Interior design concept generation and client presentation

Interior designers juggle dozens of tasks every week: sketching concepts, generating variations, organising mood boards, and then assembling everything into a polished presentation for clients. Most of this work happens in isolation. A designer might spend an hour generating concept images in one tool, manually downloading them, uploading them to another platform, then stitching everything together in a presentation deck. If a client wants revisions, the whole cycle repeats....... For more on this, see Interior design concept generation and client presentatio....

This workflow wastes time and introduces friction at every handoff. What if a single client brief could flow through concept generation, visual refinement, and presentation assembly without anyone manually moving files around? That's what this Alchemy workflow does. By connecting three focused tools via an orchestration platform, you can turn a client request into a ready-to-share presentation in minutes rather than hours.

The beauty of this particular stack is that it's beginner-friendly. You don't need programming experience to set it up, and once running, it requires almost no maintenance. We'll walk through exactly how to wire it together using one of four orchestration platforms, with real API examples you can copy and modify.

The Automated Workflow

Overall Architecture

The workflow has four distinct stages. First, a client brief arrives (via email, form submission, or webhook). Second, Cactus Interior AI generates three concept variations based on the design parameters. Third, nSketch AI refines and enhances the visual quality of those concepts. Fourth, Preswald AI assembles everything into a branded presentation deck, which is automatically emailed to the client.

The entire journey takes about 90 seconds from trigger to delivery.

Why This Order Matters

Concept generation comes before refinement because it's faster to generate multiple rough ideas, then pick the strongest ones for visual enhancement. Preswald happens last because it needs finished assets; it can't work with half-baked images. This sequence minimises wasted processing and keeps costs down.

Choosing Your Orchestration Tool

For beginners, Zapier is the easiest entry point. It has pre-built connectors for most tools and requires zero code. Make (formerly Integromat) offers similar functionality with more granular control. If you want full flexibility and don't mind a steeper learning curve, n8n or Claude Code give you complete autonomy over the workflow. We'll show the Zapier version here, then mention what changes for the others.

Setting Up the Trigger

Your workflow needs a starting point. Options include a Zapier form, an email address, or a webhook. For a design agency, an email trigger works best; the designer emails a brief to a dedicated inbox, and the workflow activates automatically.

Create a Zapier account, then set up an email trigger:

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Trigger: Email from Address
Trigger Account: your@designagency.com
Subject Line: Contains "Design Brief"
Body: Contains required fields (room type, style preference, budget range, colour palette)

Zapier will parse the email body and extract relevant information. Test this by sending a sample email.

Step 1: Cactus Interior AI Concept Generation

Once the trigger fires, the first action calls Cactus Interior AI's concept generation endpoint. You'll need an API key; retrieve this from your Cactus account settings.

The endpoint accepts parameters like room dimensions, design style, and colour preferences. Here's the request structure:

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[POST](/tools/post) https://api.cactus-interior.io/v1/concepts/generate
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_CACTUS_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "room_type": "living_room",
  "design_style": "modern_minimalist",
  "width_metres": 6,
  "length_metres": 5,
  "colour_palette": ["#f5f5f5", "#2c3e50", "#e74c3c"],
  "budget_range": "mid",
  "num_variations": 3,
  "output_format": "png"
}

In Zapier, you'll map the email body fields to these parameters. If the email says "Modern living room, 6m x 5m, neutrals with accent red", Zapier extracts those values and passes them to Cactus.

The response includes three image URLs and metadata about each concept (dominant materials, colour breakdown, estimated cost). Store these URLs in a variable; you'll need them in the next step.

