Find an Interior Designer near you
The average rating for Bark Interior Designers is 4.87, based on 1,396 reviews
5/5
based on 1,396 reviews
Want to give your home a new lease of life but unsure how much an interior designer costs? Here’s everything you need to know about how much an interior designer will charge based on how many rooms you have, their experience, your location and more.
Your home is your sanctuary from a hectic world, so it's important that it’s a comfortable and enjoyable place to spend your downtime. If you’re not sure how to make the most out of your living space, that's where an interior designer comes in.
An interior designer will be able to make your dream home a reality, by choosing the right decor, furniture and colour schemes - bringing them all together to create a stylish and cosy space. Your interior designer will have an eye for visual aesthetics and will be able to bring your home vision to life, no matter how big or small the space you’re working with is.
You might be wondering how much an interior designer charges for their services. The price varies depending on the professional’s experience and the scope of the project, but we’ve given a rough estimate below:
| Average cost (per hour) | $50 - $90 |
| Minimum cost (per hour) | $20 |
| Maximum cost (per hour) | $100+ |
The cost of an interior designer can vary depending on a range of factors:
Project size
Materials
Experience
Location
Part service vs. full service
The more rooms you want to renovate, the longer the project will take, and the bigger the spend. But it’s not all bad news if you’re looking to renovate every room in your home - interior design can add significantly more value to your home, so you’ll be thanking yourself for putting in the effort with an interior designer if you want to sell your property later down the line.
Materials come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s no surprise that they’re all priced differently.
Opting for high-quality, brand new materials will make the overall cost of the project much greater compared to if you were to source all of your materials from a second-hand store.
When it comes to hiring an interior designer, a bit of professional experience can go a long way. After all, you’re trusting your professional to completely transform your living space, so don’t scrimp when it comes to hiring someone who is experienced.
The best way to check this is by asking to see their portfolio of past projects. This will also help you to get a taste of whether you like their design approach.
Here’s a rough estimate of how much you’ll pay for an interior designer depending on their experience:
| Experience level | Average cost (per hour) |
| Junior - Medium level | $20 - $40 |
| Experienced | $50 - $90 |
| Highly senior | $100+ |
If you live in a major city like Melbourne or Sydney, expect to pay more to account for the higher cost of living.
Most interior designers offer the option between a part service and a full service.
A part service may include a proposed layout, but it will be the responsibility of the client to purchase and implement the materials.
Full service means that the designer will be involved in all aspects of the project’s life cycle, from design and planning to liaising with contractors and assisting with installation.
It should come as no surprise that a full service will cost more than a part service. It’s worth discussing your requirements with your professional from the outset to understand which service will work best for your budget and needs.
Consultation fees - Your professional will normally charge for a consultation at the beginning to find out what you’re looking for based on your budget and preferences.
Travel fees - Your expert will likely factor in travel fees into the overall cost, so it's best to hire someone local if you can.
Fixed fee - Not all interior designers charge by the hour. Some may charge a ‘fixed fee’ where they assess the scope of the project and provide a lump sum price at the beginning.
We’re all entitled to a beautiful home, regardless of costs! Here are three tried and tested ways to keep the cost of an interior designer down:
Revamp old furniture - your sofa or table might be looking a bit worse for wear but that doesn’t mean you have to spend lots of money replacing it with something brand new. Sometimes all it takes is a lick of paint on some wooden furniture or some new covers to spruce up your sofa. If you can’t visualise this, ask your interior designer for some style inspiration.
Shop smart - If you’re willing to shop around and do some digging, you can get some beautiful interior items in charity shops or websites selling second-hand items like Facebook marketplace.
Choose your colours wisely - While it may seem tempting to opt for vibrant, out-there colours, you could quickly tire of having them in your home every day and could end up spending more money on repainting in a few months time. If you want to stick with current colour trends, remember these go out of fashion pretty quickly too, so it's best going for a timeless, classic colour you won’t get bored of. You can always add a pop of colour in the form of cushions and throws which are much cheaper to replace!
Bring your home to life - find an Interior Designer on Bark.
The average rating for Bark Interior Designers is 4.87, based on 1,396 reviews
5/5
based on 1,396 reviews
