An interior designer is paid in two ways at once: for their expertise, in design fees, and for the furniture and finishes they source, usually at trade prices with a procurement fee. Clients need to see both clearly, because the furnishings are often the largest part of the bill. This Interior Design Invoice Template separates them into two tables, adds a palette of the project’s colors, and carries a small architect’s floor plan at the top, the kind of drawing that begins every design project.
Designers, Decorators and Home Stylists
It suits interior designers, decorators, home stylists, kitchen and bath designers, home staging companies and architects who offer interiors. The sample shows Studio Mare Interiors in Edinburgh invoicing a couple for the living and dining phase of their home: concept and mood boards, space planning, a lighting plan and site visits, plus a bouncily sofa, an oak dining table, six cane chairs, made-to-measure linen curtains and two clay-glazed pendant lights.
A Floor Plan, Drawn to Look Hand-Made
The top-right corner holds a small floor plan in dark charcoal lines: outer walls, an interior wall dividing the living area from a second room, a window shown as a double line, and door swings drawn as quarter circles. Furniture is shown from above in soft tones: a sage sofa, a clay-colored round table with four chairs, a warm wood sideboard, and a pale sage rug. On the left, Interior Design is set in Lock with Invoice in clay beneath, followed by the studio name, address, phone, email, and VAT number. Four round chips, labeled Clay, Sage, Oak, and Linen, record the project’s palette.
The client block sits beside the invoice number, date, project phase, and due date. Two tables follow: design services with hours and the hourly rate, and furnishings procured with supplier, quantity, price, and amount. Below them, an Orders & lead times note sits beside a detailed totals table. At the foot of the page, a dimension line marked 4.20 m sits above a charcoal band, echoing the plan at the top.
Three Common Ways Designers Charge
Clients often ask how design fees work. These are the three most common models, and this template can be adapted to each:
| Fee Model | How It Works | On This Invoice |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly | Design time billed at an hourly rate | Design services table with hours |
| Flat project fee | A fixed fee per room or phase, paid in stages | One line per stage in the design table |
| Cost-plus | Furnishings at trade price plus a percentage | Procurement & handling line |
The sample combines hourly design fees with a 12% procurement fee on furnishings.
How the Sample Total Is Built
Twenty-one hours of design work at £85 come to £1,785.00, and the furnishings to £6,500.00. The 12% procurement and handling fee adds £780.00 for ordering, tracking, receiving, and inspecting everything. VAT at 20% adds £1,813.00, making a total of £10,878.00. A £3,000 deposit has been received, leaving a balance of £7,878.00.
Showing Suppliers or Not
Some designers show the supplier for each piece, as the sample does, so clients can reorder or claim warranties later. Others keep suppliers private and list items by description only. Either approach works; delete the Supplier column if you prefer not to share your sources. Always keep your own record of trade prices and order numbers.
Editing Both Tables and the Palette
The two item lists and the totals are editor tables. Double-click them or use Edit Table Data, adding lines with + Add Row and removing them with – Remove Last. Because the cells contain typed text, recalculate each amount, the procurement fee, the VAT, and the balance whenever you change a line. The palette chips are simple circles: change their colors and the names beside them to match each project.
Adapting the Floor Plan
The plan is a single group of lines and shapes. You can recolor it, resize it, or group it to move a wall or a piece of furniture so it looks closer to your client’s space. For a kitchen project, replace the sofa and table with a run of cabinets and an island drawn from rectangles.
A4 for UK and European Clients
The page is A4, standard for clients in the UK and Europe. Send it as a PDF with the mood board or final render attached. If you print it for a presentation folder, use a warm white or natural paper of around 120 gm to suit the sand-colored background.
Lead Times, Deposits and Orders
Furniture lead times can run to months, and delays are the most common source of client frustration. The note on the invoice explains that orders are placed once the invoice is paid and gives the expected lead times. Many designers require full payment for furnishings before ordering, because custom pieces cannot be returned.
Receiving, Inspecting and Installing
Much of what the procurement fee pays for happens out of sight: tracking deliveries, receiving pieces at a warehouse, inspecting them for damage, and arranging installation. When damage is found, the designer handles the claim with the supplier. Mention these services in your contract, and consider adding an Installation day line to the design services table so the client sees the styling work that brings the room together.
Change Orders and Scope Creep
Design projects grow: a living room becomes a living room and hallway, a sofa becomes a sofa and two armchairs. Record every addition as a change, with its own lines in the design services or furnishings table, and confirm the extra fees in writing before ordering. Clients rarely object to paying for more when each change was agreed and appears clearly on the invoice.
Interior Design Invoice FAQs
Can I use this template in dollars?
Yes. Change the currency signs in the headings and totals, and replace VAT with sales tax where it applies.
Should I show trade prices to clients?
That depends on your contract. The sample shows the client’s price and a separate procurement fee.
Can I invoice one room at a time?
Yes. Change the Phase field and list only that room’s services and furnishings.
