Interior design fees depend on project scope, location, and the depth of service you need—from consultation-only to full delivery. Rather than fixed rates, most studios charge based on the work involved in Discovery, Concept, Design & Specification, Commission, and Reveal stages. Understanding what each stage covers helps you budget realistically and know what you're paying for.
Why interior design isn’t priced like a retail product
Interior design fees reflect the time, expertise, and coordination required to transform a space. Unlike buying a sofa or paint tin, design involves custom thinking: site assessment, material sourcing, specification writing, and liaison with contractors. A residential apartment in London demands different work than a commercial salon in a market town. A dental practice requires compliance knowledge; a hair salon needs workflow planning. Each project’s complexity determines the time invested.
The studio works through five defined stages: Discovery, Concept, Design & Specification, Commission, and Reveal. Not all clients need all stages. Some want strategy and concept only; others need full design and hands-on project management. The scope you choose shapes the cost. A small consultation on a single room differs vastly from designing an entire commercial fit-out. Understanding these stage boundaries is the first step to budgeting accurately.
What determines the cost of your project?
Several factors drive the fee. The size of the space is fundamental: a small study costs less to design than a 5,000-square-foot commercial premises. The Keystones Estate Agent project and the London Embankment Apartment represent different scales; one is residential, intimate and focused; the other serves a commercial function with distinct user needs. Location matters too. London properties—like Tone at Canary Wharf and the London Embankment Apartment—often involve longer lead times and more complex sourcing. A rural project like the Witham Project may have different supplier availability and logistics.
The brief’s complexity is decisive. A straightforward refresh differs from a structural reconfiguration. Commercial projects like Beaulieu Dental Practice and Fruittii Hair Salon carry professional and regulatory demands that add depth to the design work. Equally, the level of bespoke content requested affects cost. If you want custom joinery, materials research, or complex specification writing, that work commands appropriate time. The studio also factors in project management intensity: some clients want minimal contact; others need regular reviews and collaborative iteration.
How the five design stages break down the work
Discovery is the foundation. The studio gathers information about your needs, the space, your aesthetic direction, and your constraints. This stage includes site visits, measurements, photography, and in-depth conversation. It answers questions like: What does the space need to do? Who uses it? What materials and light already exist? What’s the budget environment? Discovery produces a brief—essentially a diagnostic document that informs all subsequent work.
Concept turns that brief into design direction. The studio develops spatial ideas, mood, material families, and a visual story. This stage is about exploring possibilities, not yet specifying products. You see renderings, colour palettes, and layout alternatives. For commercial projects like a salon or dental practice, Concept includes workflow planning and functional testing.
Concept, Design & Specification is the technical layer. Every material, finish, fixture and furnishing is named and documented. Joinery drawings are produced; paint colours are specified; upholstery is selected and recorded; lighting schedules are created. This stage produces the documents contractors and makers actually build from. It’s where vague ideas become buildable instructions.
Commission is project management during execution. The studio orders materials, coordinates with trades, manages timelines, and troubleshoots on site. Not every client needs this service—some handle it themselves—but for complex projects, particularly commercial ones with multiple contractors, Commission is essential and carries its own time investment.
Reveal is the handover and finishing phase. The studio conducts final inspections, documents the completed space, and ensures every element is correctly installed and functioning. It’s the punctuation mark on the project.
Typical fee structures and what they include
Studios most often charge by time or by project fee. Time-based fees (typically hourly or daily rates) suit exploratory or limited-scope work—say, a colour consultation or a single-room refresh. You pay for the hours invested. Project fees work better for defined briefs where the scope is clear: you know the client wants full design through to Reveal, so the studio estimates the total effort and quotes a fixed fee. This gives you certainty and protects against scope creep.
Some studios blend both: a project fee for core stages (Discovery through Concept, Design & Specification) plus time-based Commission and Reveal. Others charge a percentage of the build/procurement budget, though this is less common in the UK and can misalign incentives. The studio’s approach depends on its practice model and the project type. Residential work like the Witham Project or London Embankment Apartment often suits project fees; commercial clients may prefer time-based tracking for transparency.
What’s typically included: design thinking, site documentation, concept visuals, specification writing, material sourcing, contractor coordination (if Commission is included), and project delivery. What’s not included: the cost of materials, furniture, finishes, or construction labour itself. Those are separate line items. Some studios add a markup on products they source; others buy on your behalf at cost. Clarify this early.
Real examples: what different project types cost to design
A small residential project—a master bedroom and ensuite, for instance—typically requires fewer hours across all five stages than a full-apartment redesign. The London Embankment Apartment is a residential interior in London; such projects involve spatial planning, material sampling, fixture selection, and often longer lead times due to product availability and London supply chains. The scope is bounded by a single home but can be complex depending on whether structural work is involved.
Commercial projects carry different cost drivers. Beaulieu Dental Practice required compliance thinking, workflow planning, and coordination with specialist trades (surgery fit-out, infection control finishes). Fruittii Hair Salon needed salon-specific layout logic and durable, washable finishes. Keystones Estate Agent demanded a professional, brand-aligned environment suitable for client meetings. Each had distinct functional demands that added depth to the design work compared to a residential refresh. Tone at Canary Wharf, a London commercial project, likely involved longer specification lead times and cost premium typical of central London supply and build costs.
The Witham Project (residential) represents a different geographic context: a rural location with potentially different supplier networks and logistics. The cost to design varies, but the principle remains consistent: scope and complexity drive hours; hours drive fees.
Questions to ask before you commit
Before engaging a studio, clarify the fee model. Do they charge by project, by time, or by a hybrid? What does their quote include—which of the five stages are covered? Are material sourcing and procurement included, or just design? Will they manage contractors (Commission), or do you handle that? What’s the timeline assumption, and do delays affect the fee? Are revisions limited, or unlimited within a stage? Are site visits included, or charged separately?
Ask for references or case studies that match your project type and scale. A studio experienced in commercial dental or salon design brings relevant knowledge. A residential specialist in London may not be the right fit for a rural home. Review their portfolio for evidence of restraint and permanence—finishes that age well, spaces that work functionally, not trendy gestures. Request a detailed proposal that breaks down stages, deliverables, and timelines so you understand exactly what you’re paying for and when work happens. This transparency protects both you and the studio.