Choosing a Designer

What Should Be in a Design Proposal from an Interior Designer?

6 June 2026 · 4 min read

I've reviewed a lot of proposals — both ones I've written and ones clients have shown me from other designers. The quality of a proposal is one of the clearest signals you'll get about how a designer actually thinks and works. Read our companion guide on what's included in an interior designer's fee alongside this one.

What a Strong Proposal Looks Like

A well-written proposal contains all of the following:

Itemised scope of work — room by room, element by element. Not "complete interior design for 2BHK." Every deliverable named explicitly.

Deliverables list — what exactly you'll receive: concept board, AutoCAD floor plan, 3D renders (how many views?), material schedule, vendor list, execution drawings. The more specific, the better.

Timeline — design phase duration, execution start target, expected handover. Even rough timelines with caveats are better than nothing.

Payment milestones — tied to the deliverables list, not to dates or vague phases.

Revision policy — how many rounds of design revisions are included, and what happens if you need more.

A brief design approach specific to your project — even a paragraph. Something that shows the designer actually heard your brief and has begun thinking about your space.

What a Weak Proposal Looks Like

The most common weak proposal I see:

A generic document with your name inserted at the top
No mention of your actual space, requirements, or brief
Price listed without any scope breakdown
No timeline, no revision policy, no milestones
"Full turnkey interior design" as the only scope description

A weak proposal isn't necessarily a sign of a bad designer — some very talented people are bad at paperwork. But it is a sign of a designer who either doesn't think systematically about project structure, or doesn't value clarity in client communication. Both matter.

A Specific Red Flag: Execution Detail Without Design Clarity

Watch out for proposals that are very detailed on the execution side (site supervision visits, vendor coordination, contractor management) but vague on the design deliverables side.

This pattern usually indicates a designer who is fundamentally a contractor — someone who manages execution well but doesn't have deep design capability. You may get a well-run site, but the design thinking may be limited to whatever you bring in yourself.

How to Compare Proposals

When you have proposals from multiple designers, compare the deliverables list, not just the total price. Two proposals at the same price might include completely different things. One includes 3D renders and execution drawings. The other includes just a moodboard and a phone call. Completely different values.

Ali's Approach

At Aura Foundry, proposals are specific to your flat. I'm not sending you a template — I'm sending you a document that reflects what I understood from our conversation, what I think the project needs, and exactly what I'll deliver. If something isn't in the proposal, it's not in the scope. View our services for an overview of what each package covers.

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