Wayfair is constantly pushing the boundaries of home shopping to make it easy for our customers to create a home that is just right for them. With the launch of Muse, an AI-powered visual discovery tool, Wayfair offers a new way to explore and personalize home decor. By leveraging generative AI, Muse bridges the gap between abstract ideas and practical design, seamlessly connecting users with Wayfair’s extensive product catalog.
For a behind-the-scenes look at Muse and its development, we spoke with Shrenik Sadalgi, Director of Software Engineering at Wayfair. Keep reading to discover the vision, challenges and future of this innovative tool.
What is Muse? How does it enhance discovery and personalization for our customers?
Muse is a highly visual browsing experience—an inspiration engine built on an unlimited collection of AI-generated, shoppable images that covers a wide breadth of styles & tastes, rooms, colors, architectures etc.
We’re trying to inspire the customer to think of ideas. How can I take something in my head that’s abstract (like a feeling, a want, or a need) and articulate that into an idea that's more concrete? Traditional online furniture shopping can feel transactional: customers typically start with a search, apply filters, compare products and check reviews - which is useful and convenient when you know what you’re looking for. With Muse, we shift the focus from product-first to idea-first. Instead of forcing customers to define their style through words, Muse presents a curated visual experience where users can scroll through images to find styles that resonate with them and refine their ideas. But it doesn’t stop there because if you don't have an idea at all, then Muse will help you create that, too. We’re already helping customers shop to make spaces they love. We’re now helping customers dream, imagine and create.
What inspired the development of Muse?
Before Muse, we built Decorify, which allows users to upload photos of their space and apply preset styles for transformation. It really helps you see what you can achieve in your existing space, but you still have to put in a picture of your own space to start that journey; and you’re limited by the preset styles.
With Muse, we wanted to remove that initial barrier. We wanted to figure out a way that customers can browse for inspiration. Rather than restricting users to predefined styles, Muse generates an expansive range of design possibilities without necessarily uploading images.
We recognized that the best way to spark creativity isn’t through text-based searches or rigid categories—it’s through rich and diverse visuals that allow users to explore without constraints. Our job with Muse is to help you navigate the infinite home decor space and help you find that one decor spot that actually belongs to you, where you are the most comfortable.
How does Muse differ from other visual shopping tools?
Many existing tools excel in one specific area. Pinterest is great for curation, Instagram and TikTok provide inspiration, and home-specific platforms like Houzz focus on renovation. Muse operates at the intersection of these categories, combining inspiration, curation and a direct shopping experience tailored to home design–we’re not holding you back.
What makes Muse unique is its AI-generated content and deep integration with Wayfair’s catalog. Unlike other social platforms, Muse ensures every visual discovery can be directly translated into a shopping experience. It takes the best ideas and puts it all in one place, with a specific focus on home.
What were the biggest challenges in developing Muse? How did the team work to create a seamless experience?
One of the biggest challenges was generating high-quality, diverse AI-driven images that accurately represent home styles while maintaining realism. AI-generated images must be both aspirational and physically plausible— Eg. tables need four legs, not three, and lighting should make sense.
Once we had a good collection of images, we also needed a highly intuitive user experience that simplifies discovering this collection. Our team focused on designing a UX that feels intuitive and effortless for everyone, whether it's my mom or a recent college graduate. Another challenge was that we want to ensure there is diversity in the content. Different ideas for different people, which is an evergreen challenge. As we grow over time, and trends evolve over time, we will be constantly evolving the Muse catalog.
How do you blend Generative AI with the Wayfair catalog?
Instead of starting with individual products and trying to generate images with them—a process that can be limiting—we flipped the approach. We create AI-generated scenes first and then match them with relevant products from Wayfair’s extensive catalog. Because our catalog is so vast, there’s a high likelihood that we already have products that align with the generated imagery. This also allows us to focus on the broader design concept rather than exact product replication.
For example, we can find products that are representative of that couch you like in Muse. Maybe the details aren’t exact (Eg. there aren’t the same number of tufts on a seat), but the idea is the same. Ultimately, Muse is about sparking ideas, not just driving purchases. Even if an image doesn’t contain an exact Wayfair product, its purpose is to help users refine their vision.
How does Muse fit into Wayfair’s broader AI innovation strategy?
Wayfair has long focused on making home shopping frictionless. Our customers can compare many different products with fast delivery and a focus on customer service.
But a lot of the inspiration phase, the very beginning of the shopping journey, still takes place outside of Wayfair on platforms like Google, Instagram or Pinterest. We see a massive opportunity to bring that discovery phase into Wayfair by leveraging AI to generate endless inspiration.
Beyond Muse, these AI technologies we’re leveraging can be applied across the company. For example, AI-driven image generation could help create customized product visuals or enhance search and personalization. The more users engage with Muse, the better we understand their preferences, enabling us to tailor their entire shopping experience.
All of this leads to the idea of hyper-personalization where the experience is catered specifically to your tastes and your space. Muse isn’t just an innovation—it’s the foundation for a more intuitive, AI-driven Wayfair.
Ready to discover endless style possibilities with Muse? Visit
www.wayfairnext.com/muse to start exploring today.