Ep 23: Getting Started with Midjourney for Interior Designers
Written By Jenna Gaidusek
Listen to the Podcast Episode for a deeper dive
AI for Interior Designers™ Podcast
Getting Started with Midjourney for Interior Designers
Midjourney, Visual Electric, and DALL-E each bring something different to the design workflow. Jenna breaks down what each tool does best, how to write prompts that actually produce useful design imagery, and how to use the outputs effectively with clients.
Ep. 23
Solo Episode
✦ Jenna Gaidusek
August 2024
This blog was written using AI as a recap from the recording, then edited by the author for accuracy and details.
Key Takeaways
- Start with a simple base prompt and build complexity gradually — not the reverse. Beginning with a highly complex prompt produces unpredictable outputs; starting simple and layering detail produces more controlled results faster.
- AI-generated design images are conceptual visualization tools, not finished specifications. The goal is communicating direction and feel to clients, not producing a technical document — which means perfection is not the standard for a useful output.
- Using ChatGPT to help craft Midjourney prompts is a workflow upgrade — it converts your design language into the structured, specific prompt syntax that Midjourney responds to most effectively.
- Midjourney, Visual Electric, and DALL-E each have distinct strengths. Using more than one tool for a single project produces a wider range of options and often surfaces directions that no single tool would have generated alone.
- Midjourney's ability to be trained on your specific design style — through repeated use and style references — means the longer you use it, the more precisely it can match your aesthetic, making it increasingly useful over time rather than plateauing.
Three Tools, Three Strengths — Knowing When to Use Which
No single AI image generation tool is best for every task. The designers who get the most value from these tools are the ones who understand what each one does distinctively — and reach for the right one for the right purpose rather than using one tool for everything.
The strongest tool for photorealistic interior imagery. Midjourney produces highly detailed, visually compelling images that read as photographs of real spaces rather than obvious AI renderings — making it the most effective for client-facing presentations where visual credibility matters. It can be trained toward your specific design aesthetic through style references and repeated use, producing increasingly personalized outputs over time. Discord-based interface (though a web interface is now available) with extensive parameter controls for users who want to refine outputs beyond basic prompting.
Built specifically for creative professionals with an emphasis on brand consistency and aesthetic control. Visual Electric's brand style system allows designers to establish a consistent visual identity across generated images — ensuring outputs feel like they belong to the same design practice rather than looking generically AI-generated. Particularly useful for mood board creation and marketing visuals where brand cohesion matters. Also offers video generation, making it a more versatile platform as the product continues to develop.
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DALL-E (via ChatGPT)
Most accessible entry point for designers already using ChatGPT — no separate tool or interface to learn. DALL-E's strength is its deep integration with ChatGPT's conversational interface, which makes iterative refinement through conversation natural. You can describe a direction, see what generates, have a conversation about what to adjust, and iterate — all in one thread. Output quality is generally below Midjourney for photorealistic interior imagery, but the workflow convenience and prompt assistance make it a practical starting point for designers new to AI image generation.
How to Write Prompts That Actually Work — The Step-by-Step
The single biggest factor in the quality of AI-generated design imagery is the quality of the prompt. This is a learnable skill, and the progression is consistent: start simple, evaluate the output, add specific detail, repeat. The common mistake is beginning with an overly complex prompt that tries to specify everything at once — which produces unpredictable results and makes it hard to understand what is producing what in the output.
1
Start with a simple base prompt
Describe the space type, key style direction, and one or two dominant materials or finishes. Nothing more. See what generates before adding detail.
"Modern kitchen, white marble countertops, warm wood cabinets, natural light"
2
Add mood, lighting, and atmosphere
Once the base reads correctly, layer in the atmospheric qualities — how the light feels, the time of day, the emotional register of the space.
"...golden hour afternoon light, warm and inviting, architectural photography"
3
Specify technical parameters
Add camera angle, aspect ratio, and photographic style to control how the space is framed and how much it reads as a professional image rather than a generic render.
"...wide angle, eye level, editorial interior photography, --ar 16:9"
4
Use ChatGPT to translate your design language
Describe your design intent to ChatGPT in your own language and ask it to translate that into an optimized Midjourney prompt. This bridges the gap between how designers think and how Midjourney responds most effectively.
"Write a Midjourney prompt for a coastal modern living room with a relaxed, collected feel, natural textures, and muted blues and greens"
5
Generate variations and iterate
Use Midjourney's variation and remix features to explore the range of what a prompt produces before selecting or refining toward a final direction. A prompt that produces one good result in four tries is still a useful prompt.
