Reference tables
Writing instructions that work
How the free-text field is best used, with patterns that work, patterns that fail, and worked examples per tool.
Last reviewed August 19, 2026
Presets carry most of the work in DecorAI. The free-text field exists for the specifics presets cannot express — a particular material, a constraint, something to keep, something to remove.
The shape of a good instruction
- 1Say what to change: "replace the grey sofa".
- 2Say what it becomes: "with a cream bouclé three-seater".
- 3Say what must survive: "keep the wooden floor and the bookcase".
- 4Stop. Two or three sentences is the useful maximum.
Worked examples
| Tool | Instruction that works |
|---|---|
| Interior Designer | "Warm minimalist living room, oak sideboard, cream bouclé sofa, one large plant, keep the existing floor" |
| Exterior Design | "Charcoal render, black window frames, oak front door, keep the roof and the porch" |
| Garden Design | "Low-maintenance courtyard, porcelain paving, raised beds along the left wall, string lighting" |
| Floor Planner | "Wide-plank oak in a natural matt finish, laid parallel to the window wall" |
| Corner Designer | "Reading nook: armchair, floor lamp, floating shelves above, no built-in joinery" |
| Virtual Staging | "Neutral Scandinavian staging for a family buyer, sofa facing the window, no bold colour" |
| Furniture Import | "Place the sofa against the left wall facing the TV, leave the walkway clear" |
| Inpainting | "A round gilt mirror" — mask only the picture it replaces |
What fails, and why
| Instruction | Why it disappoints |
|---|---|
| "Make it look nice" | No direction to follow — you get an average of everything |
| "Modern rustic industrial coastal" | Four competing styles cancel each other out |
| "Move the window two metres left" | Structural moves are unreliable; DecorAI is not a CAD tool |
| A long paragraph | The important request gets diluted among the rest |
| "Add a family sitting on the sofa" | People are outside what DecorAI generates and the request is refused |
Write in your own language. DecorAI is localised into 23 languages and free-text instructions do not need to be translated into English.
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