The problem with small interior design jobs.

Can you make money on small projects? I’ll share what I see in working with thousands of designers because I know that this is a touchy subject for many designers.

But the short answer for me is ultimately: no. You don’t make money on small interior design jobs. The amount of time that interior design takes does not lend itself well to small projects with small budgets.

People with small budgets generally don’t want to spend (much) money on a professional to help them create a space. You have a $5000 budget for a room, they’re not going to want to spend another $5000 paying you to create that room - even though it may take you 50+ hours to complete that room for them. So who ends up eating that? - the designer.

Quite some time ago, Jenny Komenda of Juniper Studio had a fascinating conversation on Instagram. I love following Jenny for her take on the business of interior design and sharing her honest experiences in the industry.

Jenny started as a design blogger and gained a huge following sharing her brilliant DIYs - which is a distinct audience. As she grew, her business evolved and changed. She began doing client work and ultimately left client work. Her Instagram discussion on making money in home design caught my eye and also how upset many became at hearing that she didn’t think you could make money doing small jobs. (Check out her Instagram highlight BIZ BTS {BIZ BTS 2 & BIZ BTS 3 are also great} for the conversation Jenny had with her followers. It really dives into this topic about halfway through the highlight.)

I have also encountered this myself, the comments in this article especially come to mind (and it seems that the offended commenter’s business is no longer active.)

Small projects are at odds with interior designers - because small projects have such a limited budget that the whole goal is to save and use each penny to its fullest - which lands on the designer to create this miracle. However, miracles of this type take far more time.

It’s the Venn diagram of fast, cheap, good - all designers I know could never do anything but good work, often going above and beyond for the good of the project. But to do good work cheaply you need it to be fast because fast is what makes it cheap for the client: less time = fewer design fees. But fast and cheap only can go together if the work isn’t good because good work takes time. It’s an equation where no one can win.

Interior Design is a luxury service.

Interior design is laborious, it’s hard to cut corners, issues always arise because of the complexity and numerous moving parts. It’s personal and custom. Interior design boiled down is a service and a luxury service at that. People don’t NEED interior designers, but those that want and can afford it will be rewarded with a beautiful, custom space.

Anything out of the box takes more time and money. Interior design is inherently out of the box. Each home is different, each client is different. Out of the box is what makes hiring an interior designer special. And out of the box, unique, custom, original is what interior design should be.

Clients can use retail store designers if they’d like to have someone help them purchase retail items. Or DIY it. God knows there is plenty of inspiration online. Interior design is not an essential service. It’s not a basic human need.

I think about the idea of making design “affordable and accessible” to everyone. I understand the sentiment. And I can’t figure out how it would work. Interior design is inherently time-consuming and personal, which doesn’t translate into affordable and accessible. And while interior design is not a basic human need, making a living and supporting yourself is. This is why it’s important to have project minimums and take projects that make money.

Now, I hope you don’t shoot the messenger, but I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below and if you are killing it with small budgets - share your secrets!

About The Author

Hi! I’m Capella and I’m an interior designer who helps fellow designers build their businesses. Forget secrecy and competition, I believe designers should support and uplift each other. By helping and boosting one another, we can elevate the business of interior design together! Hang around a bit and I’ll share all the business “secrets” no one else wants to talk about.