What should an interior design fee proposal include?

Scope by stage, fees, fee basis, exclusions, additional services, payment terms and a clear way to accept.

How do interior designers charge?

Fixed fee, hourly, percentage of project cost, cost-plus on products, retainers, or a combination.

Give every sent proposal a next-action date within a week and review the follow-up view weekly.

Yes. A Proposals database with stages and next actions works as a simple pipeline.

Not necessarily; terms and acceptance determine its effect. Use contract wording suitable for your practice and jurisdiction.

A short summary of the brief in the client's words.
Scope by stage (concept, design development, specification, procurement, installation), with deliverables for each.
Fee for each stage and the total, with the fee basis stated.
Exclusions and assumptions, such as number of revisions and site visits.
How additional services are priced.
Payment schedule and terms, including retainers.
How to accept: a clear next step and a validity date.

Basis	How it works	Works best when
Fixed fee	A set amount per stage or project	Scope is clear and the client wants certainty
Hourly	Time recorded at agreed rates	Scope is uncertain or evolving
Percentage of project cost	A percentage of construction or FF&E value	The project value is known and the scope scales with it
Cost-plus or mark-up	Product cost plus an agreed mark-up	Procurement is a major part of the service
Retainer	A recurring monthly amount	Ongoing relationships or phased work

1
Create a Proposals database
Prospect, project, value, fee basis, stage, date sent, valid until, next action, next action date.
2
Use pipeline stages
Enquiry, proposal in progress, sent, negotiating, accepted, declined.
3
Add the follow-up rule
Every sent proposal gets a next action date within a week.
4
Build the views
Pipeline board, proposals awaiting follow-up, value by stage, accepted this month.
5
Convert on acceptance
Create the project and client records from the accepted proposal.

The price is clear but the value is not, so the client compares only the number.
Scope is vague, so the client assumes more is included than you intended.
No follow-up, so the proposal fades while the client talks to someone else.
Too much choice: three fee options with no recommendation.

What should an interior design fee proposal include?: Scope by stage, fees, fee basis, exclusions, additional services, payment terms and a clear way to accept.
How do interior designers charge?: Fixed fee, hourly, percentage of project cost, cost-plus on products, retainers, or a combination.
How do I follow up on proposals?: Give every sent proposal a next-action date within a week and review the follow-up view weekly.
Can Notion track proposals?: Yes. A Proposals database with stages and next actions works as a simple pipeline.
Is a proposal a contract?: Not necessarily; terms and acceptance determine its effect. Use contract wording suitable for your practice and jurisdiction.