Interior Design is the field that helps to make the space of a building achieve a much healthier and aesthetically pleasing environment. When we think about hiring an interior designer to design our space, the first thing that usually comes to our mind is how much money he or she will charge. Wanting to get your space designed by a professional is something we all want to do, but people have very little to no knowledge on what basis a designer charges their fee.
This is where we come in to make your lives a little easier. In today’s day and age where we can find any information with the click of a button, we might think that figuring out the ways an interior designer comes up with their design cost/fee is easy. But this fee is calculated and decided taking several factors into account which will be discussed thoroughly in this article.
Generally, an interior designer will charge around 2000$ to 5000$ excluding furniture bills which get calculated separately. There are other designers that run their business online and their costs range from 75$ to 1600$ this kind of designer does not allow bargaining of any sort, their prices are usually flat.
After the pandemic, we have witnessed the world go into more of an online environment and that has affected the area of interior design as well. People prefer to hire a designer online rather than going out to meet them in their offices. Meetings taking place online is also a quick and easy way as it saves time and energy for both the designer and the client. Even the work schedules can be adjusted accordingly when the work is done in an online mode.
If you think interior design is only about picking the right kind of furniture or a shade of color for your wall, then you are in for a surprise. The role an interior designer plays in changing the overall environment of space is huge. After the drawings are finalized, it is the duty of a designer to make renderings for the particular space so that the client can visualize the space before it’s made. An interior designer also has the job of managing electricians, plumbers, painters, contractors, and more. It is also their duty to purchase and arrange all the products that will be used or installed in the space designed by them. The benefits of hiring an interior designer are immense, but before doing so it is necessary for people to know on what basis they decide the cost.
How are the prices calculated?
Whoever told you that an interior designer charges some percentage of money for the overall cost of the project, that’s not always the case. There are many other ways a designer calculates his price.
A Percentage of the total cost
This is the most common type of way a designer calculates his price. He calculates the overall price of the project which includes furniture and takes around 5% to 10% of the total cost as a design fee. This percentage goes up to 20% to 25% based on the experience of the designer and also the size of the project.
Per square feet
This type of pricing is calculated based on the area of the home. A designer usually charges around rupees 10 per square feet which can go up to rupees 100 based on the type of design and the experience of the designer. Sometimes, when the workload is high and a designer has to look after every detail including kitchen, closets, etc. the price may shoot up to rupees 1000 per square feet as well.
A fixed amount
This is completely based on the designer on how much they want to charge you. This amount may be a percentage of the total budget or per square foot or something the designer charges as a flat rate. The designers term this amount as their fee and there is not very much knowledge on what basis they charge it.
Now that we have a slight idea of how an interior designer comes up with his/her cost, we need to go deep into the other sectors of pricing that a designer considers as well. Without the proper knowledge, it is very difficult to figure out how much money does an interior designer charges.
Site Supervision: If the client wants the designer to be present at the site at all times to see if the work is done smoothly or not, to supervise the installation of certain furniture, etc. the designer has the right to charge an extra fee for it. This fee is taken mostly in some percentage of the overall cost.
Design Revision Charges
When a client is not completely satisfied with a certain design, a designer shares revised drawings and makes changes without charging the client a maximum of 3 times. After that, if the client still keeps making changes to the design, the designers charge a certain fee mainly because the time frame of the projects keeps getting stretched and the designer has to make adjustments to his/her schedule.
Site Visits
The first three site visits are usually not charged by any designer but anything after that is charged on an average of rupees 1000 to 1500 per site visit.
Cost of Design
A designer can charge rupees 10000 to 50000 for just an idea and some furniture placements. For a three-dimensional view, an average designer charges around rupees 70000 to 100000. For huge buildings, some designers charge their fee per room taking into consideration the size of the building and the number of rooms.
Picking the best designer that matches your vibe
It’s okay if you are confused between two themes or how to choose the best style for the interior of your place. But if you cannot decide on a variety of things, relying on your designer completely will be a waste of their time and your money. Having a sense of direction for your design and primarily deciding on what type of aura you want to create in your space will not only help your designer swiftly do their thing and organize your space but will also help lower your design cost.
Listing down things that you would like to keep as it is, or throw out is also a major help for your designer. That way, the designer has a slight idea of what to do with the things that already exist inside of your space, and what new pieces could be added which in turn helps to keep your budget in check.
Doing some research before hiring a designer is also a way to pick the designer that exactly matches the requirements that you are looking for. Looking at portfolios online, customer reviews, experience in the field of design, professional training, etc. are a few things to learn about a designer before hiring them.
