While it’s common knowledge that interior design projects cost money, many homeowners don’t give their interior design budget the attention it deserves. Interior design projects that lack a clear budget can frustrate interior designers, who don’t know how much their clients are willing to spend. This lack of financial planning can also aggravate homeowners, who are continually surprised by unexpected interior design costs.

Interior Design Costs

Home interior design projects come with widely different costs. For example, a project focused on displaying fine artwork will have very different interior design costs from an interior design project requiring a house full of new furniture.

The first step in devising a home interior design budget is to take a long look at the nature of the project. Do you need help organizing and planning a room, or are you looking at knocking out a wall and buying new artwork? Can you pay for interior design costs out of pocket, or will you need a home improvement loan?

Paying Interior Designers

Interior designer fees must be factored into your budget. An interior designer’s fees can vary considerably, depending on your location, the designer’s reputation and other factors.

If your interior design budget is tight, and you’re comfortable doing most of the work yourself, consider hiring an interior designer who works by the hour. Use your time with the interior designer to get ideas, sketches and color suggestions, and then do the work yourself.

Additional Interior Design Costs

Unexpected expenses are common to home improvement projects, and interior design projects are no exception. Unexpected interior design costs come in many different forms. You may discover that there are extra shipping costs on that perfect sofa. The exact paint color you need to match your drapes may be hard to find, and therefore more expensive.

In a worst case scenario, removal of a wall or ceiling may reveal problems that need to be addressed immediately. This can seriously increase the expense of a home interior design project.

Take unanticipated interior design costs into account when you create your project budget. Once you have your interior design budget worked out, add at least 5 percent for unexpected costs. If your project involves knocking out or modifying walls, floors or ceilings, you may want to increase your unexpected costs to buffer as much as 20 percent of your budget.

Discuss Your Budget with Your Interior Designers

Before starting any interior design projects, homeowners should talk with their interior designers about these project costs. Interior designers have much more experience budgeting home interior design projects than you. These professionals can offer valuable advice on item costs, contractor fees, and other elements of home interior design budgeting.