When it comes to the interior design of a new apartment, the first thing that comes to your mind is the cost of interior design and decorating. What could be the best interior design budget to design and decorate a 3 BHK flat in India? How do I calculate the budget to design and decorate my 3 BHK apartments? Unfortunately, home interior design budgets and expenses depend on several parameters. And it’s not easy to calculate the interior designing budget unless you know what you want, the quality of the finish and associated prices. If that sounds familiar and you have been looking for an interior design budget calculator to estimate the costs and expenses, then I have got you covered.
Whether it’s a new apartment, flat or an independent house that you want to design and decorate or you are simply planning to renovate your old house, you can use this interior design budget calculator to estimate all the expenses to a great extent.
However, before we get into budgeting and estimating the home interior design expenses, I would like you to know a few things. And I promise it will help bring a lot of clarity and help you budget and estimate the expenses pretty closely.
How to develop an interior design budget correctly
It’s not easy to develop an interior design cost and budget all on your own. There are so many things involved e.g. raw materials, transportation, labour and contractors, taxes and other miscellaneous expenses. Also, there are tons of options available when it comes to materials and contractors at different price ranges. However, it’s not going to be difficult if you know how to develop an interior design budget the right way.
Here’re
a few of the steps you should take to develop an interior design budget in
India.
1. Scope of work
The interior design budget depends on the scope of work. For instance, if you want to design and decorate all three bedrooms, kitchen, living and balcony then the interior design budget will be planned accordingly. However, if you want to design just one bedroom, living and kitchen, then the cost and budget will be different. So think through well and finalize the high-level scope of the interior design work you want to be done in your apartment.
While preparing the high-level scope for apartment interior design work, you should consider everything. A typical scope of work document for a 3 BHK apartment interior design work may include:
False ceilings in the entire apartment except for the washroom and balcony
Cupboards with laminate finish in all three bedrooms
Dresser in two/all of the bedrooms
Bookshelves in one of the bedroom
Temple /prayer space
Inside and outside door laminate pasting for all the doors
Under the basin cover
Utility cabinet with mirror in both the bathrooms
The idea is to let your creative brain do the imagination and then note it down. Let the idea and inspiration come and consider adding everything coming to your mind. It does not cost anything to imagine, so do this broadly and then fine-tune the scope of work.
Once you have the detailed scope of work, you’ll be able to calculate the interior design budget correctly. And once you have calculated the interior design budget for the entire apartment. Now, you can fine-tune the scope by keeping what is absolutely important and get rid of things that you can do without.
2. Develop a rough space layout
Measurement of individual items plays an important role in developing the interior design budget for an apartment. So, whether you plan to design and decorate the entire 3 BHK apartment or a few spaces within the flat, you should develop a rough space layout. For instance, where do you want the TV cabinet and what could be the right size as per the layout of your space?
Similarly,
if you want a sofa set in the living room then know the style (L Shape, U
shape, straight etc) and measure the size and number of seats you want. Follow
the same for the entire apartment or rooms that have to be designed and
decorated.
3. List out items you need
Whether you plan to design and decorate the entire flat or you are planning to decorate just a few selected spaces, you may have specific needs. For instance, you may choose to design a bed with a nice headboard in your master bedroom. Or you may simply don’t require a bed as you already have a bed which is in good shape. Similarly, you may want to customize the bed that you already have like replacing the laminate or polish with a different colour to match the theme of your bedroom.
The
idea is to just go through each of the rooms and spaces. And then dive deeper
to know what you need and what you don’t need. For instance, if you already
have a dining table that you purchased last year, you can simply omit this
scope and use the one you already have.
When you get into detail, you know everything you need and this will help you calculate the interior design budget much more accurately.
4. Quality of materials and finish
Now that you have the rough space layout and know the tentative measurement, you are quite close to developing an interior design budget for your apartment. But, as it involves different types of materials and installation expertise, it can directly affect the overall interior design budget for your apartment. Also, the quality of materials you choose for your interior design project will affect the durability and maybe the overall finish of the project.
For instance, you may like to use commercial plywood, and finish it with laminate or veneer. But, if you choose a veneer finish over laminates, the cost can go substantially up for your home interior design project. And that’s where the expertise of an interior designer can come in handy. They know what can be the best material and come under your budget.
But,
I am sharing the tentative prices below and that may help you in choosing
materials. But in the meantime, let’s check the next item in the list of things
to do to develop an interior design budget the right way.
5. Put it in an excel sheet
Now
you know what you want in each of the rooms. You also have a tentative
measurement for each of the items you need. So all that is left is to figure
out the rates and costs for each of these interior design items.
And
then, just do the total to calculate the apartment interior budget and
expenses. However, it’s important to note that when calculating the interior
design budget and expenses, it’s not the cost of the products and making
charges, there are other expenses to consider as well like taxes and
mobilization costs.
You should also keep a budget for accessorizing the house like buying home and kitchen appliances, air conditioners, geysers, ceiling fans, exhaust fans etc. These items are usually not a part of a turnkey interior project; unless you specifically want the contractor to add these items to their quote and scope of work.
Price List of Items for Interior Design Budget Calculation
You already know the scope of work for your upcoming apartment interior design project. You also know what you want in your rooms with rough measurements of all of the elements. So, now that you know the tentative costs of individual items and works, you can easily calculate the interior design budget and expenses.
Also, please note that the prices indicated below for individual items or service is based on our discussion with some of the best interior designers and contractors who have been designing homes and offices for a long. You may get a different price when you ask for quotations from an interior contractor near you. However, this price list should help you develop and calculate the interior design budget for your apartment fairly quickly.
