If you were unaware, the decorated tennis legend and winner of seven Grand Slams, Venus Williams, possesses a keen eye for interior design. In fact, it has been two decades since she established her interior design firm, V Starr Interiors. Now, Williams is venturing into the world of generative AI with her new platform, Palazzo. This innovative platform offers design ideas to inspire those seeking to revive their living spaces.
Today, Palazzo officially launches on the web, with plans to launch iOS and Android apps in the near future.
Upon opening the platform, users are prompted to upload photos of the room they wish to design. Then, an AI-powered assistant named Vinci takes over. Vinci analyzes the user’s input and creates an edited photo of the room. For instance, if the user desires a Mid-century modern look, Vinci will produce renderings with furniture, decor, and color combinations that align with that style. And yes, the AI assistant is named after the famous Italian artist you are thinking of.
Additionally, users can upload an inspiration photo alongside their image to give Vinci a better idea of their vision. They can even enter multiple ideas and requests, allowing the AI to remove furniture or change wallpaper. As users continue working with Vinci, it learns their style and creates renderings that closely fit their vision.
Keep in mind that the number of free iterations is limited. Users only have around 10 chances to make tweaks at no additional cost. To continue using Palazzo, there are four different bundles available for purchase: $5 for 20 credits, $20 for 100 credits, $40 for 250 credits, and $75 for 500 credits. Additionally, a referral program rewards users with 5 tokens for each successful referral who creates an account on the platform.
The company’s co-founder, Raffi Holzer, tells TechCrunch that they are still experimenting with the model, so it may change in the future.
Holzer, former CEO and founder of Avvir, a construction site platform, has teamed up with Venus Williams for Palazzo. Other members of the founding team include Edward Lando, founder of Goody and early angel investor in companies such as Ramp, Mercury, Current, Spendesk, Truebill, and others.
Another feature of Palazzo is the “Aesthetic DNA” test. This test asks users to select from various room designs, ranging from super colorful wallpaper and rugs to a more toned-down vibe with neutral tones and minimalistic artwork. The results of the quiz help the AI generate renders that speak to the user’s chosen aesthetic.
The platform also includes an explore feed, encouraging users to engage with a community of creators. Here, they can share their designs, collaborate, and browse other user-generated content. And, of course, Palazzo allows users to share their designs on social media.
Since December, Williams has been hyping up Palazzo on X (formerly known as Twitter), sharing her creations like the one below:
“I hate dull looks. It has got to go!” – Williams
Currently, Palazzo is powered by ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion, but the company plans to continue adding and revising the AI.
“We have changed our AI’s brain multiple times and will continue to do so as newer models become available. We have designed our system in such a way that we can easily plug in a new model without disrupting the user experience,” Holzer explains.
The company says the training process involved creating a dictionary of industry-related terms and teaching the AI about current furniture trends. For instance, in reference to the popular “cloud couch” trend on TikTok, Williams mentions the need to teach the platform what that term means.
“When we first started, we had to teach the platform what ‘cloud couch’ meant. They’re so popular right now,” Williams explains in an interview. “So, from an industry standpoint, it is crucial to stay on top of what people love and what is trending. Last year, there was a big trend surrounding the color peach, so we made sure to teach our language model what that meant.”
Palazzo launched its beta version in late December, attracting a few thousand users who are active monthly.
We had the chance to test the beta version, and while it may not be perfect, Palazzo is accessible, affordable, and user-friendly, making it an excellent tool for inspiration for any consumer, regardless of their design skills.
“It is fun and intuitive to use because it feels like you are talking to a design assistant, but it also recognizes its limitations. It is not here to replace human relationships,” Holzer says.
This type of platform isn’t new. Many retail giants are diving into the world of generative AI, including Ikea, which recently debuted an AI-powered home design assistant exclusively on the OpenAI GPT store. In October 2023, Walmart announced that it was developing an interior design assistant that utilizes generative AI and AR technology. And last summer, Wayfair launched its Decorify app.
Although Palazzo does not have a well-known brand name behind it, it does have a tennis icon on its team with two decades of interior design knowledge.
Palazzo has ambitious plans for its platform and hopes to expand beyond generative AI-powered offerings. This includes shopping and checkout features, allowing users to purchase furniture and home decor directly from the platform, as suggested by Vinci. The company plans to partner with retail companies to include inventory on the platform. This feature will be rolling out soon.
Palazzo also plans to expand into other services beyond the design phase, such as connecting users with home remodelers and other professionals.
“We envision expanding the platform to connect users with home service providers to help execute their design visions. This could include finding a designer or someone to paint their room. All of this is on the table,” Holzer adds.
Most importantly, Palazzo is involving notable interior design companies, such as V Starr, to contribute designs on the platform and be compensated for their work.
“AI is known for taking advantage of creatives. If you are a creative, you put your intellectual property out into the world, and that large language model will scan it without your consent or knowledge, and most certainly without any compensation. Our platform operates on the concept of a design imprint. For example, if a user wants to create their room in the style of V Starr, our design engine can produce that aesthetic within their space. In this scenario, V Starr will be compensated for any transactions made on the platform,” Holzer shares.
“We value the human touch. AI is a tool for efficiency and creativity, but we must not forget human interaction in life,” Williams adds.
