Capstone: Design Your Dream Room

Your Complete Design Project

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, we learned AI visualization techniques to render our room designs before purchasing. Now it’s time to bring every skill together—from design principles through AI visualization—in one complete room design project.

This capstone walks you through designing a room from blank walls to finished concept, applying every technique from the course. Work through each phase using a real room in your home (or a hypothetical one if you prefer).

Phase 1: Establish Your Design Brief

Every professional project starts with a brief—a clear statement of what you’re creating and why.

Fill in your brief:

• Room: [Type and dimensions]
• Current state: [Empty? Needs refresh? Complete redo?]
• Who uses it: [Family members, ages, activities]
• Primary activities: [List in priority order]
• Budget: [Your total budget]
• Style direction: [2-3 adjectives that describe the feel you want]
• Non-negotiables: [Anything that must stay or must be included]

Using AI

“Here’s my room design brief: [paste brief]. Validate my brief—are there any questions I should answer before starting the design process? Then suggest 3 design styles that match my adjectives.”

Phase 2: Apply Design Principles (Lesson 2)

Using your brief, make principle-level decisions:

Balance: Will this room be symmetrically or asymmetrically balanced? Focal point: What will be the room’s star element? Color harmony: Which color scheme type (monochromatic, analogous, complementary)?

✅ Quick Check: Can you name all five design principles from Lesson 2 without looking back? (Balance, proportion, rhythm, emphasis, harmony.)

Phase 3: Plan Your Layout (Lesson 3)

Map traffic flow. Where are the doors and windows? What are the main paths?

Define zones. What activities need their own area?

Position furniture. Use the floating furniture rule where space allows.

Using AI

“My room is [dimensions] with [doors, windows, fixed elements described with positions]. Activities in priority order: [list]. Generate 3 layout options with furniture positions described in detail. For each, note traffic flow paths and zone boundaries.”

Phase 4: Build Your Color Palette (Lesson 4)

Apply the 60-30-10 rule:

• 60% dominant: [Color and where it appears]
• 30% secondary: [Color and where it appears]
• 10% accent: [Color and where it appears]

Using AI

“My room faces [direction], gets [natural light level], and the mood I want is [adjectives]. The flooring is [describe—this is fixed]. Build a 60-30-10 palette with hex codes and explain where each color appears.”

Phase 5: Select Furniture (Lesson 5)

For each piece in your layout, specify:

• Dimensions (must fit the space)
• Material/finish
• Style (must match your design direction)
• Budget allocation

Using AI

“Based on my layout: [describe] and palette: [describe], recommend specific furniture pieces with dimensions, materials, and estimated price ranges. My total furniture budget is [$X]. Prioritize the investment pieces (sofa, bed) over accessories.”

Phase 6: Create Your Mood Board (Lesson 6)

Compile your 9-15 elements:

• Color swatches (4-6)
• Inspiration images (3-5)
• Material references (3-4)
• Key furniture images (2-3)
• Mood words (2-4)

Using AI

“Based on all my design decisions: [summarize], describe a complete mood board with 12 elements. For each element, describe what it looks like and what it communicates about the design direction.”

Phase 7: Visualize with AI (Lesson 7)

Generate renders from multiple angles:

Using AI

“Write 3 AI image generation prompts for my completed room design:

• Prompt 1: Wide-angle overview from the main entrance
• Prompt 2: Close-up of the focal point area
• Prompt 3: Warm evening lighting version

Room details: [summarize your complete design—style, layout, colors, furniture, materials, lighting]”

Course Review

Here’s a summary of every skill you’ve built:

The Design Checklist

Before finalizing your design, verify:

• Balance: Visual weight is distributed evenly
• Proportion: Furniture fits the room and relates to each other well
• Rhythm: Colors, materials, or shapes repeat to create cohesion
• Focal point: One clear element anchors the room
• Harmony: The 60-30-10 rule is followed; everything feels unified
• Traffic flow: Main paths have 36+ inches; no furniture blocks natural movement
• Zones: Each activity has a defined area
• Mood board alignment: Every element reinforces the vision

Key Takeaways

• The design process flows logically: brief → principles → layout → colors → furniture → mood board → visualization
• Each decision builds on the previous one—sequence matters
• Your mood board is the compass that keeps every decision aligned
• AI accelerates every phase but your design judgment is what creates a great room
• The skills in this course are transferable—use them for any room in any home

Congratulations!

You’ve completed Interior Design with AI!

You now have the knowledge and tools to design any room with confidence—from understanding professional design principles to using AI for visualization. The skills you’ve built aren’t just academic; they’re immediately practical. Your next home improvement project has a designer behind it: you.

Your final step: Pass the quiz above, then click “Get Your Certificate” to claim your certificate of completion.