Midjourney Features Worth Knowing
Beyond basic image generation, Midjourney has a suite of features that significantly expand what is possible for designers who take time to learn them. These are not advanced features — they are standard capabilities that become relevant quickly once you are comfortable with basic prompting.
Image Variations
Generate multiple variations of a single output to explore the range of what a prompt produces — useful for identifying which direction is closest to the intended vision before committing to refinement.
Upscaling
Increase the resolution of a generated image for use in higher-quality presentations or printed materials. Essential for any image that will be displayed at larger than screen size.
Remix Mode
Edit the prompt between variation generations — allowing targeted adjustments to specific elements (change the color palette, adjust the lighting, swap a material) without regenerating from scratch.
Style References (–sref)
Feed Midjourney reference images to guide the aesthetic of generations — training the output toward your specific design style or an established visual direction from your portfolio.
Image Prompting
Use an existing image as part of your prompt — combining it with text to generate something that incorporates elements of the reference without directly reproducing it.
Inpainting / Editor
Select specific areas of a generated image to regenerate while keeping the rest intact — useful for correcting specific elements (a piece of furniture, a light fixture) without starting over.
Free Midjourney Setup Instructional Video — Jenna's step-by-step setup guide for designers new to the platform: aiforinteriordesigners.com/free-setup-instructions ↗
Frequently Asked Questions
Midjourney operates on a subscription model starting at approximately $10/month for basic access (limited generations) up to $60/month for professional plans with faster generation, more images per month, and additional features. There is no permanent free tier as of mid-2024, though Midjourney periodically offers free trial access. For designers using it regularly in client work, the $30/month standard plan is typically the appropriate starting point — it provides enough generation capacity for active project use without the cost of the unlimited pro plan.
Midjourney launched as a Discord-based tool — you joined a Discord server and typed prompts as messages in channels, which produced generated images visible to other members unless you used a private channel. The web interface (midjourney.com) provides a more conventional design — prompts in an input field, a personal image gallery, organized folders, and privacy by default without needing Discord. For designers, the web interface is significantly more practical: easier to manage your image history, find specific outputs, and work without the Discord distraction. New subscribers should start with the web interface rather than Discord.
For paid Midjourney subscribers, yes — commercial use of generated images is permitted under their terms of service. The important caveat is that Midjourney-generated images cannot be copyrighted by the user under current US copyright guidance (AI-generated images require human authorship for copyright protection). This means the images you generate are usable in your client work but are not proprietary to you in the way a photograph you personally took would be. For commercial client work where image rights matter — particularly any image used in published advertising or licensed products — consult your specific use case with an IP attorney familiar with AI-generated content.
Framing that works: "I use AI tools to generate early concept visualizations — these show you the direction I'm envisioning for your space in terms of style, palette, and atmosphere. Think of them as detailed sketches that communicate the feel rather than a photograph of the finished result. They help us align on direction before I invest significant time in detailed design development." This framing is accurate, sets appropriate expectations, demonstrates transparency, and positions the AI imagery as a client communication tool rather than a design deliverable — which is what it is. Most clients respond positively to this explanation, particularly when they can see that the images are being used to serve their interests in faster alignment.
Interior design-specific prompt elements that consistently improve output quality: specifying the type of photography ("interior architectural photography," "editorial interior photography," "real estate photography") rather than just describing the space; including lighting specifically ("morning natural light," "warm afternoon light," "soft diffused light") since lighting quality is the single biggest factor in whether a generated interior reads as realistic; naming specific materials with precision ("white Carrara marble," "white oak," "brushed brass") rather than generic descriptions; including negative prompts for common AI failures ("--no distorted proportions, cluttered, artificial looking"); and specifying aspect ratio to match your intended presentation format. For style references, uploading images from designers whose aesthetic is adjacent to yours is more effective than trying to describe the style purely in words.
Host & Educator
Jenna Gaidusek
Founder, AI for Interior Designers™
Jenna is the go-to educator for design professionals who want to use technology without losing their creative edge. A designer turned tech advocate, she's a nationally recognized speaker, podcast host, community builder, and custom app builder based in Charleston, SC.
AI EducationInterior DesignPodcast HostCharleston, SC
Disclaimer: This blog was written using AI as a recap from the recording then edited by the author for accuracy and details.
