How do I know what my budget should be when hiring an interior designer?

ByWillow Grey Team

Knowing what to spend with an interior designer can be frightening – do you let them know what your real budget is or should that be a secret? What if your budget isn’t enough and how do you know how your budget should be spent?

How do you work out what your interior design budget is if you don’t know what you want or what you need? And how does this translate into working with an interior designer? 

In this blog, I will try to help clarify what sort of budget you need to work with an interior designer, and also address why it is important to have this discussion early on in your project. 

Step 1: What is it you’re trying to achieve in your interior project?

This is the first and most important question you need to ask yourself before you start your project, whether or not you choose to hire an interior designer! 

  • Are you just looking to improve just a few elements of your room (maybe a new colour  scheme, some new furniture pieces, or tweaking?)
  • Do you have anything in the room you want to keep? (Flooring, fireplace, sofas, artwork?)
  • Are there particular things you definitely want to change or get rid of? 
  • Is the space working for you/your family? 
  • Or, are you planning on a whole redesign or building project? 

Once you’ve analysed what it is you want to achieve, it’s worth thinking about your budget. 

Step 2: Budget 

What should you include in your budget?

Cosmetic changes: 

This includes all redecoration, new furniture and soft furnishings but not major building work. You’ll need to include tradespeople’s time and materials (decorators, carpenters, electricians etc), as well as everything that can be moved in a room – furniture, lighting, accessories, artwork, etc).  

It’s worth taking your time to find out how much things cost – one trick I use with my own clients is to ask them to add everything they think they may need into a shopping basket using an online retailer, such as John Lewis – so for a living room, this may include new sofas, side chairs, a coffee table, side tables, lamps, maybe a bookcase or console table, a rug, artwork, plants (faux or real), cushions, curtains or blinds, accessories to dress the bookcase, a TV unit, throws….the list is quite long! 

It’s worth also getting a few quotations with some tradespeople to get a sense of their costs – labour on trades will most likely be one of the largest expenses on your project. 

Have a think about the sort of ‘level’ of furniture you will want for your new interior – maybe you will want to mix and match. As you research prices, you will realise what feels comfortable and what does not. This will enable you to come up with an ‘ideally not more than’ figure which will help you align your budget with your interior designer. 

Major changes:

You may decide early on that you’re looking to extend your property, knock out walls or remove that 1970s fireplace – in which case, you may also need to employ the services of a general building contractor. Most small changes can be easily taken on my your interior designer, they will often have the trade contacts which take the stress out of choosing your own. Lots of interior design companies will also take this on for you, working with a contractor to create an extension which works structurally, but also spatially and aesthetically. 

Budgeting for this type of work is much more tricky, with the possibility of endless unknowns. Again, it’s worth getting some general contractor quotes so you get a feel for the market – as a general rule, it’s best not to go for the cheapest; there’s usually a reason they’re cheaper than the others! 

It’s certainly worth also keeping at least a 10% contingency aside for the unknowns, and also ring-fence the budget to include at least some interior elements, like decoration, carpets and curtains, even if you have to wait for the final design elements!

One of the benefits of working with a reputable building company alongside your interior designer is that they often work well together but with a different focus on the outcome, which reduces the likelihood of getting that plug socket in the wrong place! 

Why is it important to discuss the budget early on?

It’s crucial to find an interior designer who is on the same ‘budget wavelength’ as you. This is not just a question of their fee and whether the budget will accommodate it but because some designers only work with budgets at a certain level.

We offer designs to suit different budgets; we also understand that your budget will probably evolve as the project progresses. The common denominator is that the budget must be realistic in order for the relationship and the project to work. This means looking at the scope of what is involved, the style and level of finish you want and your timeframe.

You will get the most out of your interior designer if they understand the budget you are working with at the earliest possible stage. One of the main reasons to use an interior designer is to take advantage of their in-depth knowledge of what is on the market at different price points and their ability to advise you on where best to allocate your spend to maximise your budget.  

Establishing a budget at an early stage will empower your designer to advise you properly. Ask yourself what can you afford now and what might have to wait until later? How can costs be kept down without compromising on style? Do the quotations you have received underestimate (or overestimate) the cost of certain aspects of the work?

At Willow Grey Interiors, we work within the budget you give us – our fee, project management expertise, trades, and all furniture, accessories, soft furnishings and fitting is included within that budget. With this in mind, it’s worth having a chat early on about whether your ‘ideally not more than’ figure can accommodate everything you’re looking to achieve in your project.  

Working with your interior designer

Once you have decided to work with an interior designer, it’s time to discuss the budget, regardless of how fixed or up in-the-air it is. By drawing on their knowledge and experience, they will advise you about what is feasible and help you work out what your budget should be. They will get costings for you and present you with different options and price points. Together you will come up with a realistic figure.  Remember that if your budget is unrealistic, they won’t be able to help, and if you haven’t communicated the true size of the amount you have available, you will waste their time and yours. You can also discuss whether it’s best to tackle the project in stages.

As the design work progresses, every item/trade will be costed by your interior designer and presented to you so that you can keep tabs on the budget and ensure that everything is going to plan.

Once you have established your budget, the designer can proceed with the work and you will be closer to getting the interior that you want.