
How Interior Designers Bill Their Services & How to Find Your Best Fit
Summary
Interior designers have more than one way to bill their services and the “right” pricing model depends on your workflow, client base, and project scope. Whether you charge by the hour, offer fixed fees, or combine both in a hybrid structure, your pricing should reflect your expertise, protect your time, and align with the value you deliver. Consistency, communication, and tracking are key—especially as projects scale and evolve. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but clarity (on both sides) is always non-negotiable.
Reflection Questions
Which parts of my current pricing model create confusion—for me or for my clients?
How well does my billing strategy reflect the full value of my creative, strategic, and project management work?
Where am I losing money—or leaving clarity on the table—because of underdefined scope, poor time tracking, or inconsistent communication?
Journal Prompt
If a client asked me tomorrow why I charge the way I do, how would I answer—with clarity, confidence, and conviction? Where would I hesitate or over-explain? What would I need to change in my business to feel 100% aligned with the value of my pricing?
If, years into running your design firm, still wonder how to charge for your services in a way that reflects both your expertise and the value you deliver, keep reading. Most designers are in the same boat.
Pricing might feel like a purely financial decision, but it’s also a reflection of your process, confidence, and boundaries. From new designers building their first proposals to high-end designers managing million-dollar renovations, we all want to know: How do we build a cost structure that serves our clients, protects our profitability, and supports our creative life?
Interior design service fees vary widely—with good reason. The scope of a design project might range from decorating a single room to furnishing a custom home to renovating a dated or damaged kitchen. Variables like square footage, lead times, purchasing, and project management dramatically affect the total cost. “If you go hourly, how you track your time can make or break your business,” notes co-founder Melissa Grove on the Design Dash Podcast. And she’s right. The way interior designers charge isn’t arbitrary. Our billing is based on experience, process, and the kind of work clients expect.
Whether you offer online services or full-service, in-person work, your pricing model must be sustainable. Your fees must cover more than your time. They need to reflect each designer’s expertise, account for furnishings, mood boards, and even the unseen hours spent managing trades.
You might be navigating early client relationships or rethinking your structure after years in business, but either way, selecting the right model can mean the difference between immediate burnout and long-term profitability. Let’s explore the billing options available to interior designers and help you find a model that fits your values, your clients’ expectations, and the reality of running design firm.
What to Consider Before Choosing a Billing Model

- Current billing model: What’s working? What’s not? Where are you losing time or money?
- Project scope: Ask yourself, is it clearly defined or likely to evolve?
- Client type: Hands-on or hands-off? Experienced or first-timer?
- Team structure: Are you a solo designer or full studio with multiple billable roles?
- Your experience level: Are you just starting or running a seasoned firm?
- Time tracking habits: Can you track hours in real time—or not at all?
- Cash flow needs: Do you need steady monthly revenue or upfront deposits?
- Design phase vs. procurement ratio: How much time is spent on each?
- Complexity of the project: Think about the entire project. Is it a refresh, full gut renovation, or ground-up build?
- Client’s overall budget: Are they looking for transparency or predictability? What will this total project cost, realistically?
- Trade discounts and markups: Are you offering insider access or passing on savings? Are you earning from procurement?
- Software systems in place: Do you have tools that support your model?
- Flexibility vs. structure: Do you need adaptability or firm guardrails? Which matters more?
- Risk tolerance: Are you comfortable with billing uncertainty or prefer set terms?
Six Ways to Bill for an Interior Design Project
Clients want to know, “how much does an interior designer cost,” “when and how will they charge me,” and “is hiring an interior designer worth it?” But most interior designers want to know, “how much should I charge,” “how should I bill them,” and “am I charging enough to make this project worth it?” If you have ever asked yourself these questions, you are in the right place! Let’s get into it.
Hourly Billing: Transparent, Flexible, and Familiar

Hourly billing is the most straightforward, and often the most misunderstood, model in interior design. It’s especially effective for complex or evolving projects. When using this model, clients are billed based on the actual number of hours worked, typically in increments as small as 15 minutes (like a lawyer). This is simple in theory, but it requires precision, consistency, and confidence.
“We bill our time every month on the 10th of the month like clockwork. So our team knows what to expect and our clients know what to expect,” says Laura Umansky, founder of Laura U Design Collective, on the Design Dash podcast.
For many firms, hourly billing is freeing but for others, it’s constricting. Designers can say “yes” more often without constantly renegotiating the contract’s design fees. If a client wants to add a room, pivot the aesthetic, or stretch the timeline, the billing model flexes with them.
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“I never have to say no to a client request ever. Some projects we bill 100 hours, some we bill 300—and they can look nearly identical at first glance,” Laura adds.
It also allows designers to learn from their own data. “Tracking time helps us understand how long things actually take so we can propose more accurately in the future,” says co-host Melissa Grove. That knowledge can strengthen your estimates and your profit margins, which is incredibly important when managing larger projects. This can also be helpful for clients when hiring an interior designer. “If you go hourly, how you track your time can make or break your business.”
How Designers Track Their Time

Still, this model requires serious discipline. Daily or real-time tracking is ideal. Weekly memory-based billing, as many designers admit to doing, often leads to missed hours, underbilling, and skewed profitability.
“In an ideal world, every designer would bill their time in real time or at least at the end of every day,” says Melissa. “I track mine weekly, based on my calendar and memory—but I know I’m missing hours.”
Some firms track time by phase, space, or service, with project scopes broken out clearly in client-facing proposals. Alexis Vitale of Vitale Design Group told Business of Home that this helps her clients understand the overall budget and gives them visibility into how interior design service fees build up over time. Her team provides biweekly hour updates so there are no surprises.
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Pros of Hourly Fees
- Ideal for changing scopes and client-driven decisions
- Allows flexibility without contract renegotiation
- Easy to justify with tracked hours and task logs
- Supports cash flow with monthly billing cycles
- Scales with team size through tiered hourly rates
Cons of Hourly Billing
- Requires detailed, daily time tracking
- Can cause client anxiety over unknown final costs
- May undervalue design thinking if not paired with strong communication
- Not ideal for designers who move fast or dislike admin
Fixed (Flat) Fees: Predictability Meets Simplicity

