Tips From The Top

Looking for the perfect new table for your entry hall? New sofa for your family room? New lamps for your bedside tables?

Amazon’s AR View app can help you explore interior design options right in the room you’re looking to upgrade. AR View brings the world of augmented reality to your fingertips, allowing you to view 15,000 objects in your space and purchase products without even leaving home.

Amazon launched AR View for iOS in November 2017; iPhones 6S or newer and devices running iOS 11 or newer can use the app. In early 2018 the app became available for some higher-end Android devices, including LG V30, OnePlus 5, Asus Zenfone AR, Google’s Pixel phones, and Samsung’s S7, S8, and Note 8. For Android devices, first download the ARCore app from the Google Play store. The app is then available from the Amazon app’s camera icon. 

AR View is easy to use. Open the app and tap the camera icon to the search bar’s left. Select AR view and you’ll see categories containing 15,000 products, organized by subject, room, and “Top Picks.” Choose the category and the item; the app then goes back to camera mode, displaying your current area with the new object superimposed. You can move the object around in the real space and view it from all angles. When you find the perfect item for your space, you can buy it right in the app and have it shipped.

Shoppers can also find this feature on certain product pages with the link “See how this product fits in your room” beneath the object’s image.

The app takes out a lot of the guesswork of buying furniture and décor for your home. You don’t have to measure the space and visit the furniture showroom; you don’t have to spend hours standing in the aisle debating with your spouse which color appliance better fits your kitchen’s color scheme. 

Not only can you see how items will fit into your space and move them around, you can rotate the scene to get a 360-degree view of the item. It’s more than just measuring to see if the chair will fit in your living room; you can actually see how its design fits the existing aesthetic.

Users have identified a couple potential downsides.¹ First, perspective can present difficulties, and inserted objects may appear at odd angles. Second, if you already have objects in the room, the app will restrict where you can place the scanned images. For example, if you already have a couch against a wall in your photo, you can’t place another couch over it; you can only manipulate scanned images in the photo. If your room is empty, you’re good to go; otherwise, you may need to move existing objects around.

Of course, once you get those new bedside lamps or perfect table for your front entryway, you may realize it’s time to update your entire integrated lighting scheme. Give us a call at Jackson Hole AV. We’d love to show you how your integrated home can highlight your new interior décor.

1 Jacob Kleinman, How to Use the Amazon App's AR Shopping Feature. Lifehacker. 27 Feb 2018. https://lifehacker.com/how-to-use-the-amazon-apps-ar-shopping-feature-1823362595  (Accessed 7 Mar 2018)