What Should Be Included in Interior Design Fees? A Plain-English Scope Checklist

Interior design fees should include exactly the work listed in your written proposal—nothing should be assumed. A useful scope separates design, documentation, procurement, site involvement and expenses so you can see what is included and what becomes an extra.

What can the design fee include?

• Briefing and site review.
• Concept design and spatial planning.
• Colour, material and finish selection.
• Furniture layouts and specifications.
• Joinery concepts or detailed drawings.
• Lighting and fixture selections.
• Presentation documentation.
• A defined number of revisions.

What may be charged separately?

• Additional revisions.
• Travel and site meetings.
• Technical consultants.
• Procurement.
• Furniture/product margins.
• Freight and warehousing.
• Installation and styling.
• Project management.

Australian 2026 pricing guides from Hipages and Bark both show that designers use multiple fee models. That is why a fixed dollar amount is meaningless without the deliverables attached.

What should the proposal say about procurement?

It should explain sourcing, ordering, supplier communication, freight, storage, installation and defects—and how the designer earns money on that work. See DORSA's furniture markup guide and procurement fee explainer.

How do you know whether a fee is good value?

Ask what work remains yours after paying it. A smaller fee that leaves you with drawings, ordering, supplier chasing and installation management can be perfectly fine if you want to own those tasks. A larger fee can be rational if it transfers meaningful work and risk.

Bottom line

An interior design fee should buy a defined set of deliverables and responsibilities. If you cannot explain what is included in one minute, the proposal is not clear enough yet.