Whether you have just received the keys to a grey structure or want to redo a twenty-year-old house, residential interior design brings the whole home together: layouts, wardrobes, kitchen, ceilings, lighting, colours and furniture.
What's included
| Scope item | What it covers | Typical deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Space planning | Furniture layouts for every room, circulation, storage zones | 2D layout plans |
| Concept and style | Theme, colour palette, material direction | Mood board, 3D views |
| Woodwork | Wardrobes, TV units, vanities, doors, wall panelling | Joinery drawings and specs |
| Ceilings and lighting | False ceilings, cove light, spots, fan points, switch positions | Reflected ceiling plan, lighting layout |
| Wall and floor finishes | Paint, wallpaper, cladding, rugs, floor finish touch-ups | Finish schedule |
| Furniture and soft furnishings | Sofas, beds, dining, curtains, blinds | Furniture schedule or procurement list |
| Site supervision | Coordination of trades, quality checks, snagging | Site visit log, snag list |
You can hire a designer for only the design stages, or for the full turnkey package.
When you need it
- A new house or flat at the finishing stage, before woodwork and electrical points are fixed
- A full renovation where rooms are being repurposed
- When you have bought a resale house and want to change the layout and look
- Before a family event when several rooms need to be ready together
The best time to bring in a designer is before electrical and plumbing points are finalised. Moving points later is wasteful.
Step-by-step process
- Brief. Share the house size, number of rooms, family needs (elderly parents, children, guests) and a budget range.
- Site measurement. The designer measures every room and notes windows, beams, columns and existing points.
- Layouts. You approve furniture layouts and storage before anything else.
- Concept and 3D views. Usually for the drawing room, lounge, master bedroom and kitchen.
- Material schedule. Board type, laminate or veneer, hardware, paint, ceiling material and lighting fixtures listed room by room.
- Quotation. An itemised quote you can compare with others.
- Working drawings. Shared with carpenters, ceiling and electrical teams.
- Execution in sequence. Electrical points, ceilings, paint base coats, woodwork installation, final paint, lights, then furniture and curtains.
- Snagging and handover. Joint inspection, defect list, fixes, then final payment.
Approvals and documents
Interior work that stays inside the existing walls generally does not need building approval. If the plan involves removing walls, cutting slabs, adding a room or changing the elevation, involve a registered architect and check your society or authority rules first. Under the PCATP Ordinance, professional architectural work is restricted to people on the Council's register (PCATP Hand Book).
What affects the cost
There is no fixed published rate for home interiors in Lahore, so collect written quotes. The main cost drivers are:
- Covered area and number of rooms included in the scope
- Material grade for woodwork: board type, edge banding, laminate versus veneer, solid wood
- Hardware: hinges, drawer channels and handles vary a lot in price and life
- Ceiling and lighting design: plain ceilings cost less than layered designs with cove and spot lights
- Custom versus ready-made furniture
- Site condition: an occupied home slows work down
- Design fee basis: per square foot, lump sum or a percentage of execution
For background, reported finishing costs for Lahore houses are given per square foot of covered area and differ widely between standard and premium specifications (Houseplot construction rate data, October 2026). Interiors usually decide which end of that range you land on.
Questions to ask the designer
- Can I see a completed home you have done, not only renders?
- Is the design fee separate from execution, and what does it include?
- How many revision rounds and 3D views are included?
- Which items are made by your team and which are sub-contracted?
- What board, laminate and hardware specifications are in the quote?
- What warranty do you give on woodwork and fittings?
- Who will be on site each day, and how will you report progress?
- What is the payment schedule, and what is held until handover?
Red flags
- A quote with lump sums per room and no material specifications
- Pressure to pay a large advance before layouts are approved
- No working drawings, only 3D images
- Suggestions to remove walls without an engineer's input
- No snagging step or written warranty
FAQs
How long does a full home interior take? It depends on the number of rooms, the amount of custom woodwork and how quickly you approve designs. Ask for a written schedule split into design and execution phases.
Can I do the interior in phases? Yes. Many families finish the kitchen, master bedroom and drawing room first. Ask the designer to plan electrical and ceiling work for the whole house at once so later phases do not require breaking finished work.
Should the designer buy the furniture? That is your choice. If they do, ask for supplier invoices and clarify whether a procurement fee is added.
What if I already have an architect? Share the architect's drawings with the interior designer. The two should agree on electrical points, ceiling heights and any built-in items early.
Sources
- PCATP Hand Book — Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners
- Houseplot construction rate data (October 2026) — finishing cost per square foot context