How to Price Interior Design Services
Interior designers price four ways — hourly at $75–$250, a flat fee per phase or per room, cost-plus at trade price plus 20–35%, or $5–$15 per square foot — and most solo designers combine a flat design fee with cost-plus procurement. Take a retainer of 10–20 hours up front and bill site visits separately. ShowTheReceipts keeps each rate saved and tracks retainer draw-down.
Four pricing models, usually combined
| Model | Best for | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly | Undefined scope, consultations | $75–$250 / hr |
| Flat fee per phase | Defined design work | Per project |
| Cost-plus | Furnishings and procurement | Trade + 20–35% |
| Per square foot | Large uniform projects | $5–$15 / sq ft |
The common solo setup is a flat design fee per phase plus cost-plus procurement — predictable for the client, and it pays you for the ordering work nobody sees.
Retainer first
Take 10–20 hours of your rate, or 25–50% of the phase fee, before design begins, and draw hours against it. Design is unrecoverable labour: once the concept is presented, the client has the idea whether or not the invoice clears.
Procurement is work, not a markup
Sourcing, ordering, tracking, chasing freight, handling damaged deliveries, and receiving are hours. Price them at trade plus 20–35% or a flat fee per order, and say which on the invoice — a hidden markup discovered later costs you the client.
The client’s money buys the client’s furniture. Your credit card never enters the vendor order.
Bill site visits and install days
Site visits, contractor coordination, and installation days each carry a per-visit or day rate. They’re the hours most likely to be given away, and on a renovation they multiply.
What not to do
- Don’t start before the retainer clears
- Don’t quote square-foot pricing on a small intricate space
- Don’t hide the procurement markup
- Don’t donate site visits and install days
Frequently asked questions
What do interior designers charge per hour?
$75–$250 an hour for solo designers, with major metros and highly specified work at the top. Hourly protects you on undefined scope, but it also caps your income at your available hours — which is why most designers move to flat phase fees plus procurement as they get established.
What is a normal procurement markup?
Trade price plus 20–35% is the common range, or a flat procurement fee per order. It's not a passive markup — it pays for sourcing, ordering, order tracking, freight claims, damaged-delivery replacement, and receiving, which together take far more hours than clients ever expect.
Should I charge per square foot?
It works for large, uniform projects — new builds, whole-floor commercial — at roughly $5–$15 per square foot. It works badly for one intricate kitchen or a small high-spec room, where the hours have almost nothing to do with the floor area.
How do I raise my design rates?
Between projects, never mid-project, in 10–20% steps. Anchor the raise to your book and lead time — a designer booked out three months is priced too low. Existing clients keep their contracted phase pricing through completion.