How do I restyle a photo of a room with MONA?

Quick answer: Open Ask MONA, click +, choose Render ("Restyle a room photo or render"), attach the photo, and say what should change: style, materials, furniture, or time of day. MONA keeps the room's architecture and camera angle and restyles everything else, and the new version appears in the chat in a few minutes. Each restyle costs 1 credit.

Designers use this for before-and-after concepts, virtual staging of empty rooms, testing finishes on a site photo, and turning a client's own snapshot into "here is your room, redone." It works the same on a phone photo, an existing render, or a sketch.

Before you start

• Any clear room image works: a site photo, a listing photo, an existing render, or a sketch. Even, natural light and a level camera give the cleanest result.
• File types: Ask MONA takes images up to 50 MB. Visualize takes JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, GIF and HEIC up to 10 MB. iPhone HEIC photos are converted for you.
• Every plan includes it. Restyles draw from your team's shared credit pool at 1 credit each.

How do I restyle a room photo in Ask MONA?

1. Open Ask MONA in the sidebar. Starting from inside the client's project files the result with that project.
2. Click the + button and choose Render. The message box changes to "What should change? Style, materials, time of day..."
3. Attach the room photo. Drag it in, paste it, or use +, then Choose from Library.
4. Describe the change. Be specific about what stays and what goes:
   • "Restyle as warm Japandi: white oak floors, limewash walls, low linen sofa. Keep the windows and fireplace."
   • "Same room at dusk with the lamps on."
   • "Swap the dining chairs for cane-back chairs in natural rattan."
5. Review the result in the chat. Click the image to open it full size.
6. Keep iterating. Type the next change ("now with a green velvet sofa"). MONA works on the newest image in the chat, so there is nothing to re-upload.

If you send the Render task with no notes, MONA makes one tasteful improvement in your studio's style, based on your How we work note, and tells you what it chose. See How does MONA learn how my studio works?.

How do I restyle a photo in Visualize?

Visualize gives you structured controls when you want to steer each change yourself.

1. Click Visualize in the sidebar and add the photo: drag it onto the canvas, click to browse, paste it, or click Select from Library.
2. Set the look in the Edit Image tab with Overall Style (Optional). Type your own or pick a suggestion, such as Modern Interior, Minimalist Design, Scandinavian Design, Mid-Century Modern, Art Deco, Coastal / Nautical, Rustic/Farmhouse, Hollywood Regency or Japanese Zen.
3. Add Instructions for specific changes. Click Add, choose an action, and fill in the fields:
   • Replace: "Target to replace" (the blue sofa) and "What are you replacing it with?" (a vintage leather sofa).
   • Change Color: the element to recolor and a hex code.
   • Add, Remove or Modify: a piece and how it should change.
   • Reference Image: attach a product or inspiration photo and say how it should be incorporated.
4. Use Additional Instructions for anything else ("brighter, more contrast").
5. Click Apply Changes. The new version replaces the image on the canvas.
6. Compare. Hold Compare to flash the previous version, and use View history to return to any step.

You can stack up to eight instructions in one pass, but one or two changes at a time drift less.

How do I virtually stage an empty room?

Attach the empty room photo and ask MONA to furnish it, naming the style and the key pieces: "Stage this as a family living room in warm modern style. Sectional facing the fireplace, round coffee table, wool rug, two lounge chairs by the window." Then refine piece by piece. To swap one item and keep the rest exact, see How do I replace one piece of furniture and keep everything else the same?.

How do I match an inspiration photo or a specific product?

• In chat: attach the room photo first and the inspiration or product image second, then say what to borrow: "Use the palette and lighting from the second image." The first image is the one MONA edits.
• In Visualize: add an instruction with the Reference Image action, upload the reference, and fill in "How should it be incorporated?"
• Named vendor finishes: if you name a product and colorway, MONA looks up its swatch to use as a reference, or tells you when it has to approximate.

How do I change only one part of the photo?

A restyle regenerates the whole image. When the client already likes most of it, switch to a contained edit:

• Visualize: click Edit Region, lasso the area, and describe the change. Only that area is regenerated.
• Chat: click Mark up this render on the image, circle the spot, add a note, and click Send to Mona.

More detail: Will MONA change parts of my render I didn't ask it to? and How do I change one wall color without affecting the rest of the room?.

What it does not do (yet)

• No saved style library to apply in one click. Reuse a look by attaching the same reference image, or describe it in your How we work note.
• No watermark or logo removal. The image model refuses it on MLS and stock photos; MONA restyles the rest and tells you.
• Not a measured drawing. A restyle shows the design; it does not check clearances or dimensions.

Want a hand?

Book a 30-minute setup call and bring a client photo. We will restyle it together and set up your studio's look so MONA starts from your taste.

Related articles

• How do I create a photorealistic render from a floor plan?
• How do I replace one piece of furniture and keep everything else the same?
• How do I change one wall color without affecting the rest of the room?
• Will MONA change parts of my render I didn't ask it to?
• How do I make a fly-through video of a room?
• How long does a render take in MONA?

Frequently asked questions

Can MONA restyle a photo of my client’s room?

Yes. Attach the photo in Ask MONA, choose Render, and describe the new look. MONA keeps the room’s walls, windows and camera angle and changes the finishes, furniture and styling you ask for.

Can MONA do virtual staging of an empty room?

Yes. Attach the empty room photo and ask MONA to furnish it, naming the style and key pieces, for example stage this as a warm modern living room with a sectional facing the fireplace. Then refine one piece at a time.

How much does a restyle cost?

Each restyle or edit is 1 credit from your team’s shared pool. When you work through Ask MONA, the chat itself uses a small amount more.

Can I give MONA an inspiration photo to match?

Yes. In chat, attach the room photo first and the inspiration image second, then say what to borrow from it. In Visualize, add an instruction with the Reference Image action and describe how it should be used.

Can I turn a sketch into a photorealistic render?

Yes. A hand sketch or a SketchUp screenshot works like a photo. Drop it into Visualize and click Photorealize, or attach it in Ask MONA and ask for a photorealistic render that keeps the layout.

Will the restyle change the room’s layout?

Not unless you ask. MONA is told to keep the architecture and camera angle. For a change to one area only, use Edit Region in Visualize or Mark up this render in chat so everything outside your selection stays the same.

Can I save a style and reuse it on every restyle?

There is no one-click saved style yet. Two things work today: attach the same inspiration image as a reference each time, and write your studio’s look into your How we work note, which MONA reads when you leave the style open.

Can MONA remove a watermark from a listing photo?

No. The image model refuses to remove watermarks and logos from MLS or stock photos. MONA tells you and restyles the rest of the image.