San Francisco-based start-up Modsy has created a service that helps users design an interior space by learning their style preferences to give a room a virtual makeover.

Launched in private beta in October 2015, the service asks homeowners to complete a quiz to illustrate their personal taste and upload pictures of the area they would like redecorated. It then uses 3D rendering to refurbish the photographed room with new furnishings and delivers the improved look within 48 hours.

Along with a media pack showing the suggested furniture, flooring and ornaments, users can also see a virtual-reality (VR) view of the contents. The function gives the viewer the sense of standing in the middle of the room and the ability to turn 360 degrees to gain an immersive feel of the new layout.

Nearly all items pictured in the Modsy-modified image are available to buy via links to retailers' online stores. The service is looking to integrate a purchase button on the site, so consumers can make even swifter purchases in the future.

Advancing VR technologies are obscuring the line between physical and digital spaces, and brands are boosting sales by providing simulated, more immersive experiences. This idea is explored further in Interiors Retailing Online and Virtual Immersive Commerce.

Consumers increasingly expect service providers to learn their tastes and make purchase suggestions for them. For more insight on the latest tech that enables this and how brands can get involved, see Predictive Tech and Wired 2015.