Example response:

Copy{
  "status": "success",
  "concepts": [
    {
      "id": "concept_001",
      "image_url": "https://cactus-interior.io/output/abc123.png",
      "materials": ["oak veneer", "linen upholstery", "concrete"],
      "estimated_cost_gbp": 4200,
      "description": "Scandinavian minimalism with warm wood tones"
    },
    {
      "id": "concept_002",
      "image_url": "https://cactus-interior.io/output/def456.png",
      "materials": ["walnut plywood", "velvet upholstery", "matte black steel"],
      "estimated_cost_gbp": 5100,
      "description": "Contemporary luxury with textural contrast"
    },
    {
      "id": "concept_003",
      "image_url": "https://cactus-interior.io/output/ghi789.png",
      "materials": ["whitewashed pine", "cotton canvas", "brushed brass"],
      "estimated_cost_gbp": 3800,
      "description": "Coastal modern with natural light emphasis"
    }
  ]
}

Step 2: nSketch AI Visual Enhancement

The three concept images now move to nSketch AI for upscaling and enhancement. This tool improves image resolution, sharpens details, and ensures consistency across all three concepts. It's crucial for client-facing presentations....

nSketch requires a separate API key. Its endpoint accepts an image URL and returns an enhanced version:

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POST https://api.nsketch-ai.com/v1/enhance
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_NSKETCH_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "image_url": "https://cactus-interior.io/output/abc123.png",
  "enhancement_level": "professional",
  "upscale_factor": 2,
  "style_consistency": true,
  "output_format": "png"
}

In Zapier, you'll make three separate API calls, one for each concept image. This is where looping comes in. Zapier's "Looping by Zapier" feature allows you to iterate over an array of objects.

Configure the loop to process each concept URL:

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Looping by Zapier

Input: array of concept objects from Step 1
Loop Action: nSketch API call
  - Image URL: current concept image_url
  - Enhancement level: professional
  - Upscale factor: 2

Output: array of enhanced image URLs

nSketch returns enhanced images within 10-15 seconds per image. Store all three URLs in an array variable for the next step.

Step 3: Preswald AI Presentation Assembly

Preswald takes the enhanced images, metadata from Cactus, and client details, then generates a branded PDF presentation. This is the final deliverable.

Preswald's API accepts multiple image URLs plus template customisation options:

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POST https://api.preswald-ai.com/v1/presentations/create
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_PRESWALD_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "project_name": "Living Room Redesign - Smith Residence",
  "client_name": "John Smith",
  "client_email": "john@example.com",
  "presentation_type": "interior_design",
  "template": "modern_minimal",
  "concepts": [
    {
      "concept_number": 1,
      "image_url": "https://nsketch-ai.com/output/enhanced_abc123.png",
      "title": "Scandinavian Minimalism",
      "description": "Scandinavian minimalism with warm wood tones",
      "materials": ["oak veneer", "linen upholstery", "concrete"],
      "estimated_cost": 4200
    },
    {
      "concept_number": 2,
      "image_url": "https://nsketch-ai.com/output/enhanced_def456.png",
      "title": "Contemporary Luxury",
      "description": "Contemporary luxury with textural contrast",
      "materials": ["walnut plywood", "velvet upholstery", "matte black steel"],
      "estimated_cost": 5100
    },
    {
      "concept_number": 3,
      "image_url": "https://nsketch-ai.com/output/enhanced_ghi789.png",
      "title": "Coastal Modern",
      "description": "Coastal modern with natural light emphasis",
      "materials": ["whitewashed pine", "cotton canvas", "brushed brass"],
      "estimated_cost": 3800
    }
  ],
  "agency_branding": {
    "logo_url": "https://youragency.com/logo.png",
    "colour_primary": "#2c3e50",
    "colour_secondary": "#e74c3c"
  },
  "include_sections": ["mood_board", "material_spec", "cost_breakdown", "timeline"],
  "output_format": "pdf"
}
```...... For more on this, see [Digital Agency Client Proposal Generation from Brief to F...](/blog/digital-agency-client-proposal-generation-from-brief-to-final-deck).

Preswald generates a professional, multi-page PDF within 20-30 seconds. The response includes a download URL and a storage reference:

```json
{
  "status": "success",
  "presentation_id": "pres_xyz789",
  "pdf_url": "https://preswald-ai.com/downloads/pres_xyz789.pdf",
  "file_size_mb": 8.4,
  "page_count": 12,
  "created_timestamp": "2024-01-15T14:32:00Z"
}

Step 4: Email Delivery

The final step uses Zapier's built-in Gmail or SendGrid action to email the PDF to the client. Include a personalised message and a link to the presentation:

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To: [client email from original brief]
Subject: Your Interior Design Concepts - [Project Name]
Body:

Hi [client name],

Thank you for choosing us for your interior redesign project. We've generated three bespoke concept options tailored to your brief.

