Six Ways Interior Designers Can Share Pricing With Potential Clients (BEFORE Writing the Contract!)

May 26

Written September 2023 | Updated January 2025

Discover why transparent pricing in interior design is crucial for successful projects. Learn how interior designers can educate potential clients about project costs in their marketing, on their website, in their pricing guide.

When it comes to interior design projects, transparency in pricing is key to establishing trust and ensuring a successful collaboration between you and your clients. When I say transparency, I don’t mean you should pass along your trade pricing, disclose proprietary to-the-trade vendor information, or explain how you came to your (or your team’s) hourly rate.

Yeah, no. ← and if a potential client requests this information from you … RUN.

Or if a “business coach” puts out a blanket statement that it’s illegal to charge markup … RUN.

What I’m saying is that potential clients should have an idea of what it will cost them to have you design their space so they can enter into their project with you having a sense of comfort (not fear) knowing you’ll design a space they can actually AFFORD. Nothing worse than someone spending $10,000 on design fees only to get to design presentation and realize that dreamy $100,000 living room is just completely outside of their budget, therefore, they spent $10,000 for an expensive idea, with nothing more to show for it.

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As the expert in interior design, it’s your job to proactively educate potential clients about the investment involved in working with you to save everyone time, frustration, and mismatched expectations. And it often is just that — an education. If your client has never worked with a designer before — which is often the case — they may have no idea how your services are compensated.

So if the design contract is the first time your clients are seeing pricing from you (or worse, they only find out what the cost will be at the design presentation!), read on to learn six ways you can educate your potential clients about project costs BEFORE the whole thing comes to a screeching halt leaving you feeling awkward and your client thinking you pulled a “bait and switch” on them.

01 | YOUR MARKETING

Your marketing and online presence play a crucial role in conveying the expected investment that aligns with your services. Just like how people understand that a skirt from a high-end designer boutique will be much more expensive than one from a Target store, it's important that your marketing effectively establishes the right financial expectations.

To make a favorable first impression and attract the right clients, make sure your branding, portfolio, marketing, and website copy align with and appeal to your ideal audience. This means showcasing professionally photographed projects and sharing high-quality content that is well-written, relevant, and speaks to the needs of your ideal clients.

02 | YOUR WEBSITE

The age-old question in just about every industry: should I share pricing on my website? And then, but what if that scares people off and they don’t even bother to make an inquiry? OR, what if my competitors find out?

Guess what: Pricing is marketing.

So if you have a high-quality professional portfolio but don't share pricing on your website, people may very likely assume you’re too expensive. This could backfire because potential clients may think, “Can’t afford them, and it will be too awkward to ask,” then simply not reach out.

Conversely, if you don’t have a high-quality professional portfolio and you don’t share pricing, guess what? People will most likely assume you are cheap, and that could turn away potential clients who may be a very good fit. Your ideal client is not seeking a bargain basement designer (unless that is your niche).

If your actual pricing model scares people away, then guess what, those weren’t your people because your fees are your fees!

And, if your competitors “find out”, BIG WHOOP! They clearly have extra time on their hands to spend scouring your website for your intellectual property. Just keep staying one step ahead of them, otherwise, they won’t know how to make their next move. Ha.

Here are some places to share your pricing:

On your services page - provide starting ranges for design fees or project minimums.
On your FAQ page - answer common questions about how you price your products, how you bill design fees (are you hourly, or do you bill flat fee), what your project minimums are, etc.
On your contact form - when you ask for their budget, you can provide a range of budget options they can choose from, all of which align with your minimum fee structure and preferred project type.

03 | YOUR INVESTMENT GUIDE

Create a comprehensive investment guide that outlines the various factors influencing project costs. This guide should include a breakdown of different design elements, levels of product and material quality, labor expenses, and any additional services provided. By providing this information early on to inquiries who are a good fit, prospects can better understand the cost of working with you and make an informed decision.

