No.6 | Image vs. Reality

The Invisible Layer Series No.6 | June 2026

A note from Jacqui

Between Pinterest and now AI-generated imagery, clients can arrive with a very clear idea of what they want.

Reference images are incredibly useful. We use them constantly to understand what our clients are drawn to and the feeling they want a space to evoke.

What interests me is not the image itself, but what clients are responding to within it.

A reference can tell us what someone likes. The challenge is understanding why they are responding to it and translating that into a home that works for them.

Warm regards,
Jacqui

The Invisible Layer Series No.6

When Inspiration Becomes Expectation

Pinterest boards, magazine clippings, saved Instagram posts and now AI-generated imagery have made it easier to communicate design preferences.

Images are excellent at communicating an idea or a feeling.

What they cannot communicate is everything required to make that idea work in reality.

Reference images gathered at the start of a project, used to understand alignment before design begins.

More often than not, clients are not responding to a specific room. They are responding to what that room represents: better storage, more natural light, less clutter, easier entertaining, or simply a calmer way of living.

Once we understand that, we can begin translating those ideas into something tangible and tailored to the realities of each project.

To explore this further, we tested AI to redesign an existing kitchen from a client brief.

The brief included additional storage, a dedicated eating area, a wine fridge, pantry storage and a tea and coffee station.

The original kitchen before the design brief was applied. Picture supplied by Domain.

AI-generated interpretation of the same kitchen using the project brief.

At first glance, the redesign appears to achieve everything outlined in the brief.

There is more storage, a larger island, dedicated dining and additional functionality.

Looking more closely, however, reveals the difference between creating an image and resolving a design.

Additional space has appeared that does not exist in the physical home. Services that would normally require coordination have largely disappeared. Structural, mechanical and planning constraints have been removed from view.

The result appears resolved, but many of the underlying challenges have simply been omitted.

Much like preparing a budget while leaving out several major expenses, everything appears to work until reality catches up.

Or like covering a warning light on a dashboard. The signal disappears, but the underlying issue remains.

The best outcomes are never a copy of something else. They are the result of listening, interpreting, and resolving, until the space feels like it was always meant to be that way.