Use case
Virtual renovation for outdated interiors
Not every listing needs furniture added — some need the entire room updated. Dark wallpaper, worn carpet, avocado-green tiles, and dated colour schemes are harder to overcome than an empty room because buyers can see exactly what needs replacing. Katalo's Renovate mode solves this in a single automated pass, updating surfaces and furniture simultaneously to show what the property could look like after a light renovation.
Three modes for every listing type
Refurnish
Adds or replaces furniture while keeping existing surfaces intact. Use this when the walls, floors, and ceilings are in good condition but the room is empty or needs new staging.
Renovate
Replaces both surfaces (walls, floors, ceilings) and furniture in a single pass. The only mode designed for rooms where the existing finishes are the primary barrier to buyer interest.
Clean
Removes clutter, personal items, and existing furniture to present an empty, clean room. Useful before adding professional photography or as a standalone declutter for neutral presentation.
What Renovate mode updates
Wall colours and textures
Removes dated wallpaper, dark paint, or tired colour schemes and replaces them with finishes appropriate to the chosen style — clean whites, warm neutrals, or textured feature walls.
Flooring
Replaces worn carpet, dated tiles, or dark timber with fresh flooring that matches the style preset — light hardwood, polished concrete, large-format porcelain, or warm natural stone.
Ceiling finishes
Updates ceiling texture and colour where present, creating a consistent finish across the room rather than leaving an obviously unchanged ceiling above new walls and floor.
All furniture and furnishings
Removes existing furniture (regardless of condition) and replaces it with styled pieces from the chosen preset — as if the room had been cleared, renovated, and professionally staged.
What Renovate mode preserves
Room geometry stays completely anchored. Walls, windows, doors, ceiling height, and architectural proportions are never altered. The renovation looks like a real renovation of the actual property — not a digitally remodelled space.
Result in 45 seconds
95% first-try success rate
Tested on a large sample of real-world property photos. The highest verified accuracy figure published by any virtual staging platform.
Room types that benefit most
- Living rooms with dark paint or dated wallpaper
- Kitchens with old cabinet colours or worn surfaces
- Bedrooms with heavy carpet and dated colour schemes
- Bathrooms with outdated tile colours
- Hallways and entrance areas with dated finishes
Common questions
What is the difference between Renovate mode and Refurnish mode?
Refurnish mode replaces or adds furniture while keeping the existing surfaces (walls, floors, ceilings) unchanged. Renovate mode replaces both the surfaces and the furniture in a single pass — ideal for rooms with dated finishes, dark wallpaper, worn flooring, or old-fashioned colour schemes. If the room looks dated rather than just empty, Renovate mode is the right choice.
Does Renovate mode work on furnished rooms?
Yes. Renovate mode can process both furnished and unfurnished rooms. It removes or replaces existing furniture while simultaneously updating the surfaces, so you can take a photo of a lived-in room with dated décor and receive a staged image that looks completely modernised.
What surfaces does Renovate mode update?
Renovate mode can update wall colours and textures, flooring (replacing carpet, tile, or dated timber), and ceiling finishes. The original room geometry — dimensions, windows, doors, and architectural features — is preserved exactly.
Can I stage a room in Renovate mode without changing the furniture style?
Renovate mode always selects furnishings to match the chosen style preset, so the furniture will be updated as part of the renovation. If you want to keep the current furniture and only update a specific surface, that is best handled in a follow-up Refurnish pass or via the Clean mode to strip and restage. For most real estate use cases, full Renovate produces the strongest result.
Which room types benefit most from Renovate mode?
Living rooms and kitchens with dated wallpaper, dark paint, or worn flooring show the most dramatic improvement. Bedrooms with old carpet or heavy curtain colours also benefit significantly. Bathrooms respond well when tile colours are dated. Essentially any room where the existing finish is the primary barrier to buyer interest is a good candidate for Renovate mode.
Transform outdated interiors in 45 seconds
3 free images — no credit card required.