How much does an interior designer cost in Colorado Springs?

Ask an interior designer what she charges and watch what happens.

You'll get a thoughtful pause, four follow-up questions, and a promise to put something together for you. What you won't get is a number.

I've done it myself, and there's a real reason for it. But "it depends" is useless when you're sitting at your kitchen table trying to work out whether you can afford help at all. So here are actual numbers first, and the explanation after.

The short answer

In Colorado Springs, homeowners typically spend between $4,651 and $7,163 on interior design services, though the full range runs from about $884 to $13,264 depending on scope. Local designers generally charge $50 to $200 an hour. Nationally, projects average around $8,550.

Two other ways designers price work:

• Per room (design fee only): roughly $1,500 to $5,000, which is where my own projects land
• Percentage of construction budget for renovations and new builds: 10 to 30 percent, with most residential work landing in the 15 to 20 percent range

And the number that surprises people most:

• Furnishings for a living room: $3,000 to $20,000, with around $10,000 being typical in my experience

Design fee and furnishings are two separate numbers

This is the single biggest source of confusion, so I want to be clear about it.

Your design fee pays for the work of designing the space. Your furnishings budget pays for the actual sofa, rug, lighting, art and everything else that goes in it. They are billed separately, and the furnishings are almost always the larger of the two.

So if you see a per room design fee of a few thousand dollars and assume that's your all in cost, you'll be caught off guard. Plan for both from the start.

What actually changes the number

When someone asks me what their project will cost, I have to ask a lot of questions before I can answer honestly. Here's most of what I need to know:

• Residential or commercial?
• How many rooms, and how big are they?
• Where are you in the process? Existing home, new build, or mid renovation?
• What do you actually need? Styling only, all new furniture, or somewhere in between?
• What are you keeping? Pieces you love stay, and that changes the budget.
• Are we painting? Changing cabinetry, adding built ins?
• Any structural work? Walls coming out, layout changes?

Every one of those answers moves the number. A styling refresh of one room and a full renovation of a main floor are different projects with different prices, and quoting them the same way would be dishonest.

What the design fee actually covers

Most people think design is styling. Styling is the finishing touches, and it's the smallest part of the job.

Here's what happens between the first phone call and the day you see the finished room:

• The discovery call, and all the questions that come with it
• Measuring the space
• Drawing the floor plan
• Space planning: what fits, where it goes, how you move through the room
• Sizing every furniture piece to the space
• Mood boards and concept boards
• Sourcing the actual pieces, not just the idea of them
• Building the shopping list
• Rounds of approvals and revisions with you
• Placing the orders
• Tracking shipments, deliveries and backorders
• Receiving, assembling and installing

There's also work you'd never see on an invoice. I spend time in stores and showrooms keeping up with what's available and what's new, so that when a project needs a specific piece, I already know where to look. That knowledge is most of what you're paying for.

It's a longer process than people expect. It's enjoyable work, but it's work, and that's where the fee comes from.

Why projects end up costing more than planned

A few honest reasons, all of them common:

• Materials. Prices move, and the thing you fell in love with may not be the thing you first budgeted for.
• Additions along the way. A client sees the plan come together and decides to add a larger piece.
• Trades you didn't account for. Someone to hang a heavy mirror, someone to paint, someone to handle an electrical change.
• Surprises. Things come up mid project. They always do.

None of this means the budget was wrong. It means the budget needs room in it. Build in a cushion and the project stays enjoyable.

What you need before you call a designer

Less than you'd think.

You do need a budget number. Not a precise one, but a real one. Without it, a designer can't tell you what's possible, and you'll both waste time.

You don't need:

• Measurements. That's my job.
• Photos. Also my job.
• A Pinterest board. It helps, and I always ask, but plenty of clients don't have one. Describing the space and how you want it to feel works just as well.

What helps most is your opinion. What pieces are a definite yes, and what's a hard no. Colors you like or can't stand. Furniture you want to keep and furniture you're ready to let go of. What works in the space now, and what doesn't.

You don't need to know your style, or be able to name it. That's what the questions are for. A good designer will ask enough of them to understand what you want, even when you can't quite put it into words yourself.

The bottom line

If you're in Colorado Springs and planning a project, a reasonable starting point is a few thousand dollars in design fees per room, plus a furnishings budget that reflects how much of the room you're actually replacing. For a renovation, budget 15 to 20 percent of construction costs for design.

If you want a real number for your space, that's what a consultation is for. Bring your budget and your opinions. I'll bring the questions. Send me a message and tell me what you are planning.