Fixed fees give many clients what they want most: clarity and predictability. This model involves quoting a total cost for the entire project or for a specific phase—often based on square footage, number of rooms, or estimated hours. It’s especially common in online interior design, smaller rooms, or highly repeatable services like mood boards, space planning, or consultations.
For designers who can estimate accurately and work within well-defined boundaries, this model can be incredibly efficient. There’s no chasing down time logs, explaining hourly fees, or itemizing every decision.
As designer Francis Toumbakaris told Business of Home, “My flat-fee structure ensures clarity and predictability for our clients. They stop whining over bills and questioning line items on monthly invoices.” His firm calculates a flat fee as a percentage of the overall furnishings budget, typically 20–40% depending on scope and complexity.
But that flat rate fee structure isn’t foolproof. This structure requires airtight scopes and a clear understanding of how long each deliverable takes. Without that, you risk underpricing your services—or getting stuck doing unpaid work.
“Fixed sum has never worked for me in 18 years of business,” says Laura Umansky on Design Dash. “We’re not just getting a big chunk of money up front and then waiting, hoping that the milestones for the build stay on track.”
How Designers Make a Flat Rate Work

Clients may love the set number, but the model can backfire for designers if the project drags, expands, or pivots creatively—something that happens often.
That’s why many designers add milestone payments or revision limits into their flat-fee contracts. As Maria Lomanto told Architectural Digest, she includes clear deliverables and expected hours by phase in her proposals. When changes arise, they’re treated as change orders billed separately—usually hourly.
Others, like Josh Greene, charge a higher flat fee up front, but lower their markup percentage to keep overall project costs reasonable for clients.
“I found clients get fatigued when everything you send them has a 30% to 40% commission on top,” he said in AD PRO. “So I charge a larger flat fee and just take a 10% commission on anything coming through my office.”
Pros
- Easy to communicate and sell
- Provides cost certainty for clients
- Reduces admin time spent tracking and billing
- Works well for defined phases or standard service packages
Cons
- High risk if the project scope expands; best for smaller projects
- Requires precise estimating and strong systems
- Can be difficult to justify fees for unseen labor
- Not ideal for clients who need flexibility
Hybrid Billing: Balancing Structure with Flexibility

For many firms, the hybrid model works best because it combines the clarity of fixed fees with the adaptability of hourly billing. Typically, designers will quote a flat rate for design phases—like floor plans, concepts, or Pinterest boards—and switch to hourly rates for sourcing, purchasing, and project management.
This model recognizes the reality of most design work: some phases are predictable and process-driven; others are fluid, collaborative, and subject to change. Hybrid billing creates space for both.
“It helps us understand how much time it takes to do something… When we are proposing for another client in the future, we have a pretty good idea,” says Melissa Grove. That historical data allows firms to price the upfront phase confidently while keeping wiggle room where things tend to expand.
Olga Doykhen, an Orange County–based designer, uses a similar model to great effect. As she told Architectural Digest, her flat fee covers “plans, mood boards, design concept, shopping list, renderings”—while shopping and managing are billed hourly. The split protects everyone: “This helps clients budget more effectively and reduces the uncertainty associated with fluctuating costs while protecting designers from construction delays.”
For larger projects, hybrids can scale efficiently. You’re not locked into a flat fee that could get eaten up by delays or indecision. And you’re not asking clients to commit blindly to an open-ended hourly agreement. Instead, you give them structure—then show them where flexibility comes in.
“We aim for 52% profitability for time billing… That’s gross profit—not net,” says Laura Umansky, who emphasizes the importance of knowing your numbers when blending models.
Just be sure to explain your approach clearly. Clients need to understand what’s included in the fixed portion, what triggers hourly billing, and when payments are due. Designers like Alexis Vitale solve this by offering space-by-space breakdowns with estimated hours, scope, and billing format. Her clients receive biweekly updates and transparent estimates by room.
Pros
- Upfront clarity without losing flexibility
- Adapts well to changing project needs
- Allows for structured proposals and evolving execution
- Works well across a range of budgets and project types
Cons
- Can be harder to explain to clients
- Requires strong time tracking and internal systems
- Risks confusion if flat vs. hourly lines aren’t clearly defined
Final Thoughts: What About Percentage-Based Pricing and Product Markups?

For designers involved in furnishings, finishes, or large-scale renovations, charging a percentage of the total project cost—or applying a markup on products—is another way to align compensation with effort. Some charge 20–35% on purchases, others bundle design services into furnishing budgets. Trade discounts may be passed along, split, or retained entirely, depending on the agreement. Some designers price per square foot, but this is rarely used as a standalone model anymore because it doesn’t account for complexity.
While other methods might boost profitability, transparency is non-negotiable. “You just want to make [the invoice] something your client can understand… They’re not designers,” says Melissa Grove. Communicate early how you handle product pricing and sourcing so expectations are clear—and trust is protected.
Still not sure how to bill? Join the DesignDash Community for clarity and answers to every last question!
Written by the DesignDash Editorial Team
Our contributors include experienced designers, firm owners, design writers, and other industry professionals. If you’re interested in submitting your work or collaborating, please reach out to our Editor-in-Chief at editor@designdash.com.