Those tiny paint swatches from the home improvement store aren't a great way to visualize, and painting tiny sample patches won't show you what the room will look like with the walls fully color-drenched. But there's an AI tool that helps you reimagine your surroundings without too much effort.

I work out of a coworking space that's beautifully designed, but a little drab in terms of color. I downloaded Remodel AI, an AI mobile and web application, to help me visualize and generate design ideas for the space -- just to see what it would look like.

The app features color swatches from partnerships with well-known paint brands, including Behr, Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, and more, allowing you to visualize paint colors that are actually available for purchase. It also says it'll show you how those paints look on all kinds of textures and in different lighting. 

Most importantly, I wanted to experiment without having to lift more than my iOS camera. 

How does Remodel AI use AI?

Founded by Dirk Morris, Remodel AI launched in 2023. The app is available for both iOS and Android and has a free version, along with paid subscriptions ranging from $7 to $60 per month. 

"[Remodel] AI gives homeowners the confidence to make big design decisions with clarity and peace of mind, turning the process into something enjoyable," Morris tells me. 

When you upload a photo of a room or exterior, the computer vision AI analyzes the image to identify key elements like walls, ceilings, windows and doors.

For its paint feature, it uses AI to transform your space, creating a realistic output. The paint color simulation can also adjust to surface textures and room lighting -- this is to avoid a flat overlay of color. It also recommends paint colors based on your selections. 

Morris believes that the reinvention of the product catalog as a live interactive tool will drastically change how home products are marketed and sold. (Beyond its paint feature, Remodel AI has over 20 features to support the home design and decorating process, like showing your rooms with different furniture, flooring, wallpaper, rugs and kitchen upgrades.)

"Fulfilling this vision requires many different AI models and tools, but our target audience are not AI experts -- nor do they want to be," Morris says. "This makes it easy for people to use them."

How to use Remodel AI's paint feature

1. Launch Remodel AI on iOS or Android and create an account. 

2. Navigate to the Paint section from the menu.

3. Either pull up an image from your phone's photo library or take a new photo. While the AI can account for shadows, it's best to make sure the image is well-lit and clearly shows the surfaces you'd like to "paint."

4. The AI will scan your image to detect walls, ceilings, doors and other exterior surfaces -- this takes around 2 minutes to complete. This is to ensure you're painting the areas you'd like to. You can also manually adjust or select areas if the AI doesn't detect them. I found the AI detection to be good, but not perfect. Since paint is about overall visual appearance in context rather than details, I left the jagged edges as they are.

5. Browse the library of colors, which compiles swatches from real-world paint brands and their codes. There's also an option to use a moodboard created in response to a specific color, and you can create a custom color based on the selected swatch, or toggle to generate a new color.

6. The AI tool applies your color choice, navigating away from the boundary areas (like a door). You can paint multiple areas individually or edit and trim as needed to make a new design.

7. AI also suggests similar or complementary colors, and you can navigate between options to compare different shades -- you can also adjust intensity or saturation to your liking.

8. Save your design and share it with friends, plus there's the option to export to a shopping list if you'd like to put your painting ideas into action.

More information, including home tips, can be found on Remodel AI's blog. 

Who should use Remodel AI?

I experimented with a Pro account, which allowed me to create renders quickly and provided unlimited credits, making it beneficial for changing my mind mid-design. 

Having focused solely on the company's paint feature, I enjoyed being able to navigate between painting the bathroom walls while also having the ability to create a design using Remodel AI's Playground. 

This allows you to describe a space in your mind and have AI generate a visual design based on your description, exploring the "what if" possibilities of the creative process. 

I'd say that homeowners, DIY enthusiasts, interior designers, architects and real estate agents would find this most useful. Since Remodel AI lowers the design barrier for people to interact with design tools, it also reduces risk and accelerates the design decision-making process. 

Its ability to integrate with popular paint brands also gives you a wider array of options when designing, which is helpful.

Based on my experience using the app, I'd say this is a home visualization app that is both well-developed and well-intentioned, even for people who simply want to use their imagination for fun.