Terms and conditions for an interior designer

An interior designer sells a design and then buys, coordinates and chases items the client will hold the designer responsible for. The terms have to separate design fees from procurement, say on what basis goods are bought and who pays for them, keep contractors as the client's, control approvals and variations, and deal with the bespoke item the client cancels after it has been made. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Interior designers and design practices in England and Wales working on residential projects for homeowners, who are consumers, and commercial projects for hospitality, retail and office clients, who are businesses. The terms are written for both.

What matters in interior design terms

Design fees, stages and approvals

The terms should define the design service by stages (brief, concept, developed design, specification), the fee for each and the approvals that close each stage, and say that changes after approval are variations charged at stated rates. A concept the client approved is the basis for everything that follows, and the terms should say so.

Procurement and buying on the client's behalf

Where the designer sources furniture, fabrics and fittings, the terms should say on what basis: as the client's agent with the client paying suppliers, or as a reseller with the designer buying and reselling, and whether a procurement fee or a margin is charged and how it is disclosed. Goods bought for the client are paid for in advance, lead times are the suppliers' and are estimates, and the terms should say that natural materials vary from samples. Where the designer resells to a consumer, the goods must be of satisfactory quality and as described under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Contractors and works

The designer does not build. The terms should say that builders, decorators, electricians and joiners are engaged by the client directly, that the designer may recommend and coordinate them without being responsible for their work, timing or pricing, and that the client contracts with them on their own terms. A designer who lets the client believe the builder is theirs has taken on the risk of a building contract without its price. Where the designer prepares drawings for building work, the designer duties in regulation 9 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 apply, and the terms should say that the designer meets them for its own design only.

Cancellation, bespoke items and consumers

A homeowner who engages a designer at home or by email has a fourteen-day cancellation right under regulation 29 of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 until work starts at their express request; goods made to the client's specification are excluded from the right by regulation 28 once ordered, and the terms and order paperwork should say which items are bespoke and non-cancellable. Business clients are governed by the terms alone.

Ownership, photographs, fees and liability

Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 the designs remain the designer's, licensed to the client for the project, and the terms should say so and reserve the right to photograph the finished project for the designer's portfolio with the client's agreement. Fees are staged and invoiced at each stage with procurement funds in advance, and business clients pay interest and fixed compensation on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. Liability should be capped at the design fees, with consequential loss excluded, tested for reasonableness under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 and not applied against a consumer's statutory rights.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Email me at geoffrey@caesar.co.uk with what you need and any documents, and I will confirm the scope and the fee in writing, usually the same working day.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

The client cancelled a bespoke sofa after the supplier had made it. Who pays?

If the terms and the order recorded the item as made to the client's specification and non-cancellable, the client. The supplier's terms with you or the client will say the same, and the deposit should have covered it.

The builder the client used from our list did a poor job. Are we responsible?

If the terms say contractors are engaged by the client directly and that the designer is not responsible for their work, no. Recommending is not warranting, and the terms should say so.

Can the client use our drawings to have the work done by someone else?

The terms should licence the designs for the project only, so that the client may use them to have the work done, and prohibit reuse elsewhere. A licence for the project is what the client bought.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a branding and design agency
• Terms and conditions for a kitchen and bathroom fitter

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.