Natwerk Designs

What hourly rate do you pay (or charge) for interior decorating?

An interior decorator in the Baltimore/Washington area wants to charge me $100 an hour, and I'm trying to figure out if that's a fair price. She has a degree in interior design, but is in another (but related) line of work: sales office in a model home (where she helps people pick out cabinet and granite selections). She's done some decorating for people for free over the years to keep in practice, and is only now getting back into the field. She does have good taste and I believe a talent for this. Anyway, if you've used an interior decorator in the past: *How much did you pay? *When was this? *Where do you live? If you're an interior designer: How much do you charge hourly? How much experience do you have? Where are you located?

Public Comments

1. Typically people charge around $50-$100 on the low end and $300-$500 on the high end, all depending on their portfolio. I do merchandising/design at a home furnishings retail chain and in the line of work, I probably do about 15-20 customers a month, without ever having to step foot in their homes. And that's for free. I charge really really cheap at only $20 an hour because I'm still trying to build a portfolio, and I'm out here in Orange County, CA if that helps any. People here have no idea what they're doing, and it's worse if they watch a lot of HGTV and TLC / home makeover shows -- they're just confused babbling housewives at that point.
2. I am a degreed interior designer in the Southeast. I've been in the business for 30+ years. I charge $65 per hour and work out of a studio in my home. I charge for all the time spent with my client, and for time I spend developing the concept and executing the plan, like meetings with workrooms, drafting renovations, drawing window treatments, or shopping my resources. On merchandise where I get a trade discount, I give my clients half the discount. Example: Fabric at $50/yd retail, my cost is $25/yd, I give my client 25% discount off retail for a price of $37.50/yd. You could contact the local A.S.I.D. chapter and interview a few designers over the phone and get an idea of the going rate in your area. http://www.asid.org/asidforconsumers.htm