To give its customers an added level of immersion, the online interior design platform Decorilla announced this week it would soon be integrating virtual reality into its existing suite of available features. Prior to the announcement, Decorilla built its foundation on pairing customers with professionally vetted designers to help them design rooms within their homes. Be it in-home visits or online consultations, the company streamlined interior design to bring expert assistance to people all over the globe. Now, with the inclusion of virtual reality, Decorilla offers its users an unprecedented level of customization.
Officially launched via the Apple App Store and Google Play April 5, Decorilla’s new VR application essentially allows customers to see what a completely empty room might look like fully furnished. For instance, a remodeler may completely strip down a room while rebuilding but would still have the ability to strap on a VR headset, open the Decorilla VR application, and would have the ability to walk around an expertly decorated room. Decorilla’s interior designers still work with the customers to bring their specific style to life, the VR app just allows them to do everything short of actually touching the furniture.
“Given how affordable Google Cardboard is, and the national launch of marquee tools like Facebook’s Oculus Rift and Samsung’s VR headsets, it was a logical step to provide clients with an immersive experience of their new space,” says Decorilla’s co-founder and head strategist Josh van Aalst.
Regardless of a customer’s location, Decorilla’s model allows them to tinker with and create gorgeously designed spaces that not only fit their own personal style, but also their budget. Though the company has always provided users with 3D models of their spaces, the virtual reality element is seen as Decorilla’s next logical step forward. Both designer and customer now have the ability to work cooperatively on a project in VR which is as revolutionary as it is inventive.
“People frequently purchase furniture by themselves, but all too often, are not happy with the results,” says Christine Martin, a Decorilla interior designer. “Decorilla will solve this by offering clients the virtual reality app to view their designs, even before they have been executed. We are making one of life’s pleasures — a nicely designed interior — more easy to attain.”
Developed in partnership with AR Pandora, Decorilla’s VR application is an incredible blend of technology and traditional, in-home interior design. The company acknowledges that it’s the “best way to show a design to a client,” giving them the kind of information they’d only be able to obtain by actually moving physical furniture into their homes. VR tech grants users the unique ability to alter designs on the fly, in real-time, and effectively inhabit their designs. Though Decorilla charges for its design services, its VR application is free for anyone with an iOS or Android-compatible phone to download.