Interior Design Budget Calculation
Here’s
a tentative price list of different works and services that you can use as a
reference to calculate the interior design budget and expenses for a 2/3/4 BHK
apartment.
False ceiling
Gypsum board false ceiling with 12 mm gypsum board of Saint Gobain / Halonex brand and 18 gage GI channels including cable and lights (Havells) will cost you around Rs. 140 -150/ sq ft. Many homeowners like false ceilings and many others think of it as an additional expense. So, if you are working with a tight budget, you may consider not doing a false ceiling or just going with a partial false ceiling to cut the interior design cost.
TV Unit
Plywood
and laminate finish (with 1MM laminate of Greenply/Century) TV cabinet
including hardware fittings (Hafele / Dorset) and panel lights can cost you
around Rs. 1700-1850 / sq ft. Safe to assume 20-24 sq ft for a standard TV
unit.
Sofa set
The
interior designer and contractor can make customized sofa sets according to the
layout of your space and design theme. The cost per seat using good quality
foam, fabric and labour charges can be anywhere between Rs. 10000 – 12000 per
seat.
Dining table and chair
Again you have a choice to get it custom-made as per the design theme or buy it readymade. If you choose to get it custom-made, the table will cost around Rs. 4000-5000 per seat and the chairs will cost Rs. 6000-7000 per chair. So, the six-seat custom-made dining table using good quality material and finish may cost around Rs. 24-30K and chairs Rs. 36 to 42K
Wardrobes
Plywood and laminate finish (1MM greenfly/Century) wardrobe and overhead cabinets with hardware fittings (Hafele / Dorset) can cost around Rs. 1750-1850 per sq ft. The standard size for a 4-door wardrobe in a bedroom can be around 70-72 sq ft. But, you can calculate the cost as per your wall size.
Bed with headboards
Plywood and laminate finish (1MM greenfly/Century) bed with pullout storage unit and the headboard can cost around Rs. 1500-1750 per sq ft. The size and specs of the headboards can change based on your design preference. Depending on whether you want a king-size, queen-size, or single bed, you can calculate the cost of a bed with a bedhead in each bedroom.
Bedside unit/Side table
Plywood and laminate finish bedside units with two pullout drawers can cost between Rs. 5000 to 6000 per unit. The cost is nearly the same for a custom-built side table for the living area. Depending on the position of the bed, you may like to keep one or two side units in your bedrooms.
Modular kitchen
Waterproof plywood and glossy laminate finish (1MM Greenply/Century) and standard quality hardware fittings with accessories can easily cost between Rs. 130000 to 150000 in a lump sum. The cost of a modular kitchen depends on several factors the number of below-the-counter and overhead cabinets you need, the size of the kitchen. The cost does not include kitchen appliances like chimneys, cook tops etc.
Dresser
Plywood
and laminate finish (1MM greenply/Century) dresser with mirror (Saint Gobain)
and hardware fittings (Hafele / Dorset) can cost around Rs. 1700-1800 per sq
ft. Safe to assume 15-16 sq ft which is the standard size for a dresser.
Temple and prayer area
There are a lot of options when it comes to making and fixing a temple and prayer space in your home. Although the actual cost depends on the size, you can assume it to be around Rs. 1400-1700 per sq foot. The ideal size of a temple can be around 10-12 sq ft or more.
Laminate pasting on the door
Door frame panelling and laminate pasting on both sides of the door can cost around Rs. 5500 to 6500 per door. So, you can easily calculate the total cost of laminate pasting on the door by multiplying this amount for budgeting purposes.
Shoe cabinet
A shoe rack is a must and it can cost anywhere between Rs. 4-5K in a lump sum. That’s for a standalone shoe cabinet, however, there are tons of options when it comes to making a shoe cabinet and thus the prices may change accordingly.
Painting work
Two coats of primer and good quality paint like Royal Shine paints (by Asian Paints) can cost at around Rs. 20-25 per sq ft. And if you want the textured paints, then the cost for wall painting, in that case, can be around Rs. 85-90 per sq ft.
Collapsible grill at the main door
Heavy
duty steel collapsible gate at the main door can easily cost around Rs. 14-16k
and this you should consider because one should not compromise with the safety
features.
Interior designers’ design charges
Apart
from the cost of individual works/services, the interior designers may charge a
designing fee which varies from Rs 20-30 per sq ft depending on the size and
scope of the project. When you are working on a large project then design
charges are generally a little cheaper. So, add Rs. 20-30K towards interior
design charges.
The good news is that mostly interior designers will adjust the design fee if you hire them for execution on a turnkey basis. However, some interior designers charge a lump sum amount towards designing and supervising your interior design project.
Final thoughts on calculating the interior design budget
When
you have the tentative price list for all of the major works/services, and you
know your requirements, you can easily calculate the interior design budget for
your apartment. However, don’t assume that this is the final tariff and the
rates will be the same in your city.
The rates shared here are based on our interaction with a few of the leading interior designers in Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Also, it is important to note that different turnkey interior designers and contractors may have different prices based on the quality of their work and overall finish.
So, if you are planning to do interior designing for your apartment and you are wondering about the costs and expenses, then we can help you connect with the leading interior designers and contractors near you. And they can help eliminate any guesswork and present you with the best price offers and quotations for turnkey interior designing solutions.
As you already know, calculating the cost and budget of an interior designing project can be complicated, especially when you don’t know the tentative rates for different services. I have already shared a few simple tricks with a tentative price list of items that you can refer to. And calculate the interior design budget for your apartment quite easily in an excel sheet.
What
else do you think one should consider when preparing the interior design
budget?
Share
your tips and hacks by commenting below.
And, if you have any other questions, then feel free to ask and we’ll be happy to help.
