How to build an FF&E schedule in Notion

What is an FF&E schedule?

An FF&E schedule lists every furniture, fixture and equipment item on a project with its room, specification, supplier, quantity, cost and lead time. It is both a design record and a procurement tool, and it is where interior design projects most often go wrong: a changed specification, a missed lead time or an order placed against an unapproved option.

Which properties should each item have?

How do you build it, step by step?

1. 1

   Create Rooms

   One entry per room per project, related to Projects, with a Budget number property.

2. 2

   Create Selections

   Add the properties above and relate each item to a Room and a Vendor.

3. 3

   Add a line total formula

   Quantity multiplied by unit cost, so every row shows its total.

4. 4

   Roll costs up

   On Rooms, sum the line totals of approved items and compare with the budget in a formula.

5. 5

   Add an order-by date

   A formula that subtracts lead time from the required-on-site date tells you when to order.

6. 6

   Save the key views

   Client gallery by room, procurement table by order-by date, and open orders grouped by vendor.

Which procurement statuses should you use?

Keep design statuses and purchasing statuses in one clear sequence. A common sequence is specified, quoted, approved, ordered, acknowledged, dispatched, delivered and installed. Never treat a design approval date as evidence that an order has been placed; the order is its own step with its own date.

How do you handle options and alternatives?

Give each option its own item, related to the same room, with an Option property (A, B, C). When the client chooses, mark the others rejected rather than deleting them. This keeps the decision history and stops a rejected option drifting into an order.

Which views make the schedule useful?

• Client presentation: gallery grouped by room, showing image, name and finish, hiding costs.
• Awaiting approval: items quoted but not approved, sorted by order-by date.
• Procurement: approved and ordered items, sorted by expected delivery.
• By vendor: open orders grouped by supplier for follow-up calls.
• Budget: table grouped by room with cost rollups against budget.

How do you share the schedule with clients?

Place the client gallery on a dedicated client page and share that page as a guest. Hide internal properties such as trade price and margin from the view, and remember that hiding a property in a view does not remove it from the underlying database; share a page that contains only client-safe content.

• How to build a client portal in Notion

Frequently asked questions

What does FF&E stand for?

Furniture, fixtures and equipment: the movable and installed items specified for an interior.

Can I build an FF&E schedule in Notion for free?

Yes. Databases, relations, formulas and views all work on Notion's free plan; file upload size and guest limits depend on the plan.

How do I calculate FF&E costs in Notion?

Use a formula for line total (quantity × unit cost) and rollups on Rooms and Projects to sum approved items.

Is there an FF&E template for Notion?

Yes, including studio systems such as InteriorDesignOS and dedicated FF&E schedule templates in Notion's gallery.

How do I track lead times in Notion?

Store lead time in weeks and use a formula to calculate an order-by date from the date items are needed on site.