How to work with an interior designer when you don’t have a large budget

There is a common misconception that interior design only works with clients who have an unlimited budget and demand exclusively high-end designer pieces. While some interior designers work with clients who fit this description, plenty of designers work with a diverse range of clients, living in various types of homes, and with all levels of budgets.

All my clients share two traits: they want their homes to reflect their personality, and they see interior design as an investment. Whether it's a studio flat or a large country house, making wise use of their hard-earned budget is crucial to the project's success.

What types of projects are undertaken by interior designers?

Typically, my clients have some idea of what they want or prefer. However, they often lack the time, experience, or knowledge to effectively implement their ideas.

Clients may need help with either a specific room or an entire house design. They might want to refresh a room with new paint, wall coverings, and window treatments to match the existing furnishings, or they could be planning a full renovation involving new furniture, lighting, and custom joinery.

As a result, I price each job individually based on the project's scope and size.

What is a realist budget?

Whilst we all find discussing money awkward, the budget must be addressed during the initial conversation with the client, typically at the discovery call stage. This allows the designer, with their knowledge and experience, to assess whether the budget is realistic for the project's size and scale.

An unrealistic budget is destined to lead to disappointment, while any experienced designer is unlikely to agree to take on a project if a realistic budget hasn’t been set ahead of the project start.

There are typically two types of costs in a project:

1.      The Interior designers' time and the project management fees, covering the creative and project management time. This includes using their skills, experience, and market knowledge, plus sourcing and procurement of all the necessary items to create the final polish's finish, within the agreed budget.

2.      The client's budget for procuring items, such as paints, wallpaper, fabrics, flooring, lighting, furniture, and any allowances for tradespeople like electricians or plumbers.

To work out a realistic idea of what budget you might need, I suggest making a rough list of the things you think you need for your project, such as dining chairs and a table, and getting a rough figure for purchasing those items.  Do this for all the items to help build up an idea of what allowance you will need.

Getting the most from your budget

As naturally creative and resourceful people, interior designers are well-versed at using their skills, experience, and sometimes some jiggery-pokery magic to ensure that a project is delivered on time and within budget.

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• Deciding how to allocate the budget to ensure you get the most for your bucks.

• Offer creative solutions to keep costs down.

• Use their product and supplier knowledge to advise on cost-effective materials and products.

• Utilising their trades and suppliers’ relationships and discounts.

  
  

If you have a project in your mind, and wish to discuss how working with an interior designer could make your budget stretch further than you think, get in touch with Kate to set up your discovery call.