Seen At 11: Interior Design Companies Using Virtual Reality To Plan Room Layouts For Clients

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Interior design companies are using virtual reality to help show clients what their new rooms will look like.

CBS2's Alice Gainer reported that Decorilla is the first interior design company to use virtual reality for room designs for clients.

"It could even be, you know, just a floorplan that they're stepping into, and seeing it come to life in a way like never before," Decorilla co-founder Joshua Van Aalst said.

Agnieszka Wilk is the other co-founder.

"The quality of the 3D renderings that are converted are so high, I feel like I'm in the room," Wilk said. "Sometimes, I feel like sitting on the sofa that doesn't exist yet."

Clients wear special goggles to see renderings of their apartments in virtual reality.

"I could see everything before I made any final selections," Joan Gaffney said.

Clients send in dimensions for their space and answer questions about their preferences. Designers offer an array of options and when choices are made, clients put on a headset and immerse themselves in the room before they purchase a thing.

"It helped me to really know that this was going to be the space that I wanted it to be," Gaffney said.

Julia Dzafic used 3D renderings from the design firm Havenly to help make her decorating choices.

"I could really get a feel for what it would be like to be inside that room without walking into it or touching or physically seeing anything, which is cool," Dzafic said.

Dzafic said she had a sense of what she wanted and knew working virtually was going to be the most efficient way for her to see her options and make decisions.

"It allows you as a client to really be able to visualize your space before moving forward to purchase those big ticket items," Havenly co-founder Emily Motayed said.

Virtual reality designs from Decorilla start at about $400, and 3D renderings from Havenly around $200.

Both firms offer discounts familiar retailers such as Pottery Barn, West Elm and Wayfair do if clients buy the furniture they pick for them.