Does Interior Design Include Furniture?

When embarking on an interior design project, one of the most common questions that arises is whether the service includes furnishings and furniture. From deciding on spatial layouts to choosing decorative elements, interior designers focus on enhancing the aesthetics and functionality of a home or commercial space. But does their role extend to outfitting the space with furniture pieces as well?

Overview of Interior Design Services

The interior design process entails various phases:

• Initial consultation to understand client requirements
• Defining project scope and deliverables
• Establishing design concept and scheme
• Space planning through layouts and drawings
• Material and finish selections like flooring, lighting etc.
• Furniture placement planning via floorplans
• Providing furniture and decor specifications
• Handling contractor coordination
• Project management from start to completion

Interior designers focus on enhancing aesthetics and functionality through space planning, layouts, material selections and more. But what about furnishings?

From color palettes, textures, wood finishes, flooring and beyond – interior designers handle a wide array of decisions. But specializing in so many facets raises confusion on whether furnishings and furniture are included too.

The Role Furniture Plays

On almost every project, interior designers will map out furniture:

• Incorporated into floorplans and layouts
• Detailed in furniture placement drawings
• Depicted via 3D furniture renderings
• Custom furniture design offerings
• Providing detailed furniture specifications for later orders

However, purchasing actual furniture pieces often falls outside an interior designer’s core scope depending on preferences.

Is Sourcing Furniture Part of Interior Design Packages?

By default, most interior design proposals and flat-fee quotes exclude furnishing the space with actual furniture. Purchases can quickly inflate budgets.

However, as part of premium or turnkey packages, some interior design firms offer:

• Optional furniture procurement
• Handling all furniture orders
• Delivering spaces fully furnished

This simplifies logistics substantially for clients but requires extra services fees.

What Furniture Support Designers Provide

Most interior designers assist with key aspects of furniture buying like:

• Specifying styles, sizes and number of pieces required per room
• Pulling together comprehensive furniture packages
• Comparing different furniture brand options
• Vetting prices across stores for budget efficiency
• Handling delivery and installation logistics

So while furniture procurement falls outside standard scopes, designers still provide immense guidance.

Table 1: Furniture Support From Interior Designers

| Support Area | Description |
|-|-|
| Quantity Guidelines | Total pieces needed per room |
| Size Specifications | Dimensions like bed widths etc.|
| Style Recommendations | Finishes, themes etc. to follow |
| Furniture Packages | Bundles aligned to design scheme |
| Budget Optimization | Cost comparisons across brands |
| Logistics Facilitation | Delivery scheduling |

This furnishing direction proves invaluable for shaping room aesthetics and functionality.

Extra Fees for Furniture Purchasing

If opting into full-service furniture purchasing via an interior designer, additional fees apply including:

• Furniture procurement fees
• Hourly buying support fees
• 10-15% commissions on furniture orders
• Sales tax and delivery charges

So while convenient, outsourcing all furnishings through a design firm contributes extra costs quickly scaling budgets by 15-20% typically.

Pro Tips for Furniture Buying

To make future furniture buying smooth while following interior design plans:

1. Assess Needs Upfront

Analyze how each room gets utilized, the features needed, storage requirements, sizes etc. Develop a furniture wishlist early.

2. Allocate Generous Furnishing Budget

Earmark 15-25% of total renovation/construction budget for furnishings. Prices add up fast!

3. Shop Once Layouts Finalize

Avoid premature purchases. Wait until spatial plans and layouts complete to choose furniture.

Doing so avoids size or style mismatches between furnishings opted and floorplans. It also prevents storage gaps or spacing issues upon installations.

Key Takeaways

In summary, mainstream interior design services concentrate more on space planning, finishes and material specifications. Whereas some high-end firms offer optional furniture inclusion as part of premium packages. Expect to pay added fees for such procurement services. Nonetheless, most interior designers still guide clients on stylistic furniture choices, required sizes, budgets and more to seamlessly outfit the dream spaces brought to life!