“How much does an interior designer cost?” is one of those questions everyone wants answered before they’ll even pick up the phone, and most design firms respond with some version of “it depends,” which is technically true but not exactly useful if you’re trying to plan a budget. Lisa Miller would rather you know the real numbers upfront: her hourly rate, what a typical project runs, and which of her service tiers costs the least to get started.
That transparency is deliberate. After thirty years watching construction budgets balloon from vague estimates, Lisa prices her own design work the way she’d want a contractor to price her kitchen: clear rates, clear minimums, and nothing buried until the second meeting.
How Interior Designers Typically Charge
Most interior designers bill one of three ways: a flat hourly rate, a flat fee for the whole project, or a percentage of what you spend on furnishings and construction. Each has real tradeoffs, and knowing which model you’re being quoted matters almost as much as the number itself.
Hourly Rates
An hourly rate gives you the clearest line between time spent and dollars charged, but it can feel unpredictable if a project drags on.
Flat Project Fees
A flat project fee protects you from that unpredictability, at the cost of the designer needing to estimate hours upfront and build in a cushion for the unknown.
Percentage-of-Budget Models
A percentage-of-budget model ties the designer’s fee to how much you spend, which can quietly reward recommending more expensive furniture than you actually need.
What It Actually Costs to Work With Lisa Marie Design Co.
Lisa bills hourly, at $150 an hour, and tells you the estimated hours before your project starts rather than after.
Full-Service Design Fees
Full-service design fees begin at $4,500, which covers a Phase 1 retainer of $750 (5 hours minimum), then $1,500 deposits for Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4 (10 hours minimum each). Furnishing budgets for full-service clients typically start at $15,000, and renovation or new-construction budgets typically start at $50,000, though both scale with the size of your home.
Designer for a Day
Designer for a Day is a flat $3,000 for homeowners who want professional direction on a single space without a multi-phase engagement. Lisa spends up to two hours in your home, then builds a full furniture and finish plan back at the studio, delivered by email with a follow-up call to walk through it.
Consultation Hours
Consultation Hours run $1,500 for a 10-hour block, useful for smaller decisions like paint colors, tile, or a shopping trip you’d rather not do alone. A $100 travel fee applies outside the regular Sarasota and Manatee County service area.
Getting Started for $200 or Less
Before any of that, there’s a complimentary 15-minute phone call to talk through your project and confirm it’s a fit. If you want to go further without committing to a phase, a $200 in-home consultation gets Lisa into your space for an hour, and that fee applies toward design fees if you decide to move forward afterward.
Book Your Free 15-Minute Call →
What Actually Moves the Number
Two factors move the final number more than anything else, and neither is really about the design fee itself.
New Construction and Renovation Timelines
New construction and whole-home renovations run higher than a single-room refresh, mostly because Phase 3 (Construction Period) stretches out with the build itself, sometimes for the better part of a year, and billing shifts to installments as the work continues.
Existing Conditions in Older Homes
Older homes add their own cost, separate from the design rate. A house with a few additions over the decades, or one nobody’s touched since the original build, usually needs a longer Phase 2 (Design Documentation) to sort out what’s actually behind the walls before anything gets finalized. That extra documentation time is exactly where Lisa’s construction background earns its keep, since she’s reading the same conditions a contractor would flag on a walkthrough.
Your Furniture Budget
Your furniture ambitions matter just as much as the design fees. A sofa alone can run anywhere from $3,500 to $10,000 depending on quality and custom options, and that’s before rugs, lighting, and window treatments. Clients who want to mix in custom or vintage pieces should expect the furnishing budget to land toward the higher end of the range.
Interior Design Cost Questions We Hear Often
How much does an interior designer cost?
Design fees run $150 an hour, with full-service projects beginning at $4,500. If a full engagement isn’t the right fit yet, Designer for a Day is $3,000 flat, Consultation Hours are $1,500 for 10 hours, and a single in-home consultation is $200.
What’s the cheapest way to get professional design help?
The $200 in-home consultation and the complimentary 15-minute phone call are the two lowest-cost ways to get Lisa’s professional opinion in your space. Both are useful if you’re still deciding whether a bigger project makes sense.
Does the consultation fee cover furniture too?
No. The consultation fee covers Lisa’s time and expertise, not furniture or materials. Anything you spend on furnishing or construction is separate, and estimated ranges are provided in your proposal before you commit.
Is the $200 consultation fee refundable?
Not refundable, but it isn’t wasted either. If you move forward with any phase of design work afterward, the $200 gets applied toward those design fees.
How much should I budget for furniture on top of design fees?
Furnishing budgets for full-service clients typically start at $15,000, and renovation or build budgets typically start at $50,000. Both figures scale with your home’s size and how much you’re sourcing new versus incorporating what you already own.
Are there any hidden fees beyond the design rate?
Shipping and white glove delivery are the main one, running 15 to 20 percent of your furniture budget on top of the piece prices themselves. That covers your vendors’ receiving warehouse inspecting, storing, and prepping everything for a coordinated delivery day instead of a dozen boxes showing up loose over several weeks. Design fees and furnishing budgets are quoted separately in every proposal, so this cost is never a surprise buried in a final invoice.
Now that you know how much an interior designer actually costs, the next step is a fifteen-minute conversation, not a commitment.
