ⓒ Archisketch

The company we’re going to introduce today is Archidraw, an architecture and tech startup. Let’s hear from company CEO Lee Jusung (이주성). 

We provide an AR-based 3D home interior designing device called Archisketch to domestic and global markets. Established in 2014, we’ve created a new home designing culture under the slogan of “Everyone can do interior design.” 

Before starting my own business, I worked at a construction company. But I have been greatly interested in information technology since I was little. At the construction firm, I discovered that many customers found it difficult to understand 2D floor plans. But when they saw the plans in 3D, they quickly understood them. I thought it would be nice to have something like a 3D interior scanner that makes a floor plan look like a real structure. With this idea in mind, I decided to create my own company. 

Lee majored in architecture in college, but he studied computer programming from his early years. While in college, he created a construction management system, which was considered an exclusive arena for large companies, and distributed it to small-and mid-sized firms. After graduation, he entered a construction company to take charge of construction management. At the company, he wondered how to help customers understand floor plans more easily. He came up with a service that converts static 2D floor plans to 3D models. With this item, he founded Archidraw in 2014. He developed a program that enables anyone to design and decorate his or her own home easily. 

In our solution, artificial intelligence or AI automatically recommends and places home furnishing items in a space that users want, based on its data about the users’ preferences. So, anyone can work on interior design easily. We have more than 90 percent of floor plans of houses here in Korea. Once we search the home address of a customer, we can find the floor plan of the house. Using the AI system, we can decorate the home virtually in a way the customer likes. Similarly, in the American market, our AI-based device is used to recommend furniture pieces and interior designs. This is in consideration of various factors including customers’ favorite styles, like modern or Scandinavian, and the number of their family members.

Archidraw’s signature product Archisketch is a program that enables even those without professional knowledge to make 3D blueprints. First, users sign up on Archisketch’s webpage and set the size and form of the inner space they want to decorate. Then, they can participate in the decorating process by placing furniture or objects in an on-screen 3D space. In doing so, they imagine what kinds of furniture, wallpapers, or flooring materials will be ideal for their homes. 

Of course, similar 3D space scanners are found in the market. But most of them are designed for professional use, priced at tens of thousands of dollars. Free software is available, but it lacks in its accuracy. Archisketch, on the other hand, is 100 times less expensive than the devices for professionals. In terms of accuracy, it is impeccable. Moreover, it is very easy to use. 

ⓒ Archisketch

Archisketch can be combined with the user’s smartphone. When the user takes photos of a room, the device automatically creates lines and planes to instantly generate a 3D model. To use this technique, it is necessary to learn AutoCAD or sketching software. Of course, it is challenging for general citizens to use the difficult programs. Even if they learn the programs, it takes two to three months. But using our device, people can work on 3D interior design right away without any expert knowledge. 

Combined with a smartphone, Archisketch can easily generate a 3D model in real-time. After three years of development, Archidraw was able to secure its own technology that allows the device to draw interior designs and place furniture through 3D and virtual reality. It can also measure and generate floor plans of any space within minutes. As a result, users can try their preferred interior designs on a 3D floor plan and make estimations without technical expertise. In addition to this new interior designing service, the company has built more specialized programs for professionals. It comes as little surprise that the company is drawing much interest from investors. 

We put up our AR home interior device, Archisketch, on the American crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter, in 2017. It reached its goal of 30-thousand US dollars only in three hours and eventually exceeded 1,000 percent of the goal. It drew a positive response from numerous global users. In the U.S., many interior design businesspeople visit the customers’ homes and take photos of each space of the houses. Using Archisketch, they create 3D floor plans and communicate with their customers so they can decorate the homes quickly and effectively. In this way, the device proves extremely helpful for their sales activities. In the U.S., real estate brokers decorate houses and show them to customers before selling them. The device is also well received in this market. 

Archidraw has formed a partnership with some 80 companies in South Korea, including department stores, furniture makers, and providers of home appliances. This month, it plans to unveil an improved 3D interior service. 

We aim to provide our service featuring AI’s recommendations not only to specific groups of customers but to people the world over. For that purpose, we’ve just developed relevant technology. The new service will open this month to reach out to many more people. Users may log on to our webpage, choose their taste and click on it just once. Then the program will recommend ideal interior designs for their homes.

We’re planning on collaborating with nearly 800 brands specialized in online home furnishing and increasing our sales by over ten times. Our ultimate goal is to help customers work on interior design easily and to enjoy the process. We’re dreaming of creating the new value of consumers committed to home design.

Amid consumers’ growing interest in their own private space, the home furnishing market is developing here in South Korea and overseas. In line with the trend, Archidraw has unveiled products that blur the lines between architectural experts and ordinary people. By incorporating IT into architecture, the company is creating a world where anyone can enjoy interior design and home furnishing.