From Kitchens to Architecture: My Journey into Architectural Visualisation

I didn’t plan on becoming an architectural visualiser. In fact, I was working as a senior chef in one of Jamie Oliver’s restaurants when life took a turn. The long hours, the constant exhaustion, and the fact I had kids at home meant something had to change. My wife told me I needed a different career.

One evening at a friend’s BBQ, he suggested I join him in architectural visualisation. At first, I laughed—I was plating food, not buildings. But he told me: “If you can bring the same quality you bring to food into 3D, you’ll be fine.” That stuck with me. So, I spent six months learning 3DS Max, mostly teaching myself, and then stepped into a whole new world.

Thirteen years later, I’m still here. And although the industry has changed, my approach has always been the same: create visuals that don’t just show a space, but sell it.

What Architectural Visualisation Really Is

To me, architectural visualisation is the craft of creating artistic visuals for architects, interior designers, or developers. The purpose is usually one of two things:

1. To show the overall style of a space.

2. To sell that space—whether to a client, an investor, or the public.

I see it as both a technical service and an artistic craft. It’s not just about “making things look real”—in fact, photorealism is often misunderstood. Most real photos aren’t that flattering. What clients actually want is stylisation. They say “make it photoreal,” but what they mean is: make it look like the glossy magazine version of reality.

That’s why I always explain the value this way: imagine redecorating your living room without visuals. You buy all the furniture, the finishes, the fabrics—only to realise the design doesn’t quite work. That’s an expensive mistake. With visualisation, you can see the result before you commit. It’s like test-driving your space before it exists.

My Tools & Workflow

I use 3DS Max with Corona Renderer for most of my work, and then Photoshop and DaVinci Resolve for post-production. 3DS Max was what I started with—it’s the industry standard, and after years of use it’s second nature. Corona gives me high-quality renders quickly, and when you’re on deadlines, speed is everything.

My workflow usually looks like this:

• Import DWGs and photos

• Build the shell of the project

• Check furniture early (sometimes I outsource models, and I don’t want delays at the end)

• Render multiple test views with no textures

• Select final views, then refine with textures, materials, and lighting

• Back and forth while refining and get it finalised.

I would love perfection to come first but speed nearly always comes before perfection. If there’s a tight deadline, I’ll use lower-resolution images, skip minor lighting tweaks, and keep camera angles simpler. Of course, I’d love to spend extra time polishing every scene, but sometimes that’s just not realistic.

Creating Mood & Emotion

For me, the artistry lies in creating mood. Lighting, camera angles, and textures are my main tools, along with depth of field and motion blur when possible.

Golden hour light, soft luxurious materials, or a cinematic composition can transform a design from flat to emotional. At the end of the day, you’re not just showing a space—you’re selling a feeling. That’s what moves clients, and that’s what secures projects.

Clients, Collaboration & Lessons Learned

Over the years, I’ve worked with interior designers, architects, developers, and estate agents. Some projects are straightforward, but often I find myself guiding clients who don’t know exactly what they want. In those cases, experience is everything—I can suggest directions, angles, or moods that will work best.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to always confirm deadlines. Early in my career, I had a client furious because they hadn’t received visuals for a meeting—but they never told me the meeting was that morning. Since then, I always make deadlines crystal clear.

Case Studies That Prove the Value

The best way to show the power of visualisation is through real projects. Two stand out for me:

• A Beverly Hills Plot of Land An estate agent had an empty site valued at $2 million. We created around 8 visuals showing what could be built there. No planning permission, no actual building—just images. They sold the land for $5 million. The agent told us it was the visuals that made the difference.

• A Major Long-Term Client We created visuals for a project that helped one company secure a high-end client. That relationship has lasted for over a decade, leading to many multimillion-pound projects.

  
  

These are reminders that visuals aren’t just pretty pictures—they can directly change financial outcomes.

Where the Industry is Going

The future of archviz is tied to AI and VR. AI tools are improving fast, and while they’re not good enough yet, I do think they’ll eventually disrupt the industry. VR is also becoming more important, giving clients immersive experiences rather than static images.

But one common misconception persists: that visuals aren’t necessary. In reality, they save time, money, and disappointment by allowing clients to create a space they love before it’s built.

Advice for Beginners

If you’re starting out in architectural visualisation, be prepared for a long learning curve. It takes time to make good visuals, and even longer to make great ones. Work hard, keep refining, and remember that the reward is huge: eventually, you’ll be able to create anything you can imagine in 3D.

My Philosophy

Whenever I begin a project, I remind myself: this will be a fantastic visual. It might not always end up exactly how I want—deadlines, budgets, and clients shape the outcome—but that’s always my mindset.

For me, the true purpose of architectural visualisation is simple:

It’s the tool that allows you to dream a space and create it—so when it becomes a reality, it mirrors your dreams.