Interior Design Project Proposal Template
Interior projects overrun on site visits and supplier chasing, not on design. This template counts the visits, names the deliverable package precisely, and separates your design fee from the furniture and materials budget — the confusion that causes most fee disputes on a residential job.
Take the whole thing
The scope, deliverables, timeline and client questions — as plain text you can paste anywhere. No signup.
The scope, as written
A full-service interior design engagement — from concept to completion. I'll translate your vision into a coherent, liveable space that reflects who you are and works the way you need it to. You get a complete, buildable design package plus my presence on site during execution, so what gets built is what we agreed — not an approximation of it.
How to price this work
We looked for survey-grade pricing for this kind of work across our markets — India, the UAE, the UK and Brazil — and did not find any we would stand behind. What is published is mostly agency price lists, which quote the agency, not the market. Rather than average those into a number that looks authoritative and is not, we have left this blank.
What we can tell you is how to arrive at your own number:
- Start from hours, not a feeling. Estimate the work in the deliverables below, add the revision rounds you actually grant, and multiply by the day rate you need to hit your yearly target.
- Add the invisible work. Calls, briefs, feedback rounds and project management are usually a third of the real time and the first thing left out of a quote.
- Price the outcome where you can. What the work earns or saves the client is a better anchor than your hours — the hours are your floor, not your price.
- Quote one number, then hold it. The scope below is what protects that number; discounting a vague scope is how a profitable project becomes a loss.
What's included
- Site visit, measured survey + design brief workshop
- Concept board: mood, palette, materials, furniture direction (2 revision rounds)
- Space planning + floor plan layouts (2 options, 1 developed in full)
- Final design package: elevations, material schedule, lighting plan, furniture spec
- Supplier and product schedule with sourcing options at three price levels
- Contractor liaison + up to 4 site visits during execution, plus a written snag list at handover
- Excluded: construction, contractor and trade costs, furniture, fittings and materials, structural or authority approvals — all quoted and paid separately
Worth adding for this kind of work
- Site visits capped at a number, with additional visits priced
- Design fee separated from the procurement budget in plain words
- Whether you hold trade discounts, and who benefits from them, stated up front
The timeline
- Sign proposal & pay deposit
First instalment secures your project in my schedule and is non-refundable, as it holds a slot I turn other work away for. Payment details sent via WhatsApp.
- Site visit + brief workshop
I visit the space, take measurements, and we agree your brief, priorities and budget range in writing. We coordinate on WhatsApp.
- Concept board presented
Mood, palette and direction shared via WhatsApp. Your consolidated written approval unlocks the drawing stage.
- Design package delivered
Full drawings, material schedule and supplier list delivered, ready to price with your contractor. Second instalment due on delivery.
- Execution support
Up to 4 site visits plus WhatsApp contractor coordination, ending at the snag list. Support beyond that window continues on an agreed monthly or per-visit basis.
- Handover + final invoice
Final walkthrough, snag list issued, final invoice sent on WhatsApp. Design files are yours on final payment.
Where this proposal usually goes wrong
Blurring the design fee and the furnishings budget.
Two separate numbers. A client who thinks the sofa is included will feel misled at invoice time.
Unlimited contractor liaison.
Cap the site visits. Execution oversight expands to fill whatever you leave open.
Not naming the deliverable format.
Elevations, material schedule, furniture spec — list them. "A design" means different things to different clients.
Questions clients ask about this work
Do you manage the contractors, and are you responsible if the build is poor?
No — I am the designer, not the main contractor. I liaise with your contractor, review work against my drawings and flag what is wrong, but they are contracted by you and carry responsibility for workmanship, safety, programme and site insurance. Full project management (schedule, budget tracking, payment certification) is a separate package if you want a single point of accountability.
Can you source furniture and materials, and how are you paid for it?
Yes — I have supplier relationships that often get you trade access you cannot get alone. Items are invoiced at cost plus a procurement fee, and that rate is agreed with you in writing before any purchase is made. I will never buy on your behalf against an unquoted percentage, and you are free to buy everything yourself instead — the design package works either way.
What if I change my mind after the concept is approved?
Small swaps within an approved direction are normal and I absorb those. Changing direction after approval means redrawing work already done, so it is quoted as a variation and agreed in writing before I restart. Two revision rounds are included at concept and one on the final package — a round is one set of consolidated written feedback from you, not a stream of separate WhatsApp messages over a fortnight. Collecting everyone's comments into one message is what keeps this on time and on fee.
What happens if the project stalls or I need to pause?
Timelines assume you supply decisions, approvals and site access within five working days of my asking. Longer than that and dates shift — I hold work for up to 60 days at no cost, after which I re-book my schedule and restarting is subject to availability and a re-mobilisation fee. If you cancel outright, the deposit is retained and you pay for the stage in progress; anything already delivered is yours to use.
What if an invoice is late?
Work pauses and drawings are not issued until the account is settled. I would much rather tell you this now than surprise you mid-build, because a pause at the wrong moment costs you far more in contractor standing time than it costs me.
Who owns the drawings, and can you use photos of my home?
Design files are licensed to you for this property on final payment, and are yours to use for the build and any future works there — they are not for resale or reuse on other sites. I retain the right to photograph the completed space and credit it in my portfolio; if privacy matters to you, say so and I will keep it unpublished or unattributed. Anything you tell me about your family, security or finances stays confidential either way.
A template gets it written. Tracking gets it signed.
You already have the document — copy it above and send it however you like. What a copy cannot tell you is whether anyone read it. Send this same template from ClosingMoment and you will know the moment your client opens it, which sections they read, and how long they spent — so you follow up while they are still deciding.