Free Interior Design Proposal Template
An interior design proposal covers project scope, recent work, deliverables, pricing, payment terms, and what happens when the scope changes.
A rendering can look right, then the contractor opens the walls and the budget jumps because the drawings never nailed the clearances, materials, and existing conditions. A client also doesn’t want to explain mid-permit why the plan changed to a landlord or an inspector, so an interior design proposal has to say what gets drawn, when decisions happen, and what the work costs.
Hoodline Studio moves a client through Overview, How I work, and Pricing before the signature, so the scope and the process land before the number does. The writing leans into permit-and-buildout realities, with sections on the deliverables that make pricing less guessy, plus terms that spell out the retainer, when the final set gets released, and how extra revisions get billed. Muted olive and a rose accent sit under Zilla Slab headings with Roboto body text, which keeps the document reading like plan sheets and decision blocks instead of a mood board.
- Overview Explains what the drawing set needs to include for permit and GC pricing, with emphasis on clearances, materials, and existing conditions.
- How I work Lays out the project steps and what the client supplies at each point, so constraints and approvals surface early.
- Pricing Introduces the tiering logic, then points to the priced item that carries the actual fee.
- Payment Spells out the retainer and release condition for the permit-ready PDF set, plus the billing rate for out-of-scope revisions.
- Changes to scope Defines what triggers a scope change, how revision rounds work, and how drawing ownership transfers after full payment.
Overview: Frames the job around permit-ready, bid-ready drawings and calls out the coordination points that usually cause change orders. How I work: Describes the sequence from test fit to field measure to drawing coordination, so decisions follow the order the building will force. Priced items: Prices the single Permit + pricing set item, with space for you to replace the template’s price. Payment: States the 50% retainer, the remaining balance due before releasing the permit-ready PDF set, and the hourly rate for revisions beyond the included rounds. Changes to scope: Explains how scope changes get priced before extra drawing time starts, and who owns the final drawings once paid in full.
We went from spending hours on every proposal to creating fully customized ones in under 5 minutes. That's not an exaggeration - we timed it.
What this proposal contains
1) Overview
Explains the goal of a permit-ready space plan set and a bid-ready package a GC can price without guessing. Names the constraints that drive the plan, like clearances, existing conditions, and coordination points.
2) A bit about me
Gives background that ties the work to plan review, contractor questions, and real-world existing suites. Positions the service around fewer surprises between concept, permit, and buildout.
3) Recent work
Introduces examples of prior permit-and-pricing plan sets for small commercial spaces. Works as a quick proof point before pricing.
4) Second-gen restaurant refresh
Describes a restaurant test fit against existing hood and grease routing, then permit-ready planning and ceiling/lighting coordination. Emphasizes that the bid and plan review stayed aligned off the same set.
5) Small clinic suite buildout
Covers planning around clearances and cleanability, then building a finish and fixture schedule that can be sourced and maintained. Focuses on making finishes practical for ongoing use.
6) Wellness tenant improvement
Describes field measuring an irregular suite, correcting the lease plan, and coordinating millwork and lighting early. Includes a client quote about fewer change orders and straightforward permit comments.
7) How I work
Explains the order decisions get made, and why pulling constraints forward protects pricing. Describes steps like the lease-plan test fit and field measure, with timing cues.
8) Lease-plan test fit
Lists the deliverables that come out of the early phase, including an as-built base plan and a permit-ready space plan set. Describes what each piece is for in permitting and pricing.
9) Finish schedule
Defines the finish schedule and the level of specificity needed for GC pricing and maintenance. Also covers lighting/RCP coordination and millwork drawings for pricing.
10) Pricing
Sets expectations around picking the smallest tier that clears permit, then stepping up for pricing-ready detail. Points the reader to the priced item that carries the actual fee.
11) Priced items
Holds the single priced item, Permit + pricing set, with the amount you replace before sending. Keeps selection fixed so the client approves the full package as written.
12) Get started
Explains what happens right after acceptance: signing, an intake checklist, sharing the lease plan and program list, and booking the field measure. Frames the next steps around keeping the permit clock moving.
13) Signature
Collects the client signature online to accept the proposal terms. Sits after scope and pricing so acceptance comes last.
14) Fee summary
Summarizes the fee numbers from the priced item in one place. Gives the client a final check before signing.
15) Payment
States the 50% retainer, the remaining 50% due before releasing the permit-ready PDF set, and the hourly rate for extra revisions. Lists what the designer needs from the client and how delays affect schedule.
16) Changes to scope
Explains how scope changes get priced before extra work starts, and how bid-set revision rounds are defined and handled. Covers drawing ownership after full payment and portfolio reuse of non-confidential excerpts.
Who it is for
Commercial interior designers quoting tenant improvements, restaurant refreshes, clinic suites, and other small-suite buildouts where permit timing and predictable GC pricing matter.
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Questions about this proposal
What should an interior design proposal include for a commercial buildout?
An interior design proposal usually covers the scope and deliverables, the process and timing, and the pricing and payment terms. This one also includes terms for revisions and a section on changes to scope so extra drawing time gets priced before it starts.
How do you keep drawings from turning into change orders during permit and buildout?
The proposal language focuses on calling out existing conditions, clearances, materials, and coordination points early, because those gaps are what turn into field questions later. The process section also makes room for field measurement and coordinated plan sets so the GC prices off verified information instead of a lease outline.
Do clients need to sign an interior design proposal before work starts?
A signature gives written acceptance of the scope, the fee, and the payment terms before design time gets booked. This template includes a signature section and a payment section that ties the remaining balance to releasing the permit-ready PDF set.
How do you handle revisions in a commercial interiors proposal?
This proposal defines included revision rounds as one compiled list returned as an updated set, and it prices revisions beyond the included rounds at an hourly rate. The changes-to-scope terms also cover pricing extra drawing time before the work happens when key inputs change.
What information does an interior designer need from the landlord for permitting?
The payment section names landlord design criteria, base-building drawings, and site access as inputs that need arranging before field measure and drawing work. The early workflow also points to confirming constraints and approvals before locking the test fit.
When is the final drawing set released under typical interior design payment terms?
This template’s payment terms take a 50% retainer to book the work, then require the remaining 50% before releasing the permit-ready PDF set. The same section notes that waiting on answers or approvals pushes the schedule by the same number of days.
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