Contract for Interior Design Services

What is a Contract for Interior Design Services?

A contract for interior design services is a legally binding agreement between an interior designer and a client that outlines the terms and conditions under which design services should be provided. The contract represents a rigid legal framework that defines:

• detailed information about the parties;
• scope of design services;
• a detailed description of a project;
• fees and payment schedule;
• final deliverables;
• termination clause; and
• confidentiality clause.

A well-drafted interior design contract could be used for residential home renovations, commercial space planning, or staged real estate projects. Whether the designer is working independently or as part of a design firm, a written contract ensures clarity, helps prevent disputes, and protects both the client and designer.

An interior design contract template is a special type of a general services agreement. It means that a service provider undertakes to deliver professional services, and the client commits to such services.

The parties to the agreement are the designer and the client. A designer could be represented by an individual who is an independent contractor or freelancer or by a business providing interior design services (e.g., a design bureau or studio). The client could be an individual or company requesting those services.

How to Write an Interior Design Contract?

Creating an interior design service agreement might be a challenging task. A well-drafted contract template should be clear, specific, and legally sound. Below we made a breakdown of all essential clauses every interior design contract template should have:

Details of the Parties

The text of the contract should clearly identify the nature of the parties—i.e., the client and the designer. Information about full legal names, addresses, contact email, and phone numbers should be included.

If either party is a company, in that case a company’s representative name and job title should also be included in the text of the contract.

The parties to the interior design service agreement should sign and date the document. Without doing so, a template cannot become a legally binding contract. Thus, in case of a dispute, such a contract cannot be presented to the court as evidence.

Scope of Services

Every contract template for interior design services should include the detailed scope of services. If a client wishes to order additional services that are not described in the initial contract, a client would need to pay additional fees.

A sample contract for interior design services should also define if a designer can use subcontractors for the provision of services. If the usage of subcontractors is allowed, in that case a designer remains automatically responsible for the quality of services rendered by such subcontractors in full.

Description of the project

To avoid confusion and misunderstanding, the project itself should be described in as much detail as possible. The description should include the following:

• a project’s title or name;
• location where a project should be performed;
• final deliverables under the project (e.g., mood board, 3D visualization, plan, etc.)

It is also vital to discuss how many rounds of free edits the client should have. Free edits are a common practice that allows clients to request amendments of the final deliverables. Usually a designer may agree to provide one or two rounds of free edits. If a client requests more changes, an additional fee should apply.

Payment Terms

The interior design contract sample should also include payment terms. In other words, when and how a designer should be paid for rendered services. The parties may agree to establish an hourly rate, weekly rate, daily rate, or fixed fee. The exact type of remuneration usually depends on the complexity of a project as well as its duration.

If the parties agree on an hourly or daily rate, interior design contract samples may establish the maximum number of hours or days a designer should spend on the project. This is done to prevent a designer from charging an unlimited number of billable hours.

A payment method as well as payment due dates should also be discussed in the text of an interior design contract. Some contracts may also establish additional late fees in case a client delays with the payment.

Duration of the project

Every interior design contract template should include the estimated start and completion dates of the project. A designer may start provision of services on the date of signing the contract or on a later date. The parties may agree on a specific date by which services and deliverables should be rendered or set up a list of milestones.

How to customize the interior design contract form at FasterDraft?

To get a customized interior design contract, follow a few easy steps below:

1. Click the button “Create Document.”
2. Answer questions in the questionnaire.
3. Select a document’s format—interior design contract template PDF or Word.
4. Make a payment.
5. Download a customized document template.