By Pierre Jean-Baptiste, ASID
How much does an interior designer cost? It is the first thing most people want to know, and it deserves a straight answer. The straight answer is that I cannot give you a responsible number for your home until I have seen it. What I can do is explain exactly how my fees work, what makes one project cost more than another, and how you get a real quote without committing to anything.
How my fees work
There are only a few numbers to know at the start:
- The initial design meeting at your home carries a $99 local trip fee, which is credited towards your project if you go ahead.
- A 15-minute phone call is complimentary if you want to talk the project through first.
- Full-service projects are quoted at the in-person initial design meeting.
- Full-service design is billed at an hourly fee.
That is deliberately simple. The trip fee covers my time to come out, measure, look at the rooms and talk through the scope with you. If we go ahead together, it comes off your project. The introductory call is for people who want to describe the project first, or who are not yet in a position to have me visit.
Where a project budget actually goes
When clients think about the cost of an interior designer, they often picture only the design fee. In practice, a full-service budget has three parts, and the design fee is only one of them.
Design time
This is the work my team and I do: the site survey, floor plans, elevations, design boards and the design presentation, plus revisions along the way. Because it is billed hourly, it scales with the size and complexity of the project. A single room with the architecture left alone takes far fewer hours than a multi-level home where every finish has to relate to every other finish. Design typically runs two to four weeks, and larger projects are assessed case by case. If a room is hard to visualize, 3D renderings can be added to a full-service project.
Furnishings and finishes
This is everything that ends up in the house: sofas, rugs, lighting, window treatments, tile, fixtures, cabinetry. After you approve the design, my studio purchases your selections, receives them at our warehouse, and delivers them in stages. A typical project has three to six deliveries, with most furnishings assembled and set up in place. What you choose here moves the budget more than anything else. A quartz counter and a marble floor are both good answers; they are not the same price.
Contractors and trades
If the design includes construction, such as a new bar, a bathroom renovation or built-in millwork, contractors do that work. We issue a Scope of Work that ties your finish selections and instructions to the contractor after design approval. I can bring contractors to the project or work with the one you already have.
What makes one project cost more than another
Scope is the biggest factor. Compare two of our published projects. Luxe Libations turned one blank wall into a custom bar. Modern Warmth touched the primary bath, two more bathrooms, the kitchen and the foyer, with a basement gym, bar and theater in progress. Both are full-service design. They are simply different sizes of commitment in design hours, in products and in trade work.
After scope, the next factor is how much construction is involved. Rearranging and refurnishing a living room is mostly design time and furnishings. A lower level like the Philadelphia Eagles Lower Level Lounge, with a bar, appliances, a guest bedroom and a bathroom renovation, adds plumbing, electrical and finish carpentry.
The third factor is the level of the selections themselves. Semi-custom versus custom cabinetry, standard versus designer lighting, performance fabrics versus delicate ones. I will always tell you where I think spending more makes a visible difference and where it does not.
The factor people underestimate is change. Decisions made and then reversed after purchasing has started are expensive. That is why I push to settle style and scope during design, with every decision-maker in the room, before any orders go out.
How to get a real number
Book the initial design meeting. Before I arrive, think about a budget range for furnishings and a separate range for building products like flooring and lighting. It does not have to be precise. It tells me what kind of plan to propose, and it keeps us from designing a room you would not want to pay for.
At that meeting I measure the space, go over your priorities and constraints, and quote the full-service project. You will leave knowing how we would work together and what it would involve, which is worth more than any average figure from a website. For a closer look at the process, read what an interior designer actually does, or see when hiring an interior designer is worth it.
Frequently asked questions
Why don’t you publish an average project cost?
Because every home and every scope is different, an average would mislead more people than it would help. The quote at the initial design meeting is based on your rooms, your selections and the work involved.
Is the $99 trip fee refundable?
It is credited towards your project if you go ahead, so it comes off what you pay rather than being returned.
Can I get advice without hiring you for a full project?
Start with the complimentary 15-minute phone call and tell me what you are trying to solve. We also offer paint consultations for clients who mainly need help with color.
How are furnishings billed?
Furnishings, finishes and trade work are separate from the hourly design fee. I walk through how purchasing works on your specific project when I quote it at the initial design meeting.
Is 3D rendering included?
3D renderings are an optional add-on for full-service projects. Many rooms are designed well with floor plans, elevations and design boards alone, and I will tell you when 3D would genuinely help.
