--- title: "FF&E budget tracking in Notion: columns, status flow and roll-ups" url: https://notionforarchitecture.com/blog/ffe-budget-tracking-notion-interior-designers updated: 2026-10-27 author: Notion for Architecture --- # FF&E budget tracking in Notion: columns, status flow and roll-ups Build the FF&E budget in Notion with one Items database (quantity, unit cost, status, room, vendor), a formula for line total, and rollups on Rooms and Projects that sum approved and ordered items against each budget. A single status flow decides which items count as committed spend. ## Key takeaways - Define what counts as committed spend before building any formula. - Use a fixed status flow: Proposed, Approved, Ordered, Delivered, Installed. - Keep a Client price and a Cost price as separate properties. - Show budget, committed and remaining at room and project level. ## 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. - Notion: Relations and rollups: https://www.notion.com/help/relations-and-rollups - Notion: Intro to formulas: https://www.notion.com/help/formulas ## 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. - FF&E schedule in Notion (layout and client sharing): https://notionforarchitecture.com/blog/ffe-schedule-in-notion - Tracking vendor lead times: https://notionforarchitecture.com/blog/vendor-lead-times-interior-design-tracking ## 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. - InteriorDesignOS: https://notionforarchitecture.com/interior-design-project-management - Pricing: https://notionforarchitecture.com/#pricing ## FAQ ### 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 - [Notion: Relations and rollups](https://www.notion.com/help/relations-and-rollups) - [Notion: Intro to formulas](https://www.notion.com/help/formulas) - [Notion: Database properties](https://www.notion.com/help/database-properties)