Intelligent Design
The Le Blue Goose design team adopts AI and other cutting-edge tech to help clients reimagine their living spaces with efficiency and precision.
Technological advancements continue to revolutionize commerce, from medicine to gaming to building and design. Harshil Kakadia, owner and lead architectural designer for Le Blue Goose Studio, has embraced this trend, too, in an effort to offer a more accurate, less stressful experience to clients looking to upgrade and restyle their living spaces.
Kakadia, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Temple University, as well as a master’s in architecture from the NewSchool of Architecture + Design in San Diego, adopted Matterport technology with this goal in mind. This 3D platform allows his team to capture images via compatible cameras and then stitch these images together to form immersive “digital twins,” or highly dimensionally accurate 3D models.
“The software allows us to scan spaces as large as a whole house to create a 3D model that is 99 percent accurate,” he explains. “From this scan, which takes about an hour to complete versus several hours using the traditional method, we can save clients a lot of time and headaches.”
Utilizing Cortex artificial intelligence, a deep learning neural network, along with what Matterport boasts is the “largest spatial data library in the world,” designers can create guided virtual-reality tours so that clients can visualize options before committing to those that best suit that client’s wants and needs. The scans, he says, mean greater accuracy and time saved visiting clients’ homes on multiple occasions to retake measurements.
“We’ve been implementing this technology since December 2021, and since then we’ve used it on about eight to 10 projects,” he says. “We do a lot of custom cabinetry, as well as interior design, and we used to run into problems with measurements being off by as little as an inch and a half. With this technology, we can measure from the scans accurately in just a couple of minutes.”
The technology has been invaluable in allowing clients to immerse themselves in spaces before committing to design decisions. Clients can gain a true sense of how custom furniture will look in their living space, not just imagine it. This is particularly useful for clients looking to overhaul several rooms or even an entire residence.
“It’s not just scanning; it’s virtual reality,” Kakadia adds. “Clients can put on special glasses and experience a whole space while sitting in a chair in our office. With this 3D tool, you can pretty much walk through a whole house. This allows clients to see how different pieces of furniture look in different rooms, with different lighting, right within our office.”
In addition to adding new visualization tools to Le Blue Goose’s repertoire, Kakadia continues to expand his team of design professionals. Project Manager Mike Rossi has joined a design team that already includes Cindy Brody, Marc Brody, Karen Carey, and Alexandra Saboe. Rossi’s addition adds an extra layer of client service and quality control to projects. Rossi’s 20 years of experience in the construction field brings the team’s collective experience to almost 50 years total.
Though Kakadia embraces evolving tools that help customers visualize their options, he remains committed to furnishing clients with the best in artisanal décor from around the globe.
“Custom, handmade furniture is almost going extinct,” he says. “Whereas some shops will use laser-cutting to create almost identical pieces, I’ve found that our clients like pieces from places like India, China, or Japan, where an artisan will craft an entire piece by hand, without machines. Those pieces are never ‘perfect,’ but our customers appreciate that. Machines offer complete replication, but with artisanal pieces, no two are ever the same.”
Additionally, Le Blue Goose is proud to be able to serve clients as a central resource for all their home needs.
“Our customers appreciate that they don’t have to shop around to find different professionals, each on their own timeline and with their own profit margins,” he says. “We have a project manager, a construction manager, and designers, all of whom work together toward a client’s goal. They just need to call us, and we’ll take care of everything. This saves time, materials, and ultimately, money for the client. In the end, our clients save more than what we charge.”
Photograph by Jody Robinson
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, January 2022.
