Dear Dakota: How Do I Figure Out my Flat Fee Pricing as a Brand New Interior Designer?

Sep 19

©️ Dakota Design Company 2017-2025 | All rights reserved. This content may not be reproduced, distributed, or used without permission.

How to price your interior design services is probably the NUMBER ONE question we get from interior designers. Now, I get that pricing can feel hard to do, but this particular question has a very (in my opinion) specific answer because of the circumstances. That circumstance being that this sweet designer is brand new. Here’s what they shared:

“I am struggling figuring out how much to charge using a flat fee. I am not sure how many hours to assume a service will take when creating a fee.”

I recorded my response to this designer in the video below, and I’m sharing a few tips for figuring out how to determine what to charge and how to charge as a new designer. I also reference my Pricing & Proposals Workshop, where I walk you through pricing and per-room fees across the United States based on my work with hundreds of interior designers since 2017.

One other thing to note here, in addition to my video response, is that if you’re basing your flat fee on how many hours it takes to complete something, you’re billing hourly, so may as well just implement hourly billing so you get paid for each hour you work.

So, if you’re brand new, don’t rush into flat fees. You simply don’t have the data yet to know how many hours projects take, and that’s where designers get into trouble. Instead, bill hourly, give clients an estimated block of hours to start, and track your time carefully. This will build the data you need to eventually create profitable flat fees.

Remember: hourly billing when you first start is not a weakness. It’s a smart business move that keeps you in it for the long haul!

And if you need to figure out hourly rates, retainers to collect (and when), and more, check out our Pricing & Proposals Workshop for interior designers.

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Pricing & Proposals Workshop for Interior Designers

$250.00

Confident Pricing. Clear Minimums. Higher Profit Margins.

Tired of wondering if you’re charging enough or too much? Ready to set minimums that protect your time and establish pricing that reflects your expertise (and allows you to stand firm when a client pushes back)? Spending days or weeks writing custom proposals that never convert?

Enter: The Pricing & Proposals Workshop.

In this on-demand workshop, you’ll learn exactly how to price your interior design services with confidence, set project minimums that make sense, and stop feeling anxious every time you share pricing with a client.

★★★★★ Reviews

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Katie McFarlan https://www.dakotadesigncompany.com

Dear Dakota: How Do I Figure Out my Flat Fee Pricing as a Brand New Interior Designer?

©️ Dakota Design Company 2017-2025 | All rights reserved. This content may not be reproduced, distributed, or used without permission.

“I am struggling figuring out how much to charge using a flat fee. I am not sure how many hours to assume a service will take when creating a fee.”

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