3 Important Reasons To Use An Interior Design Contract For All Projects +Editable Contract Template!
If you’re just starting your own interior design business, or trying to build your portfolio before officially launching a business, you might be wondering if you really need to use a contract on your first few projects. Obviously, contracts are important for big designers who charge thousands of dollars, but what about when you’re only practicing your design services as a beginner? Surely, you don’t need a full interior design contract just to help out some friends and family with their homes, right?
Wrong. I’m here to explain exactly why you should use a contract for literally all interior design projects you take on, and share the exact contract template I use in my own residential design business.
Importance of Interior Design Contracts
No matter how much of a newbie you are or how many years of experience you have - an interior design contract is a legal document that outlines critical information for you as a service provider. It is an absolute must.
Contracts are there to:
protect you in case of a client dispute or unforeseen challenge with the design
establish you as the authority and gain respect from your client
outline the terms of what it looks like to work with you
You can never predict exactly how a project will go, so an interior design contract with clear terms will protect you from unreasonable circumstances - like revising your work a ton of times, covering the cost of materials, or even if the client chooses to end the project unexpectedly and doesn’t want to pay you for the work you’ve already done. These issues come up when you least expect it, and it’s crucial that your business does not suffer because you chose to forego a contract!
But let me be clear, it’s not all about the negative experiences - using an interior design contract gives you a huge boost in professionalism and paints you as the authority with a new client. So even if you are doing a simple project for family, I highly recommend drafting up a contract so you can practice discussing it and following it with your client.
Let me answer two common questions I get from women who are just starting their own interior design businesses:
Do Beginner Interior Designers Need To Use a Contract?
YES. You should use a contract for literally all design work - even if it’s for practice working with a friend or family member. You just never know what type of relationship you will end up having with a client, and you need to have even the simplest of terms laid out in a legally binding document.
Should You Use An Interior Design Contract Even For Unpaid Work?
YES. Contracts aren’t just for outlining payment details - they position you as the authority by starting out your relationship with a new client in a professional way. The contract is the first document detailing the working relationship you will have throughout a design project - you’ll want to include things like your scope of work, the client’s budget for project materials, number of revisions, communication expectations, and more (if you’re wondering what should be included in an interior design contract, read more below).
So, even if you are using an opportunity to work with a friend or family member for free while you are building your interior design portfolio, using a contract will still protect you and hold the client to reasonable standards throughout the project. Plus, it’s great practice to consider which elements really belong in your business’s contract and how you will explain the contract to your client.
→ If you haven’t officially launched your own interior design business yet, check out this post for the top 5 reasons you should get started.
What Should An Interior Design Contract Include?
Design contracts (sometimes called “proposals” or “agreements”) should include all of the relevant information to clearly outline what you will provide to the client, how the client will pay you, and what is permitted/not permitted throughout the design process.
This looks different for each and every business owner, and I absolutely advise you to consult a professional attorney to create or revise your business’s contract. I am not providing legal advice to you; however, I can share a few examples of some of the topics covered in my own design contracts:
Scope of work
Client’s furniture budget
Pay rate & procurement
Cost of goods, custom order items, freight & shipping
Installation & reveal
Photography
Revisions & drawings
Termination & communication
Deliverables & disclaimers
+ more!
If you’re interested in seeing the exact interior design contract I use for my own clients (+gain access to the editable template), check it out here.
How To Write An Interior Design Contract
By now, I hope you see the value in using a contract for literally all of the design projects you take on - paid or unpaid. So your next step (if you haven’t already done so) will be to draft up a contract for your business. As I already mentioned, you should absolutely consult a professional attorney for this process - I am not giving you legal advice for how to write an interior design contract in this post. I am simply stressing the importance of utilizing contracts to protect yourself as a professional designer.
But, if you are looking for interior design contract templates, I’ve got you covered inside of my monthly coaching membership. You’ll receive absolutely everything you need to onboard a client with ease - including an expert lesson on how to write an interior design contract for your own business +an editable contract template that you can start using TODAY! All of this, plus tons more content and 1:1 priority coaching from me, is there to support you on your journey of starting and running your own residential design business.
Check it out today and claim your spot!