Interior designer fees in Kenya depend on whether you need a concept, technical drawings, procurement or someone to coordinate installation.
1. Separate the designer’s fee from the project budget
A design fee pays for agreed professional services. Furniture, materials, contractor labour, transport, specialist consultants and taxes may be separate. Ask the designer to distinguish each category and identify anything still awaiting a supplier’s price.
2. Understand how the fee is calculated
Depending on the agreement, a designer may propose a fixed project fee, an hourly or consultation fee, a rate based on area, a percentage-based arrangement or a combination. Ask what the calculation covers, when payments fall due and whether a deposit is credited toward the fee.
3. Check the work behind the price
Compare the same services: site measurement, plans, selections, revisions, quotations, purchasing, site visits and handover. If one proposal includes implementation support and another only includes a concept, their totals are not directly comparable.
4. Ask about changes and purchasing
Confirm the rate or process for work outside the agreed scope, the treatment of supplier commissions or markups, and whether you can buy items yourself. Agree how changes and substitutions will be approved before money is committed.
Example: compare two proposals
Published prices help you ask better questions, but they are not a Kenya-wide average. On 7 November 2026, Apiyo Design Studio listed starting fees of KSh 1,500/m² for concept design, KSh 2,500/m² for complete design and KSh 4,500/m² for premium documentation; the studio says a minimum fee applies. Alitah Interiors listed e-design from KSh 1,500/m² and a mood-board-only service at KSh 5,000 per room. The deliverables differ. Ask each designer to price your rooms, revisions, drawings, site visits and procurement, and keep furniture, materials, labour and delivery separate unless the quote includes them.
Related guide: What Is the Cost of Interior Design in Kenya? A Project Budget Checklist.
