How do you track an FF&E budget in Notion?
Use a relational set: Items feed Rooms, Rooms feed Projects. Each item carries quantity, unit cost and a status. A formula multiplies them, and rollups add the totals up the chain. Budget, committed spend and remaining then appear on every room and project without manual sums.
This article covers the columns, status flow and formulas. For the broader schedule layout and client sharing, see the existing FF&E guide linked below.
Which columns does an FF&E schedule need?
| Column | Type | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Item | Title | Short name, e.g. Lounge chair |
| Room | Relation | Rolls totals up to the room |
| Category | Select | Furniture, lighting, soft furnishings, accessories |
| Vendor | Relation | One vendor record, many items |
| Spec | Text | Model, finish, dimensions, COM/COL notes |
| Qty | Number | Quantity |
| Cost price | Number | Your trade price per unit |
| Client price | Number | What the client pays per unit |
| Line total | Formula | Qty multiplied by client price |
| Status | Select | Drives budget logic |
| Lead time (weeks) | Number | For order-by dates |
| Approved on | Date | Dated record of client sign-off |
Keep Cost price and Client price separate from day one. It makes mark-up reviews easy later and avoids showing the wrong number to a client.
What status flow should items follow?
- 1
Proposed
Shown to the client. Not committed.
- 2
Approved
Client signed off. Counts as committed spend.
- 3
Ordered
PO sent and deposit paid if required. Still committed.
- 4
Delivered
Received and checked for damage or faults.
- 5
Installed
In place on site.
Add two exit statuses: Rejected (keep the record, drop from totals) and On hold. A select property with these seven values drives every filter below.
How do the roll-ups and formulas work?
On Items, make Line total a formula of Qty multiplied by Client price. On Rooms, create a relation from Items, then add rollups: sum of Line total filtered to Approved, Ordered, Delivered and Installed gives Committed. A second rollup over Proposed gives Pending.
| Room property | Logic |
|---|---|
| Budget | Number you enter |
| Committed | Rollup: sum of Line total where Status is Approved or later |
| Pending | Rollup: sum of Line total where Status is Proposed |
| Remaining | Formula: Budget minus Committed |
| Exposure | Formula: Budget minus Committed minus Pending |
Note: filtered rollup options depend on your Notion version. If a filter is not available, add a Committed amount formula on Items (line total if status is committed, otherwise zero) and roll that up instead.
A worked example
Living room budget: 20,000. Items: sofa 6,200 (Ordered), two chairs 2 x 1,450 = 2,900 (Approved), rug 1,800 (Proposed), lighting 3,100 (Approved).
| Measure | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Committed | 6,200 + 2,900 + 3,100 | 12,200 |
| Pending | Rug | 1,800 |
| Remaining | 20,000 minus 12,200 | 7,800 |
| Exposure | 7,800 minus 1,800 | 6,000 |
The client can see 6,000 of the budget is still genuinely free if they accept every proposed item. Those are sample figures for illustration.
Which views keep the budget honest?
- Budget by room: table of Rooms with Budget, Committed, Remaining.
- Over-budget alert: Rooms filtered where Remaining is below zero.
- Unpriced items: Items with Client price empty and Status beyond Proposed.
- Mark-up check: formula Client price minus Cost price, sorted lowest first.
Where InteriorDesignOS fits
InteriorDesignOS includes a Selections section, Vendors and a projects dashboard with construction value and amount invoiced. The room-level budget rollups described here are something you add on top, using the steps above.
Frequently asked questions
- What columns should an FF&E schedule have?
- At minimum: item, room, category, vendor, specification, quantity, cost price, client price, status, lead time and approval date. Add finish and dimensions in the specification field.
- How do I calculate committed spend in Notion?
- Make a line total formula of quantity times price, then roll it up on Rooms and Projects counting only items whose status is Approved or later. If rollup filters are unavailable, roll up a helper formula.
- Should rejected items stay in the database?
- Yes. Give them a Rejected status and exclude them from totals. You keep the decision history and avoid re-proposing the same item.
- Can I show the client the budget but not my cost price?
- Share a separate client page with a gallery or table that excludes cost properties. Hiding a property in a view does not remove it from the database, so do not share the database itself.
- Does this replace accounting software?
- No. It tracks design budgets and commitments. Invoices, tax and ledgers belong in accounting software.
Sources
Keep reading
- Studio workflowsHow to build an FF&E schedule in NotionBuild an FF&E schedule in Notion: one item per row linked to rooms and suppliers, procurement statuses, lead times, budgets, approvals and client-ready views.4 min read · 17 October 2026
- Interior designTracking vendor lead times in interior design projects with NotionStop late deliveries: track vendor lead times in Notion with order-by dates, supplier-confirmed dates, delay flags and views that show what to chase today.3 min read · 17 October 2026
- Studio workflowsPurchase orders and procurement tracking for interior designers in NotionTrack purchase orders from approval to delivery in Notion: PO fields, deposit and balance, delivery checks, damage claims and a chase list for late orders.4 min read · 27 October 2026
- Interior designClient approval tracking for interior design: from mood board to ready-to-orderTrack interior design approvals item by item: scheme sign-off, selection approvals, ready-to-order checks and a dated record that survives a change of mind.3 min read · 17 October 2026