How To Charge & NOT Work For Free

I’m just going to come right out and say it:

Charging a flat fee for interior design services doesn’t work. 

As someone who’s worked on hundreds of design projects, offered a variety of services over the years, I’m giving you the pricing strategy I use to get paid for all my time on a design project.

Let me know if this sounds familiar: 

You estimate the time it will take you to complete a project, believing that you’ve carefully considered every aspect of what work is required to take the job to the finish line. 

The client agrees to your flat fee, you sign the contract, issue the invoice, collect payment, and commence the project.

Brilliant. You are organized and in control! 

The design plans are approved, you’ve started purchasing products, and the trades are on site. 

Once the project starts…

How long are you into an interior design project until you realize that very little is actually in your control?

There are so many unknown variables that inevitably arise with renovation projects such as:

• ‘Minor’ revisions
• Multiple emails and site visits you never anticipated
• Management of damaged materials
• Unexpected surprises
• Client questions and need for constant reassurance

There are countless elements you never saw coming.

Before you know it, you are playing a reactive role, responding to one delightful mishap after another, and by the time you get a moment to breathe, you realize you are basically working for pennies.

The easiest and most efficient way to eliminate this chaos from your life is to introduce a Hybrid model. 

This is where you charge a flat fee for your design plans (elements you can control and accurately estimate time required) and bill hourly for a service like ‘Designer by your side’ for the implementation phase.

You manage client expectations up front with ‘starting from’ fees for a specific amount of initial hours, dependent on the scope of work and how much of an active role the clients wish for you to play.

Be firm and fair with how you bill for your time. 

With every minute spent on the project, you are getting your clients closer to the finish line with confidence and assurance. 

You are guiding them with clarity to minimize mistakes, and helping them make the smartest design decisions possible.

Don’t underestimate billable hours!

My Stress-Free Invoicing Guide clearly lists 9 types of billable hours you may not be charging clients for, and includes examples of real client invoices we’ve issued for renovation projects.  

The graphic below shows an example of the estimated number of emails for a small condo project we worked on a few years ago. 

Or let’s say you bill $225 per hour. Before you hit send on your invoices, you ‘feel like the bill may be too much’ and deduct 2 hours each week from the actual time spent on projects.  

This equates to approximately:

$450/week

$2,000/month

$24,000/year

Get clear on how you bill and accurately track your time, even when you do bill a flat fee. 

Tedious, yes, but it’s a must if you want to stop working for free.

All of these hours on what may seem like simple tasks are necessary to push the project forward, and THEY ADD UP!

This is all part of you managing the project, and to do so successfully, you must manage your client’s expectations.

Build trust

This is why I always encourage you to review your interior design proposals and interior design contracts in person.

Opportunities to openly discuss all the work you do behind the scenes, and show them what a huge benefit it is to have you by their side. 

Being up front about the way you bill means there are no surprises for your client once the project is underway.

Comment below to share how you bill, either a flat fee, hourly, or a hybrid model.

Need more clarity on how best to structure your design service and fees so your business is truly profitable?

Here are 3 ways I can help:

1. Instantly download my Services & Rates Guide here. It’s free!
2. Edit my Welcome Pack template and review it with clients at the initial consultation.
3. Hire me for a 1-on-1 Coaching call to ‘Pick my brain’ and get answers in real time from someone you trust.