Interior designer fees: how they charge

• A percentage of the interiors cost. Usual for design plus site supervision.
• Per sq ft of carpet area. Common for design only, or design with supervision at a higher rate.
• A flat fee. Common for design only on a 2BHK or 3BHK.
• Bundled. Design-and-build companies fold the fee into the price of the work.

Where an architect does the interiors, the Council of Architecture's scale lists interior architecture at a minimum of 7.5% of the cost of works. Most interior designers quote on their own terms.

City matters. One 2026 survey puts basic design fees at about ₹100–150 per sq ft in Mumbai and ₹50–90 in tier-2 cities. Some designers charge by the hour for advice, from about ₹500 to ₹5,000 or more.

With design only, you pay the designer for drawings and then hire carpenters, electricians and painters yourself, or through the designer. You see every vendor's price. You also carry the coordination.

With design and build, one company designs and delivers. There is often no separate design fee, but the margin sits in the price of the kitchen, wardrobes and other work. Our rate table puts turnkey work about 15% above a designer plus contractor, and a local carpenter about 20% below, as an estimate.

Take a 3BHK with 1,200 sq ft of carpet area and an interiors budget of ₹15 lakh.

At a typical 10%, the fee is ₹1,50,000. GST at 18% adds ₹27,000, so you pay ₹1,77,000. Design and supervision cost more than design only because someone is on site checking the work.

• Measured layout and furniture plan.
• 3D views: how many rooms and how many rounds of changes.
• Electrical, lighting and false ceiling drawings.
• Working drawings for the kitchen, wardrobes and other joinery.
• A BOQ with materials and brands named, such as the board grade and hardware.
• Vendor quotes and comparison, if they help you hire.
• Number of site visits and who checks the work between them.
• Snag list and handover.

Pay the design fee against finished work: for example, a part on signing, a part on approved layouts and 3D, and the rest on working drawings. Supervision fees are often paid monthly or with each stage on site.

For design-and-build contracts, a common pattern is 30–40% upfront, about 30% midway, about 20% near completion and about 10% at handover. Try to hold back the last 5–10% until snags are fixed.

An interior designer for the design and, if you want it, supervision. A contractor or carpenters to build it if the designer doesn't. A lighting designer helps on larger or more ambitious homes. Ask to see a finished project of similar size and budget.