An editable interior design proposal covering concept, procurement, fees, timeline, pricing and next steps, with a filled-in example. No email required.
Harper & Co. Offices needs a office reception and meeting room refit. Here’s how we understand the goal.
02
Our approach
Concept → Design development → Procurement → Installation.
03
Investment
$21,840.00 in total, split across 4 phases.
04
Next steps
Sign to accept, pay the deposit and we’ll book the kickoff.
How to write a interior design proposal
A good interior design proposal is about the client, not you. It shows you understand their situation, proposes a specific way forward and makes the price and next step easy to find. Interior designers combine a design fee (fixed or hourly) with procurement, either at a disclosed mark-up or at trade price plus a fee.
Open with their situation, using the words they used on your call.
Make objectives measurable where you can, so success is shared.
Explain your approach by phase — for interior designers, typically concept, design development, procurement, installation.
Break the price down so the client can trade scope rather than question your rate.
Say what’s not included, such as building work by contractors.
End with one clear next step and a validity date.
The template
Cover
Proposal: [Project name] for [Client]
Prepared by: [Your name, business]
Date: [Date]
Valid until: [Date]
1. Your situation
[In the client’s words: where they are now, what they want to achieve and why now.]
2. Objectives
[Objective, ideally measurable]
[Objective]
[Objective]
3. Our approach
Concept: [What happens and what the client sees]
Design development: [What happens and what the client sees]
Procurement: [What happens and what the client sees]
Installation: [What happens and what the client sees]
4. Deliverables
[Concept boards and layout]
[Detailed drawings and specification]
[Furniture, fixtures and equipment schedule]
[Site coordination through installation]
5. Timeline
Phase
Dates
Client input needed
Concept
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Design development
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Procurement
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Installation
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
6. Investment
Item
Description
Fee
Design concept
[Mood boards, layout and colour scheme]
[Fee]
Detailed design
[Joinery drawings and lighting plan]
[Fee]
Furniture and fittings
[Supplied at agreed price (see schedule)]
[Fee]
Project management
[Site visits and contractor coordination]
[Fee]
Total: [Amount, excluding tax]
Payment schedule: [e.g. 40% to start, 30% at milestone, 30% on completion]
7. Not included
[Building work by contractors]
[Structural changes]
[Delivery and storage beyond the agreed dates]
8. What we need from you
[Measurements and access to the space]
[A signed-off budget]
[Decisions on selections within agreed times]
9. Why us
[Two or three sentences and one relevant example or result. Keep it about the client’s problem.]
10. Next steps
[Sign below or reply to accept]
[Pay the deposit]
[Kickoff on date]
Accepted by: [Name, title]
Signature: [Signature]
Date: [Date]
How to fill it in
Write the client’s situation and goals in their own words, from your discovery call.
Turn goals into two or three objectives you can both recognise as success.
Set out your approach by phase and the deliverables at each step, such as “Concept boards and layout”.
Add a timeline that shows where you need the client’s input or approval.
Price the work by item or phase, with a payment schedule.
List exclusions and what you need from the client, then add a clear way to accept.
Use it in Word, Google Docs or PDF
Microsoft Word
Download the Word (.docx) file and open it. If Word opens it in Protected View, select Enable Editing.
Use Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for “[” to jump between the placeholders you need to replace.
Save a clean copy as a Word template (File → Save As → Word Template) so every new document starts from it.
Google Docs
Upload the .docx file to Google Drive.
Right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs, then File → Save as Google Docs to keep an editable copy.
Use File → Make a copy for each new client so your master stays clean.
PDF
Use Print or save as PDF in the template section above to print just the template, or fill it in Word or Google Docs first and export it (File → Save As → PDF in Word, File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs).
Example: Linden Interiors’s proposal for Harper & Co. Offices
Key sections from a proposal for a office reception and meeting room refit. Both companies are fictional.
Your situation
Harper & Co. Offices wants a office reception and meeting room refit. You told us the priority is getting it right first time, with clear approvals and no surprises on cost.
Our approach
Concept: Concept boards and layout
Design development: Detailed drawings and specification
Procurement: Furniture, fixtures and equipment schedule
Installation: Site coordination through installation
Investment
Item
Description
Qty / time
Rate
Amount
Design concept
Mood boards, layout and colour scheme
Fixed fee
$2,800.00
$2,800.00
Detailed design
Joinery drawings and lighting plan
Fixed fee
$3,400.00
$3,400.00
Furniture and fittings
Supplied at agreed price (see schedule)
1 item
$14,500.00
$14,500.00
Project management
Site visits and contractor coordination
12 hours
$95.00
$1,140.00
Total: $21,840.00 excluding tax
What we need from you
Measurements and access to the space
A signed-off budget
Decisions on selections within agreed times
Proposal mistakes that lose work
Starting with your history. The client cares about their problem first; your credentials belong near the end.
A template that reads like one. Replace every generic sentence with something specific to this client.
Hiding the price. If they can’t find it, they can’t say yes.
Vague deliverables. Specific deliverables make the proposal easier to approve and the project easier to run.
No follow-up. Agree when you’ll check in before you send it.
Angelwood’s proposal software builds proposals and agreements from your own templates, shows when the client has opened them and collects e-signatures, with a countersignature to execute the agreement.
Open with the client’s situation and goal in their own words. For a office reception and meeting room refit, that means the outcome they want, not the services you sell. It proves you listened before you start selling.
02
Make scope easy to approve.
List deliverables and exclusions plainly. For interior designers, the usual disputes start with building work by contractors.
03
One clear next step.
End with how to accept, the deposit and the kickoff date. A proposal that ends with “let us know” waits in an inbox.
The brief, design stages and deliverables, how many concept options and revisions, how purchasing works and any mark-up, the budget for goods, timeline, fees and deposits.
How long should a proposal be?+
As short as it can be while still defining the work. For most service projects, three to eight pages is enough. The client should be able to find the scope, price and next step in under a minute.
Should I put the price in a proposal?+
Yes. A proposal without a price can’t be accepted. Present it after the approach and value, broken into items or phases, and consider offering two or three options.
What’s the difference between a proposal and a contract?+
A proposal sells the work and sets out scope and price. A contract sets the legal terms. Many firms send a proposal that, once signed, incorporates their terms, or follow it with a separate agreement.
Can I edit this template in Word or Google Docs?+
Yes. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it in Microsoft Word, or upload it to Google Drive and choose Open with → Google Docs. There’s also a Markdown version for any text editor. No account or email address is needed.
How do I save it as a PDF?+
Fill it in, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs. On this page you can also print just the template or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print dialog.