How much does an interior designer cost in the UK?

How interior designers charge

There is no single price for interior design in the UK, because designers charge in different ways. The three you will meet most often are:

• An hourly rate, for advice and design time
• A fixed fee, per room or per project, agreed before work begins
• A percentage of the overall project budget, most often for full-service work that includes managing trades and ordering

Online interior design, and room in a box

Online interior design, often called e-design, gives you a complete design to bring to life yourself, without site visits or project management. It is usually the more affordable route, because you pay for the design rather than for time on site.

Room in a box goes a step further. Every Sunday Ambience design is ready-made, so there is nothing to wait for and no design fee to agree: you choose the room you love, download it from Etsy, and bring it to life at your own pace.

Room in a box or full service: which suits you?

A ready-made design suits you if you would like a proper scheme, a shopping list you can actually buy from and the freedom to work at your own pace. It suits rented homes, small rooms and anyone who lives far from a designer whose work they love.

It suits you less well if your project is really a build, or if you would like someone on site managing trades in real time. Those are good reasons to hire a local full-service designer, and we will always say so.

Is online interior design worth it?

It is worth it when it stops you spending money in the wrong places: the sofa that doesn’t fit, the paint that looks nothing like the chart, the lamp that never quite suits the room. Every design is made to begin with what you already own, and every piece on the list earns its place.

If you are unsure which package is right, send Rachel a message through Etsy and she will suggest one.