Let me start by saying: I am not traditionally a gadget person. I am not first in line for the Apple Vision Whatever. I still treat my robovac like it’s Rosie from the Jetsons.
(and yes we call her Rosie, as in pick up your lego or Rosie will eat it)
But a few weeks ago, I did something wild.
I gave ChatGPT-5 my email password and introduced it to Penelope, the custom AI assistant I built to write proposals for interior designers. Truthfully, I’d been working on Penelope for nine months, I had been building a master document of rules and guidelines for what excellent looks like and training her to look like a scope-writing ninja. She’s aced all her tests and launches on Tuesday. Want in on the waitlist?
Suddenly, the picture of what’s possible for our businesses snapped into focus.
She was really cool in Chatty 4.0, but when 5 dropped she just morphed into exactly what I was trying to get her to do (cool right?) I’m not just going to brag about her, even though I could talk about her for days. If you want a look, or need same day, proposals - read more HERE
Chat GPT 5 has had really mixed reviews. From where I sit, I think it’s more to do with the knowledge of the end user (there I said it) I’ve noticed people wth deep understanding of LLM’s (large language models) have really leaned into the newer features and are exploring every corner of the functionality. Those who are more casual users tend to feel like “she isn’t as supportive” or “it feels off brand”
I’ve been asked to keynote an event in October for a group of over 100 builders and developers (cool right?) and so I dug out my presentation from the keynotes I presented at The Design Show and Decor + Design mid year, it’s no surprise, they all need to be fully rewritten to show of Chat5. In the spirit of sharing let me showcase a few of my fave features
Deep Research. Im not joking when I say I perform one Dee research task per day to enhance my business and understanding. My google drive is full of analysis reports that support my day to day results and Chatty G connects to the google drive and uses this information as a knowledge base - wild right?
Until now, if you wanted competitive benchmarks, supplier lists, pricing comparisons, or upcoming trend intel for a project, you had to piece it all together yourself — hours of Googling, supplier calls, and Pinterest rabbit holes.
Enter ChatGPT-5’s Deep Research mode.
Hundreds of sources — web pages, PDFs, images, research papers — crawled in minutes. Ten minutes later, you’re holding a cited, comprehensive report. Think market analysis, trend forecasting, and sourcing cheat sheet rolled into one.
For an interior designer, this means:
– Competitive analysis on other studios in your area.
– Supplier and trade pricing lists compiled automatically.
– Moodboard and trend forecasting research for a client pitch.
– Sustainability or material research to support a concept presentation.
In other words, you’re walking into client meetings with not just your design ideas, but the data to back them up — like having your own in-house research team without the payroll. This feature has probably become my fave, because we are all creative thinkers, the way we prompt and ask for the info results in some incredible analysis you can draw from as you work.
Here’s where it gets exciting, I’ve had the Task feature since beta testing and I actually love it, I have one set up to trawl the internet and give me a weekly briefing on what’s new in AI.. (you didn’t think i stayed top of my game manually, did you?) it’s only released to some users so I’ll pop back with a full guide once everyone has it, promise.
ChatGPT-5 now lets you pick its entire personality like you’re scrolling a secret menu. You can tell it to show up as Default (cheerful and adaptive), Cynic (critical and sarcastic), Robot (efficient and blunt), Listener (thoughtful and supportive), or Nerd (exploratory and enthusiastic). And once you’ve chosen, it actually sticks. You’ll find this in the customisation menu under “personalization - tap on “customization on” then look for personality which is probably set to default but you can change to any of these modes.* I left the US spelling here as this is exactly how it shows in Chat.
If you don’t have a full ‘brand command’ set up, I can’t recommend it enough, mine is 54 pages long. (Eldest daughter, type A, Virgo energy much? Don’t worry one or two pages is better than none) I have a GPT assistant that unpacks all the right questions to help you get deeply in tune with your ideal client and decide on your brand context so you can train Chat GPT to create wildly specific content that sounds exactly like your wrote it. No gatekeeping, you can get it HERE
I need to talk about integrations because ever since I knew they were coming I’ve been on a HUGE rampage of organising my Google drive and making sure everything in it is going to support Chat in creating amazing content. Example, my Friday email this week was extracted from a coaching call transcript from last week. It scanned the transcript found a chat about accountants and wrote the whole thing because it had my brand command and knew my tone and context. I made about eight minutes of edits and sent it (read it here)
Ever since ChatGPT-5 started plugging straight into Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Outlook, and even Canva, my work life has gone from “copy-paste goblin” to “creative director who actually has time to eat lunch.” Now, when I upload the Penelope proposal brief to Drive, ChatGPT scoops it up, cherry-picks the important bits, and neatly drops it into my project tracker. I’ve found farming my own podcast or conversation with private coaching clients, for a content plan so easy. I am also able to connect 3d renders in my Google drive etc for this next glow up..
Image Generation 2.0: Photorealistic support
GPT-5’s image generation isn’t just for moodboards. It now handles full-blown, photorealistic renders directly from your sketches or 3D models. You can upload your SketchUp export, attach reference finishes, and have GPT-5 apply tiles, cabinet colours, paint schemes, benchtops, and lighting, then output multiple looks for your client. It’s basically an instant “what if” machine for interiors.
If you’re still burning half your week wrangling supplier quotes, cleaning up SketchUp screenshots, or rewriting the same proposal for the fourth time, I need you to know… it does not have to be this hectic. GPT-5 will happily sift through your Drive, grab your transcripts, turn your SketchUp files into renders your client could Instagram, and spit out a full content strategy in your tone before you’ve even poured your second coffee.
The only difference between it acting like a half-stoned intern and a secret weapon is how you set it up. That’s what I teach in coaching — taking your exact systems, clients and quirks, and training GPT-5 to run like the studio manager you’ve been daydreaming about while colour-matching grout.
Think fewer brain cramps, more signed contracts, and projects you’re proud to post.
Comment and let me know.. Which of these functions you’re most excited about? Keep reading as I didn’t even mention AI agent mode. Interior designers can’t afford to sleep on this tool. Stay curious and reach out if you want a peek inside my nerd-brain
R x