In our increasingly digitized world, where everything from our phones to our thermostats is “smart,” it should come as no surprise that virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are starting to play a role in the design industry. It’s a logical relationship: designers have always imagined new or re-imagined existing spaces, created a drawing via analog means or digital ones, and presented that visualization to their clients. It tracks, then, that as drawing technology has advanced from paper, onto a screen, and finally into a three-dimensional projection, designers have adapted to the times.

For the average user, virtual reality might be more of a novelty than a helpful tool, best reserved for gaming, amusement-park simulator rides, or a fun “experience,” like walking on the moon. But its practical applications are manifold, from helping doctors practice difficult surgeries to teaching teenagers how to drive cars safely to allowing jurors in a courtroom to virtually visit a crime scene. In the interior design field, however, VR technology is actually less about helping designers who are creating works and more about helping them communicate those ideas to clients.