Don’t make the mistake we see most often, and neglect to include any pricing information or minimums in your investment guide. Yes, we’ve seen this often.

Sigh.

PS: Check out our Client Process Guides here. Professionally written for an elevated client experience process from initial inquiry all the way through final offboarding. Reverse engineer your whole process. For Full Service Interior Designers or designers who offer Design Day services.

04 | DURING THE DISCOVERY CALL

The discovery call is a great opportunity to dig into the budgetary information shared on your contact form (make sure your contact form isn’t making any of these mistakes). Be armed with pricing ranges specific to their project, such as ranges for furnishings, kitchen or bath renovation costs, total costs of rooms featured in your portfolio, cost add-ons such as shipping/handling/receiving, etc.

Having this information at your fingertips to share during a discovery call means you have kept good accounting records of past projects, and know them well. ← And bonus: clients like to know that the person they are hiring has a handle on their financials.

Cut to the chase by providing this information upfront during the call. It makes zero sense to invest time and resources into a potential client who is hoping to spend $500 on your services when your minimum is $10,000 (find out more ways to make your discovery calls more productive).

⁠⁠I had a client who was doing a discovery call, a consultation, and an entire team meeting with a potential client BEFORE EVER SHARING PRICING. 😱⁠

The designer had meetings with this potential client that spanned over a few weeks and required several hours, and the potential client still had no idea if they could afford this designer. ⁠Not to mention the fact that this designer was putting tons of resources into the inquiry phase before even properly screening the prospect.

OUCH. It just makes NO sense to not be transparent about pricing, for the benefit of your client and yourself!

Here are some tips on how to nail those sales calls.

05 | DURING THE CONSULTATION

During the initial consultation, discuss realistic budget estimates based on the client's requirements and preferences. Educate them about the factors that influence project costs and offer a ballpark figure or share “good, better, best” numbers to help set their expectations. When clients understand the financial commitment involved, everyone avoids potential disappointment or confusion later in the process.

This can be a challenging conversation to have, but don’t be apologetic. Be approachable and conversational, talk about problems being solved. Talk about how you will guide them through the complexities to arrive at a result they will love. And talk about investment, not cost.

Read the Complete Guide to Structuring an Interior Design Consultation here.

06 | THE SCOPE OF WORK & DESIGN CONTRACT

Then, following your inquiry and consultation phase, by the time the client sees your scope of work and contract for services — that includes your fee, estimated project budget, etc. — that client will have already been exposed to your fee multiple times. It won’t come as a surprise to learn that the project will be $50,000 in design fees and $500,000 in product sales (or whatever).

All monetary details of your project arrangement should be included in the contract, including minimums on furnishings purchases, estimated amount of hours if you bill hourly, billing dates, terms for payment, etc. And you can reiterate details in the body of the email you use to send the contract over. This way, again, clients have ample opportunities to start the project on the right foot, armed with all the details about how much the project will cost them when it’s all said and done. And remember, each time you discuss pricing and project budgets with them, those “big numbers” become less scary.

Check out our Scope & Service Agreement here. Designers LOVE the sample scopes we provide for full service furnishing projects and new build projects. Woop woop.

As you are well aware (but worth repeating), providing residential interior design services is very much about relationship building. The client has sought you out because they need your expertise. But the design of a home is very personal, so they will be very open to the input you provide. Make sure there is open, honest communication throughout the process. Clients will place great VALUE on that. It is what will prompt great testimonials that you can post on your website (to attract even more great-fit clients).

Many designers tell me that the client relationships — the process of working closely with each client to exceed their vision — is the most fulfilling aspect of their job. When you are continually providing top-notch experiences for your clients, fees will no longer be an uncomfortable topic that you want to avoid.

So, get comfortable sharing your pricing on your website and in your investment guide, and feel at ease discussing it with potential clients (because you KNOW what an awesome client experience you provide, and how pleased they will be with the final design outcome!).