Lesson 4: The power of specificity vs. creative freedom

Alright, this is the lesson that separates okay prompts from great ones. Because here’s the paradox: AI works best when you give it clear direction… but also when you leave it room to surprise you. So how do you know when to be super specific and when to back off?

Think of it like working with a really talented junior designer. If you micromanage every single decision, you stifle their creativity and waste time. But if you give them zero direction, they might go completely off-brief. The magic is in finding that balance.

Let me show you what I mean:

Too Specific (Micromanaging): “Living room, 14 feet by 18 feet, with exactly three throw pillows on a grey sofa that is 86 inches long, positioned 3 feet from the wall, with a coffee table 30 inches high and 48 inches wide, two table lamps that are exactly 24 inches tall with white shades…”

See how exhausting that is? And here’s the kicker: AI will probably ignore half those measurements anyway. You’ve used up all your prompt space on details that don’t matter, and you haven’t left room for AI to do what it does best—create beautiful compositions.

Too Vague (No Direction): “Living room, looks nice”

Okay, but what’s your vision? AI will give you something, but it’s basically rolling dice. Maybe you’ll love it, maybe you won’t.

Just Right (Clear Direction with Breathing Room): “Cozy Scandinavian living room with a light grey linen sofa, chunky knit throw pillows, low wooden coffee table, warm natural light, minimal styling”

This gives AI the key decisions—style, main furniture piece, color palette, mood—but leaves room for it to determine the exact arrangement, decorative details, and little surprises that make the image feel alive.

Here’s my philosophy: Be specific about what matters to you, vague about what doesn’t.

What usually matters (be specific):

• Overall style and mood
• Color palette
• Key materials (wood type, fabrics, metals)
• Main furniture pieces
• Lighting quality
• The feeling you want to evoke

What usually doesn’t matter (let AI decide):

• Exact measurements
• Precise furniture placement
• Number of decorative objects
• Exact shades of colors (unless crucial)
• Small styling details

Let me give you real examples from my own work:

Scenario: I’m designing a primary bedroom for a client who loves calm, natural materials, and a neutral palette.

My prompt: “Serene organic modern primary bedroom, natural oak platform bed with textured linen bedding in warm neutrals, woven pendant light, cream area rug, minimal black metal accents, soft morning light”

What I was specific about: Style (organic modern), feeling (serene), bed material (oak), bedding texture (linen), color palette (warm neutrals, cream, black accents), lighting (soft morning light)

What I let AI decide: Exact room size, number of pillows, whether there’s a bench at the foot of the bed, wall art, nightstand details, exact rug pattern

Result: AI gave me a beautiful composition with a few decorative elements I hadn’t thought of—a small plant on the nightstand, subtle wall texture—that made the space feel complete.

Scenario: I need a dramatic restaurant bar for a presentation.

My prompt: “Moody upscale cocktail bar, dark walnut shelving backlit with amber lighting, emerald green velvet bar stools, brass fixtures, marble bar top, dramatic pendant lights, evening atmosphere”

What I was specific about: Mood (moody, dramatic), setting (upscale cocktail bar), key colors (dark walnut, emerald, brass), main elements (shelving, bar stools, bar top), lighting (amber, dramatic, evening)

What I let AI decide: Exact number of bar stools, glassware styling, bottle arrangement, ceiling height, additional decorative elements

Result: AI created this incredibly atmospheric space with bottle displays and lighting arrangements I wouldn’t have thought to specify.

Here’s a helpful trick: The “Focus Word” technique

When you really care about ONE specific thing, make it prominent in your prompt:

“Scandinavian living room with a stunning floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, minimal furniture, soft natural light”

That bold element (okay, you won’t actually bold it in your prompt, but you get the idea) becomes the hero. Everything else supports it.

Or: “Modern kitchen centered around a massive marble island, white oak cabinets, minimalist hardware”

The island is your star. AI will make sure it’s prominent.

When to be MORE specific:

1. When you’re designing for a real client project – You need the space to match your concept deck
2. When one element is non-negotiable – Like if it MUST be a velvet sofa because that’s what the client already owns
3. When you’re trying to match an existing style – Be detailed about materials and colors
4. When the brief is very specific – Like a themed restaurant or a period-specific interior

When to be LESS specific (and trust the AI):

1. When you’re exploring concepts – Let AI surprise you with combinations
2. When you’re stuck creatively – Sometimes AI’s “mistakes” are actually brilliant ideas
3. When you’re creating mood boards – You want variety and inspiration
4. When the style itself is expressive enough – “Maximalist bohemian living room” already tells AI to go wild with patterns and colors

The “And” Test:

Here’s how I know if I’m over-specifying:

Read your prompt and count how many times you use “and” or could use “and”:

• 2-4 “ands”: Perfect, you’re giving clear direction
• 5-7 “ands”: Probably okay, but check if any details are redundant
• 8+ “ands”: You’re definitely micromanaging, trim it down

The Edit Exercise:

Write out your prompt with everything you want. Now remove one element. Does the AI still understand your vision? Remove another. Still clear? Keep removing until you hit the point where the vision gets muddy—then add back the last thing you removed. That’s your sweet spot.

Real talk moment:

When I first started, I wrote novels for prompts. I thought more detail = better results. I was so wrong. My images were confused and muddy because the AI was trying to honor every single thing I mentioned, even when they conflicted.

Then I started removing words. Made my prompts shorter. Left breathing room. My images got so much better. More compositionally interesting. More confident. The AI had room to use its training data to make smart decisions about balance, color, and arrangement.

Your job isn’t to be a dictator. It’s to be a creative director. Give the vision, set the boundaries, then trust your tool to execute.

The mantra I want you to remember: “Specific about the what, flexible about the how.”

You know WHAT you want: a serene bedroom, a dramatic restaurant, a minimalist office. You know the key elements: materials, colors, main pieces. But HOW the AI arranges them, styles them, composes them? That’s where the magic happens.

Okay, now that we’ve got the foundation sorted—room type, style, and knowing when to be specific—let’s get into the really fun, tactile stuff. Next up: materials and textures, where we learn how to make everything look and feel real…