Most interior design websites will not answer this, which is why you are still searching. The honest answer is that it depends on scope, but the ranges are knowable and the things that move them are not mysterious.
Key takeaways
- The fee pays for drawings a contractor can build from and specifications a supplier can order against, not for taste.
- Scope moves the number more than anything else. One room, a full renovation and a new build are three different pieces of work.
- Starting before demolition costs less than starting after framing. A decision changed on paper costs nothing; the same decision changed on site is a change order.
- Ment scopes and quotes each project before it begins, after a call and a walkthrough, so there is no open-ended hourly commitment.
What you are paying for
A designer is not charging you for taste. The fee covers drawings a contractor can build from, specifications a supplier can order against, and the coordination that keeps those two in step. On a renovation that means layouts, elevations, millwork drawings, lighting and electrical positions and a finish schedule.
The cost of getting that wrong is usually larger than the fee. A kitchen island moved after the plumbing rough-in, or cabinetry ordered at the wrong depth, will cost more than the drawings that would have prevented it.
The three things that move the number
Scope
A single room reworked without construction is a different piece of work from a full home renovation, which is different again from a new build specified from the floor plans. Scope is the largest single factor.
How early you start
On a new build or a renovation, bringing a designer in before demolition is cheaper than bringing one in after framing. Decisions made on paper cost nothing to change. The same decision made on site becomes a change order.
How much procurement is involved
Design and specification is one scope. Sourcing, ordering, tracking and installing furniture is another. Some projects need both and some only need the first.
How Ment quotes
We scope each project and quote it before anything begins, so there is no open-ended hourly commitment. That scoping happens after a short call and a site walkthrough, because quoting a space nobody has stood in produces a number that changes later.
If you want a starting point for your own project, a colour consultation or a single room is a scoped piece of work in its own right, and a way to see how we run a project before committing to a full renovation.
Questions worth asking any designer
Ask what drawings you receive and whether a contractor can build from them. Ask who coordinates with the trades during construction. Ask what happens when a specified item is discontinued mid-project, because it will happen. The answers tell you more than a portfolio does.
