Interior Design Quotations: Fees, Stages and Scope

Interior design clients are buying both your ideas and the outcome. Since taste is personal, clear limits on revisions and scope are as important as the price itself.

Choose a fee model

• Fixed design fee: clear for both sides, and works best with a defined scope.
• Per square foot: easy to explain for full homes or offices.
• Percentage of project cost: common on larger fit-outs, but make clear how the cost is defined.
• Hourly consultation: good for advice or small rooms.

Separate design from execution

Show two parts, even if you deliver both:

1. Design: concept, layouts, 3D views, and material selection.
2. Execution: carpentry, false ceilings, electrical, painting and furnishing.

Clients can then see what the design is worth, and you protect your fee if they take the drawings to another contractor. Consider stating who owns the drawings and how they may be used.

Limit the revisions

Agree how much change is included: "Includes two rounds of revisions per room. More changes are charged at Rs X per hour." Without this, the design stage can go on indefinitely.

Handle material choices

Client selections change costs dramatically. Use a stated allowance: "Allowance for wardrobe laminate: Rs 150 per square foot. A different selection adjusts the price." Note any commission or trade discount arrangements honestly.

Payment stages

You might take a booking fee at signing, then payments on design approval, on material purchase and on handover. Don't let significant furniture orders go ahead without funds.

Keep the design timeline and client approval steps clear, since delayed decisions often delay everything else.

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