The first step when planning an interior decorating project is both the most challenging and the most important: preparing a realistic project budget.
Ahh…. Budget, the dreaded B word. Whether you’re furnishing one room or an entire house, having a realistic budget will give you clarity to what is possible and will also guide the project’s style, and level of quality.
Having a budget of $20,000 versus $150,000, will yield a very different process and result.
Homeowners often have a beautiful vision in their heads but aren’t quite sure how to translate it into a budget number. You may be thinking, “I know what I want, but have no idea what it will cost!”
As an interior designer and decorator, a large part of my role is helping clients understand the cost of various elements in a design project, especially when it comes to decorating their homes. Once a budget is identified, my job is to work within that budget to design a functional and beautiful space.
Budget usually comes as a shock to people, as most of us shop for furniture, art or accessories over the course of a few years or more. We invest in a sofa, then a few months later buy a coffee table or a rug, then a dining table and bar stools for the kitchen.
When you work with a designer, you get all of those products at once, so they add up quickly. However, the bonus of working with a designer is that we can visualise the entire space for you. We work out which pieces you need, without you running around every weekend for months on end trying to find the items on your own.
Estimating a furniture budget
One way to understand the cost of decorating your home is to start with one space, for example a living room. Write down an estimate of the cost to purchase all new items as if you were designing that room from scratch. Include the following items in your price estimate:
- Rugs
- Sofa(s)
- Occasional chair(s)
- Coffee table
- Coffee table accessories
- Side tables
- Side table accessories
- Console table
- Console table accessories
- Ottoman
- Cushions
- Throw blankets
- Mirror
- Artwork
- Lamps (floor and table)
Additionally, it’s important to consider the cost of delivery and installation of all those items.
This exercise helps to illustrate the cumulative cost (sometimes surprising!) when you consider each and every item needed. This can help to establish realistic budget ranges to decorate a whole room.
A few additional questions to ask yourself while contemplating your budget are:
- Is there anything you’d like to keep, or is everything being replaced?
- Is this a forever home, or are you planning to move in a few years?
- What type of materials are appropriate for your lifestyle? Family-friendly with high durability? Organic and natural fibers? High-end, luxury materials that feel and look opulent?
- Do you have cost limits for specific pieces, or just an overall budget?
What design budget do I need to furnish a room?
After many years of working in the design industry, I’ve been able to establish some budgetary starting points for design projects.
As an example, for a living room, I recommend you allocate an entry level budget of $20k, $35k for mid-range, and over $50k for a high-end look, not including design fees.
For an entire home, this often breaks out to roughly to an entry level budget of $20k per room depending on your needs, goals, and style.
Whether your interior decorating project cap is $20,000 or $200,000 nailing down a number right from the start is key to ensuring a successful project that aligns with your expectations.
Whether you want to furnish one room or your entire home, I can help you establish a budget you are comfortable with, that aligns with your goals so you can move forward confidently with your design project.
I hope this has helped clear some things up regarding the question of how much it costs to furnish a room.
As a designer, I spend the same amount of time working on your project, no matter what your budget is, as the design process is the same. By telling me what your interior design budget is, you simply allow me to work out which suppliers and brands of furniture I can recommend for your home.
You don’t have to have a huge budget to work with me, but you do need to have a budget.
If you want more information on my design fees and how they work, I’d love to hear from you.
