Venus Williams brings her interior design skills to Palazzo, a new generative AI-powered platform

Venus Williams brings her interior design skills to Palazzo, a new generative AI-powered platform

Did you know that Venus Williams, the legendary tennis player and seven-time Grand Slam winner, has a passion for interior design? Well, she does, and she's been showcasing her talent for the past 22 years through her interior design firm, V Starr Interiors. Now, Williams is stepping into the world of generative AI with her new platform called Palazzo, aimed at inspiring people to refresh their living spaces.

Palazzo officially launched today and is now accessible on the web, with plans to develop iOS and Android apps in the near future.

When you use the platform, you simply upload photos of the room you want to redesign, and the AI-powered assistant named Vinci takes charge. Vinci analyzes your preferences, creating edited photos of the room based on your desired style. Whether you're into a mid-century modern look or another aesthetic, Vinci produces renderings with furniture, decor, and color combinations to match. Users can also upload inspiration photos to give Vinci a better understanding of their vision and make specific requests, such as removing a couch or changing wallpaper.

Palazzo offers a limited number of free design iterations, allowing users about 10 chances to make tweaks at no additional cost. For more options, the platform sells credit bundles starting at $5 for 20 credits, going up to $75 for 500 credits. Additionally, a referral program rewards users with five tokens for every successful referral.

Co-founder Raffi Holzer, former CEO of Avvir, explains that the company is still experimenting with the model, so pricing and features may change over time.

Palazzo also introduces an interesting feature called the "Aesthetic DNA" test. Users can select from various room designs, ranging from vibrant and flashy patterns to a more toned-down, minimalistic vibe. The results help the AI generate renders tailored to the chosen aesthetic.

The platform includes an explore feed that encourages users to engage with a community of creators, share their designs, collaborate, and browse other user-generated content. Users can also easily share their designs on social media platforms.

Palazzo is currently powered by ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion, and the company plans to continue adding and revising AI models as newer ones become available.

Despite being in beta since late December, Palazzo has gained thousands of active users. While not perfect, the platform is praised for its ease of use, accessibility, and affordability, making it a valuable tool for consumers, regardless of their design skills.

Looking ahead, Palazzo has ambitious plans, aiming to expand beyond generative AI into shopping and checkout features, allowing users to purchase similar furniture and home decor directly from their created images. The platform also plans to connect users with home remodelers and other professionals, expanding its services beyond the design phase.

One unique aspect of Palazzo is its commitment to compensating interior designers and firms contributing to the platform. To prevent AI from ripping off creatives, the platform introduces the concept of a "design imprint," ensuring that designers get compensated if their aesthetic is used in transactions on the platform.

In the words of Venus Williams, "AI is a tool for efficiency and creativity, but we still want the human interaction. I don't think we can forget that in life."