Interior designers charge in different ways and hand over different things at the end. Asking each one the same questions makes their offers comparable.
Quote sheetInterior design · Melbourne
Questions to ask each business, with a column for each of three quotes
Ask each business
Quote A
Quote B
Quote C
BusinessIts name, and who you spoke to.
01Have you designed rooms like mine?Ask to see photos of finished work close to what you have in mind.
02How do you charge?A set fee, by the hour, or a share of what is bought. Ask what the fee covers.
03Is there a charge for the first meeting?And whether it comes off the fee if you go ahead.
04What will I have at the end?Drawings, a mood board, samples or a list of what to buy.
05Who buys the furniture and finishes?If the designer does, ask whether any trade discount is passed on to you.
06Can I take the design to any business I choose?Ask whether the drawings and lists are yours to use once the fee is paid.
07How many rounds of changes does the fee include?And what a further round costs.
08When could you start, and when would the design be ready?Write down the dates they give.
Ask each business the same questions and write the answers side by side. Printed, the sheet fills one page, with a column for each of three quotes.From melbourneinteriors.com.au, a concept page.
What changes the fee
One room styled with new furniture is a different job from a whole home with new joinery and finishes. Tell each designer the same rooms and the same aim, so their fees describe the same work.
A designer who also sources and orders the furniture is doing more than one who hands over a plan. Ask each one where their job ends.
Before the first meeting
Gather photos of rooms you like and rooms you don't, and note what you are keeping: a sofa, a rug, a piece of art.
Have a rough spending range in mind for the whole job. Sharing it early lets a designer plan to it.
Shows whether a business's ABN is active or cancelled, its business type and its GST status, and the Register says the public can use it to check a business before buying.