The invisible work
Interior design is often perceived solely through its aesthetic outcome, overlooking the technical phases that precede it. A project passes through laborious and layered stages: millimetric spatial survey, verification of regulatory and structural constraints, functional distribution study, systems integration, lighting design, execution drawings for every constructive detail, on-site coordination of trades. The fee compensates this work and the responsibility inherent in intervening on significant investments. Errors generate multiplied costs, mid-project variations dilate schedules and budgets. Value resides in the capacity to anticipate, manage, resolve.
Assessment criteria
Each proposal stems from a specific analysis. The uniqueness of every context precludes the application of standard tariffs. The variables determining our engagement are multiple and interconnected:
- Scope of services: from preliminary design alone to complete site management, from bespoke furniture design to dedicated lighting schemes, through to final staging and outdoor space coordination.
- Depth of intervention: a targeted refresh of surfaces and furnishings versus comprehensive spatial redistribution entails radically different commitments.
- Timeline: a concentrated intervention over few months and one distributed across an extended timeframe allow different margins for depth and planning.
- Property context: intervening in listed historic buildings or contexts of particular distinction requires technical and bureaucratic sensibility different from recent or standardized properties. Geographic location also affects logistics: managing a project outside Milan demands more rigorous planning, continuous travel, reduced site presence.
- Outdoor spaces: terraces, gardens, and courtyards constitute autonomous projects that dialogue with interiors but require dedicated expertise, verification, and coordination. Complexity increases significantly when these surfaces approach the scale of interior rooms.
- Systems and regulatory framework: the necessity to upgrade existing systems, comply with current regulations, or integrate advanced technologies directly influences project complexity.
- Expected impact: we evaluate how the intervention will affect property value and daily living quality over time, relative to expectations and spatial habits.
Economic reference
The fee varies according to intervention intensity and nature:
- From 150 €/m²: targeted renewal interventions, such as surface and decorative updates, lighting corrections, furniture reorganization without structural masonry work.
- Up to 450 €/m²: comprehensive renovations involving complete spatial redistribution, total systems revision, bespoke furniture design, and site management from opening to completion.
Between these extremes lies a broad intermediate zone. As reference, the partial renovation of a 95 m² two-bedroom apartment in Milan's historic center, managed with medium-high detail level, resulted in a fee of approximately € 31,500. To guarantee our applied quality standard, we engage the studio's operational structure beyond a minimum threshold of € 10,000. Below this figure, the relationship between organizational complexity and expected outcome does not permit maintaining our defining standards.
From contact to contract
Before formulating an offer, we verify that prerequisites exist for a solid design process:
- Preliminary analysis: we assess property dimensions, primary objectives, budget order of magnitude.
- Initial meeting: we arrange a direct encounter—by phone, in studio, or on site—to align expectations and understand residential priorities.
- Documentation gathering: we request current floor plans, photographic and video material, budget and timeline confirmations. Sharing a concise list of functional priorities proves valuable: different light quality, dedicated work-from-home spaces, increased storage capacity, outdoor view enhancement.
- Formal proposal: we prepare documentation with detailed description of operational phases, included services, and corresponding fees.
- Contract: upon approval, we formalize engagement establishing deadlines, services, payment terms, and protection scope for both parties.
We treat all data with absolute confidentiality and, when requested, execute non-disclosure agreements.
Design compatibility
Every studio has its operational scope. Collaboration functions when alignment exists between method, expectations, and available investment. Design quality requires economic resources coherent with the desired intervention level. When available budget proves incompatible with standards necessary to realize the project according to expectations, recognizing this in preliminary phase demonstrates intellectual honesty and avoids compromises that would respect neither the client's vision nor our working criteria.
Investment protection
The home is an intervention that profoundly affects living quality. Clarity in proposal definition guarantees linear development where investment is protected and final result rigorously corresponds to shared vision.
