Online Interior Design vs Full Service: £495 or £3,000?

Online interior design vs full service comes down to one question: who does the work after the design is finished? An online (e-design) package gives you a plan for a room, usually a layout, 3D visuals and a shopping list, for a fixed fee that typically runs from about £395 to £695 per room. A full-service designer does that and then measures the space, draws it up for trades, orders everything and manages the job on site, for a fee that starts in the low thousands for a single room in London.

Neither is the better buy in general. E-design is excellent value when the room already works and you need it furnished, styled or rearranged. Full service earns its fee when walls, wiring, joinery or plumbing move, because that is where mistakes get expensive.

What you get with online interior design

E-design studios work remotely. You send photos, measurements and a brief, then talk to a designer by video. A typical package delivers:

• a furniture layout for the room;
• a mood board or 3D visuals showing how it will look;
• a shopping list with links, so you buy everything yourself;
• a set number of video calls and a short period of support afterwards.

To take one real example, My Bespoke Room’s packages page lists a Room Design package at £495 to £695, with three 40-minute video calls, 3D visuals, a video walkthrough, a curated shopping list and two weeks of support afterwards. Its Room Styling package (£295) is for finishing a room where the main pieces are already in place, and a single-question Design Fix call costs £175. Other studios price in the same broad band, and budget packages go lower.

What e-design does not include is just as important:

• No one sees the room. The plan is only as good as your measurements and photos. A sofa that is 5cm too deep for the alcove is your problem, not the designer’s.
• No technical drawings for trades. You will not get the lighting, electrical or joinery drawings a builder or kitchen fitter needs.
• No buying on your behalf. You order, chase deliveries and handle returns. Some studios pass on retailer discounts, but you are not getting a designer’s trade account working for you.
• No one on site. If the fitter has a question, they ask you.

What you get with a full-service designer

A full-service designer, the model most London practices use, typically runs a project in stages: a survey and measured drawings, concept design, detailed design and specification, procurement, and site supervision through to installation and styling. Our page on what mood boards and 3D visuals actually show explains how the early stages fit together.

The fee reflects the time. As our London interior designer cost guide sets out, a full-service single room in person typically costs £800 to £3,000 or more, with kitchens and bathrooms at the top because of the technical detail. On whole-house projects many designers charge a percentage of the project cost instead, commonly 10 to 25 percent in London, often with a mark-up on furniture they buy for you.

What that buys you:

• someone who measures and checks the room, including what is behind the walls where it matters;
• drawings and specifications contractors can price and build from;
• one person ordering, tracking and checking every item;
• regular site visits, so problems are caught before the plaster goes on.

If you are looking for a full-service designer, the British Institute of Interior Design is the professional body for the industry, and membership is one quick check of a practice’s standing.

Side by side

Which one you need

Choose e-design if:

• the walls, windows, sockets and lighting can stay where they are;
• you want help choosing furniture, colour and layout, and you are happy to order it yourself;
• the budget for the room is modest, so a full-service fee would be a large share of it;
• you are furnishing a rental, a spare room or a new-build where the shell is already finished.

Choose full service if:

• anything structural, electrical, plumbing or bespoke joinery is changing;
• the project covers several rooms or a whole floor, where the order of works matters;
• you do not have the time to chase 40 deliveries and a dozen trades;
• the room is a kitchen or bathroom, where small errors in the drawings become expensive on site.

The middle route. Many London designers also sell a design-only service: they survey, design and draw the room, then hand over the drawings and schedules for you or your builder to deliver. It costs less than full service and avoids e-design’s biggest weakness, because someone has measured the room properly. Ask for it by name if it is not on the website.

Before you pay for either

1. Write a short brief first: what the room is for, what stays, what goes, and the total budget including furniture. Our guide to writing an interior design brief has a template.
2. Ask exactly what the deliverables are, how many revisions are included, and how long support lasts after handover.
3. For full service, get the fee basis in writing, including how procurement is charged. Our contract guide covers the clauses that matter, and how to vet an interior designer shows how to check a practice before you sign.
4. If you are unsure whether you need a designer at all, read is an interior designer worth it first.

Frequently asked questions

Is online interior design worth it? Yes, for rooms that do not need building work. For a few hundred pounds you get a considered layout, visuals and a shopping list, which can stop expensive mistakes such as the wrong size sofa or rug. It is poor value if the room needs electrical, plumbing or joinery changes, because you get no drawings for the trades.

How much does online interior design cost in the UK? Most room packages sit between about £395 and £695, with styling-only and single-question consultations cheaper. My Bespoke Room, for example, lists Room Design at £495 to £695, Room Styling at £295 and a one-call Design Fix at £175.

What is the difference between e-design and full-service interior design? E-design gives you a plan and a shopping list and leaves you to carry it out. Full service adds a site survey, technical drawings, buying on your behalf and site supervision, with the designer responsible for getting the finished room built as drawn.

Can an online interior designer plan a kitchen or bathroom? They can suggest a layout and finishes, but they will not produce the technical drawings a fitter, plumber or electrician needs, and nobody will check the room on site. For kitchens and bathrooms most people are better served by a full-service or design-only designer, or the kitchen company’s own designer.

Do online interior designers give trade discounts? Some pass on retailer discounts or shopping credit, but you buy the items yourself. A full-service designer usually orders through their own trade accounts, and how they share that discount, or add a mark-up, should be set out in the contract.

Is there anything between e-design and full service? Yes. A design-only service, where a designer surveys and draws the room but you manage the build, is common in London and costs less than full service. It suits people who already have a builder they trust.