Your presentation is ready: [pdf_url]

Each concept includes material specifications, estimated costs, and a visual mood board. We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Best regards,
[Your Agency Name]

Tying It All Together in Zapier

Here's the complete workflow structure:

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Trigger: Email arrives with subject "Design Brief"

Step 1: Email Parser
  - Extract room_type, dimensions, colour_palette, budget from email body

Step 2: Cactus Interior AI
  - POST to /v1/concepts/generate
  - Map extracted values to API parameters
  - Store response (3 concept URLs)

Step 3: Loop through concepts (nSketch enhancement)
  - For each concept URL from Step 2
  - POST to nSketch /v1/enhance
  - Collect enhanced URLs

Step 4: Preswald API
  - POST to /v1/presentations/create
  - Include all enhanced image URLs
  - Include client name and email from original trigger
  - Store PDF URL from response

Step 5: Gmail/SendGrid
  - Send email to client_email
  - Attach or link to PDF from Step 4
  - Include personalised message

This entire sequence runs automatically. Zapier's free tier supports this workflow, though you'll need paid API subscriptions for each tool. No manual intervention needed after the client sends the email.

For n8n, Make, or Claude Code Users

The logic is identical, but implementation differs slightly. n8n and Make offer visual node-based builders similar to Zapier. If you prefer code, Claude Code allows you to write the entire orchestration in Python or JavaScript, calling APIs directly. The advantage is complete flexibility; the disadvantage is you're responsible for error handling and rate limiting.

The Manual Alternative

If you prefer not to automate the entire flow, you can use these tools individually and still save time. Generate concepts in Cactus, download the PNGs, upload them to nSketch one at a time for enhancement, then assemble the enhanced images and text into Preswald manually. This takes about 45 minutes instead of 90 seconds, but requires no setup and no ongoing maintenance. It's a reasonable middle ground if automation feels risky.

Some designers also prefer a hybrid approach: automate concept generation and enhancement, but manually create presentations using Preswald. This captures most of the time savings (90% of the drudgery) whilst keeping human oversight on the final client deliverable.

Pro Tips

1. Rate Limits and Queuing

Cactus Interior AI enforces a 10 request/minute limit on the free tier. If you receive multiple briefs simultaneously, queue them. Zapier's delay action is your friend here. Add a 6-second delay between triggering concepts if you're processing more than one brief in quick succession.

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Action: Delay
Duration: 6 seconds
Reason: Respect Cactus API rate limits

2. Error Handling for Image URLs

If an image URL from Cactus or nSketch breaks before Preswald receives it, the presentation will have blank spaces. Add a validation step after enhancement:

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Condition: Check if enhanced_image_url returns 200 status
If True: proceed to Preswald
If False: use fallback placeholder image, notify designer via Slack

3. Cost Optimisation

nSketch's upscaling is powerful but expensive for high batches. If budget is tight, skip enhancement on concept 2 and 3, enhance only the client's preferred concept after they provide feedback. This requires a second workflow triggered by client response, but cuts enhancement costs by 66%.

4. Customising Prompts

Cactus accepts an optional custom_prompt parameter for more specific guidance. If a client mentions specific inspirations, include these:

Copy{
  "custom_prompt": "Inspired by mid-century Scandinavian design with brass accents and muted earth tones. Emphasise natural light and open shelving."
}

This typically improves concept quality without extra cost.

5. Storing Results for Reuse

Save all generated presentations to Google Drive or Dropbox using Zapier's file storage actions. This builds a portfolio and allows you to reference past projects if a client requests similar work.

Cost Breakdown

If you're processing fewer than 20 workflows monthly, consider Zapier's free tier (100 tasks) and the free tiers of Cactus (50 concepts) and nSketch (100 enhancements). You'd only pay for Preswald (£39) and basic Zapier (£0), totalling £39/month.

For agencies processing 100+ workflows monthly, negotiate volume discounts with each provider. Most offer custom pricing at scale.