Interior design proposal template

What's in the template.

Every section below exists to answer a question your client is silently asking. Use the example copy as a starting point and replace the specifics.

1. 1

   The brief, as we understood it

   Reflect back how they want the space to work and feel, including the constraints. Getting the constraints right proves you were listening.

   “A ground floor that works for two adults working from home and a four-year-old who currently owns the living room. You want the space to feel calm and warm rather than minimal, you'd like to keep your grandmother's dresser, and the budget for furnishings is firm at $60,000. The kitchen island stays where it is — you've decided against moving plumbing, and I agree it isn't worth the money here.”

2. 2

   Scope, room by room

   List each room and its treatment level. Room-level scope prevents the slow drift where a hallway joins the project for free.

   “Full design: living room, dining area, main bedroom. Furnishing and styling only: study, child's bedroom. Excluded from this proposal: bathrooms, kitchen joinery, and the garden — quotable separately once the ground floor is resolved. Structural work, electrical, and plumbing are outside our scope; we coordinate the trades, we don't carry the trade licences.”

3. 3

   Phases and approval gates

   Interior projects run for months; phases with sign-off points protect both sides from expensive late-stage reversals.

   “Phase 1 — concept: mood direction, spatial plans, two schemes for the living room (3 weeks). Gate: you choose a direction. Phase 2 — detailed design: full FF&E schedule, elevations, finishes and fabric samples in hand (4 weeks). Gate: you approve the schedule and budget before anything is ordered. Phase 3 — procurement and delivery: ordering, tracking, trade coordination, install day, styling (8–14 weeks, driven by lead times).”

4. 4

   Procurement: who orders and who pays

   The section that prevents the worst disputes. State how goods are bought, whose money it is, and how trade discounts are handled.

   “Furnishings are purchased in your name from your budget — we place orders on your behalf and you pay suppliers directly, so you hold the warranties and there's no markup hidden in the furniture. Our trade discounts are passed to you in full. A 2% procurement coordination fee on the furnishings budget covers order placement, tracking, and chasing delays.”

5. 5

   Lead times, site conditions, and the honest caveats

   Name what you can't control before it happens. A designer who predicted the delay reads as competent; one who didn't reads as the cause.

   “Upholstery currently runs 10–16 weeks and imported stone 12–20. We build the schedule around real quoted lead times and update you monthly, but we can't guarantee a supplier's factory. If something is discontinued mid-project, we'll present two alternatives within a week at the same budget level. Site surprises behind old plaster are the one thing no plan survives; we'll flag cost implications before any work continues.”

6. 6

   Fee structure

   Offer one clear fee model with the alternative named, and keep your fee visibly separate from the furnishings budget.

   “Design fee: $18,000 flat for the scope above, invoiced 40% on signature, 35% at Phase 2 approval, 25% at install. Plus 2% procurement coordination on the furnishings budget (approx. $1,200 on $60,000). Alternative for a smaller commitment: concept phase only, $5,500, with the balance quoted after you've seen the direction. Site visits beyond the eight included are $350 each.”

7. 7

   Next step + signature

   Tie signing to the first tangible thing: the site measure and the concept work starting.

   “Sign below and we'll book the measure-up and photography visit this week — concept presentation follows three weeks later, and no supplier is contacted before you've chosen a direction.”