on all sides x2
• Zoom Out 1.5x: pulls the camera out and fills in details on all sides x1.5
• Custom Zoom: allows you to change the prompt before you expand your image
• 4 x Pan arrows: automatically expand your image in the direction selected. You can only pan in one direction.

Step 6: Save Your Image

After entering your prompts and playing around with your image, you need to upscale it to its full size. Once this has been generated, click on the image and right-click, then select Save Image.

Midjourney Interior Design Prompts

Prompting and knowing how to do it effectively is where the real magic happens.

However, I have been using this AI tool for nearly a year now and I find that Midjourney is extremely good at producing images that are better than you could have imagined. This is where the inspiration is at its best!

It can be overwhelming though, trying to get it to produce exactly what you want, and it still has a long way to go. Some hints to prompting include;

Don’t Over-describe

I find the best way to get the results I want is to start with a small prompt and build from there. If I want a farmhouse kitchen with sage green cabinets, I’ll just type in “a farmhouse kitchen with sage green cabinets. Yep, as easy as that.

Sometimes Midjourney will produce fantastic images straight away, sometimes it will throw in random items like 2 sinks or a shelf under a cooker hood (like above), so you will need to either select the V button so it produces the image again with variations or try other prompts.

Don’t overthink it!

Get Midjourney to Think About a Specific Style

If you want your images to be magazine quality, tell it. If you want a mood board to represent scraps as if you have ripped the images from a magazine, tell it. Some good examples include;

• “An interior design magazine quality shot of…”
• “A mood board containing samples of fabrics with…”
• “A hyper-realistic shot of a garden…”

Use Strong or Evocative Words

I’m still not quite sure what Midjourney chooses to emphasize, but it will most certainly be evocative or descriptive words. If you include colors, it will go all in on that color.

If you ask for a certain interior style, it delivers beautifully. Have a really good think about what you’re trying to achieve.

I could go on and on, but as this is just an introduction to Midjourney Interior Design, the above should easily get you started. As with anything, the best way to learn is by doing.

My first attempts were pretty terrible, but I now know what prompts to use automatically and I am always experimenting.

The Future of AI in Interior Design

The integration of AI tools like Midjourney in interior design is not just a trend but a glimpse into the future of the industry.

As these technologies evolve, designers will have even more powerful tools at their disposal, enabling them to push creative boundaries, enhance efficiency, and deliver more personalized and innovative design solutions.

Enhancing Creativity, Not Replacing It

It’s important to recognize that AI tools augment the designer’s creativity; they do not replace it. The human element, understanding client needs, interpreting cultural and contextual nuances, and making intuitive design decisions, remains irreplaceable.

AI serves as a catalyst, amplifying the designer’s ability to envision and execute their ideas.

Embracing the Potential

As the capabilities of AI in interior design continue to expand, embracing these technologies becomes essential for staying at the forefront of the industry.

Designers who leverage tools like Midjourney can differentiate themselves, offering a more engaging and immersive design experience to their clients.

Have fun creating!

FAQs

Is Midjourney suitable for professional interior designers?

Yes, Midjourney is suitable for both professional interior designers and enthusiasts. It provides a novel way to explore design concepts and present ideas to clients or collaborators.

Can Midjourney generate images based on specific design styles?

Yes, Midjourney can generate images based on specific design styles. Provide detailed prompts including style references (e.g., “modern minimalist living room with natural light”) to guide the AI.

Are the images generated by Midjourney royalty-free?

Images generated by Midjourney are typically considered the user’s creation, but it’s important to review Midjourney’s terms of service and copyright policies, especially for commercial use.

How does Midjourney handle complex interior design requests?

Midjourney can handle complex requests, but the clarity and specificity of your prompts play a crucial role in the outcome. Break down complex requests into simpler components if needed.

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will receive a very small commission if you click through and make a purchase. These links help to pay the editorial costs of writing a blog. For more information, please read my full affiliate disclosure here. 

I also use Artificial Intelligence Image generators to create some of my images. These are to show you examples of my ideas and inspiration when I cannot produce the real images myself.