Pricing guide · 2026
How much does interior design cost in Kenya?
Short answer: design-only work runs roughly KES 1,500–10,000 per square metre, and a full furnish-and-fit lands between KES 250,000 for a styled one-room job and KES 4 million+ for a complete apartment. The useful part is what follows, the things most cost articles skip: what moves those numbers, the costs that never reach the first quote, and how to tell a fair price from an inflated one.
The four ways designers price in Kenya
There's no fixed rate card here. Designers quote one of four ways, and knowing which you're being offered is the first step to comparing quotes honestly.
| Pricing model | Typical 2026 range (KES) | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Per square metre (design) | 1,500 – 10,000 / m² | Whole homes & offices |
| Flat fee per room | 25,000 – 150,000 / room | One or two rooms |
| Percentage of project | 10% – 20% of build cost | Large fit-outs & renovations |
| Hourly consultation | 5,000 – 45,000 / hour | Advice only, you implement |
Interrogate the per-square-metre figure. At the low end you're buying drawings and a shopping list. At the high end the fee includes sourcing, supplier negotiation, trade coordination and site supervision, the work that actually protects your budget once things start moving. Cheap design that leaves you to manage fundis alone often costs more after the mistakes are counted.
Interior design cost per room
These cover design plus a mid-range furnish: finishes, furniture and styling. Design-only is far less; imported, high-spec finishes push above the top of each range.
| Room | Mid-range furnish & fit (KES) |
|---|---|
| Living room | 150,000 – 600,000 |
| Master bedroom | 120,000 – 450,000 |
| Kitchen (design + cabinetry) | 250,000 – 1,200,000 |
| Home office | 80,000 – 300,000 |
| Bathroom refresh | 90,000 – 400,000 |
Full home and office fit-out budgets
| Project | Indicative budget (KES) |
|---|---|
| 1-bed apartment (full) | 600,000 – 1.8M |
| 2–3 bed apartment (full) | 1.2M – 4M |
| 4-bed maisonette / townhouse | 2.5M – 8M+ |
| Small office (up to 100 m²) | 800,000 – 3M |
| Airbnb / short-let styling | 250,000 – 900,000 |
Design-only vs full fit: the biggest cost lever
The decision that moves your number most isn't which designer you pick, it's how much you ask them to deliver.
- Design-only gives you the concept, layout, colour and material scheme, and a shopping list. You buy and install. Lowest cost, most of your time and risk.
- Design and supply adds sourcing. You arrange installation, but the designer protects you on price and spec.
- Full design-and-fit is done-for-you: design, sourcing, trades, supervision and handover. Highest cost, lowest risk, one accountable party.
On a busy schedule, or for a rental that needs to start earning, full fit usually pays for itself in time and avoided errors. For a patient owner doing one room, design-only is the efficient choice.
Designer vs fundi vs in-house: what each really costs
Most Kenyan clients weigh a design studio against simply hiring a fundi directly. The honest trade-off:
- A fundi direct is cheapest up front, no design fee, and fine for a simple, well-referenced job. The hidden cost is coordination: you become the project manager, and a mismatched finish or wrong bulk order lands on you.
- A design studio charges a fee but absorbs that coordination and buys at trade prices you usually can't access. The fee earns out fastest on bigger or higher-spec projects.
- An in-house designer only makes sense for developers and hospitality groups with continuous work; the fixed salary needs constant volume to justify.
The hidden costs most quotes leave out
The gap between the quote and the final bill is almost always one of these. Ask about each before you sign.
- VAT at 16%: confirm whether the quote includes it. On a 2M project that's 320,000 shillings.
- Transport and delivery: moving cabinetry and furniture from Industrial Area, Gikomba or a workshop to site, and up an apartment with no service lift.
- Site variations: the "while you're here" additions once work starts. Hold a 10–15% contingency.
- Strip-out and disposal: removing old fittings or ceilings and carting the rubble away.
- Supervision: if it's not in the fee, unsupervised fundis are where budgets quietly leak.
- Management or county approvals: many apartment blocks require approval and a deposit before works; some plumbing or structural changes need county sign-off.
What materials cost, and which fail in Kenyan conditions
Material choice is where a designer saves or wastes your money, because the cheapest option is often the most expensive once it warps, fades or peels.
- Cabinetry boards: MDF is smooth and cheap but swells with any water contact, a real risk in Kenyan kitchens and at the coast. Blockboard and marine ply cost more and last far longer in wet zones; solid wood is premium, 2–3× the price.
- Ceilings: gypsum runs about KES 2,000–3,500 per square metre installed (simple flat from 1,200; layered or coffered 4,000–6,000). PVC is cheaper and moisture-proof but reads less premium.
- Finishes: imported tiles, wallpaper and lighting typically cost 2–3× local equivalents and carry weeks of lead time. Sun fade is real, cheap fabrics and paints near big windows age fast.
- Office partitions: aluminium-and-glass partitioning runs roughly KES 4,000–8,000 per square metre depending on glazing.
Six signs you're being overcharged
- No written, itemised quotation or BOQ, just a lump-sum "supply and fix" figure.
- A deposit above 50% before any drawings or work.
- Full payment for materials demanded up front, with no receipts.
- No contract, scope document or timeline.
- Prices quoted without saying whether VAT and transport are included.
- Pressure to decide "today" for a discount.
How to set a realistic budget
Fund the room that matters most, usually the living room or kitchen, properly, rather than spreading a thin budget across every room. Keep a 10–15% contingency for variations. Furnishing a short-let? Spend where guests photograph and notice, and save on what they don't.
For our actual packages and starting prices see pricing & packages. Every project gets a free, itemised quote before work begins, and you can see how a project runs on our process page.
Interior design cost FAQ
How much does an interior designer charge in Kenya?
For design only, expect KES 1,500–4,000 per square metre at entry and mid level, and KES 5,000–10,000+ per square metre for established studios. Designers also price per room (KES 25,000–150,000) or as 10–20% of total project cost on larger fit-outs. The fee rises with how much sourcing and site supervision is included, not just drawing skill.
Is it cheaper to hire a fundi directly instead of a designer?
On paper yes, you skip the design fee. In practice the saving often disappears into rework, wrong materials ordered in bulk, and finishes that don't match. A designer earns the fee back on larger or higher-spec jobs, because one avoided mistake (a wrong 60,000-shilling cabinet run) usually exceeds the fee. For one simple room on a tight budget, a good fundi with a clear reference image can be the right call.
Why are two quotes for the same room so different?
Usually because one is design-only and the other includes furniture, finishes and labour, or one uses local materials and the other imported. Compare scope line by line. A 150,000 and a 600,000-shilling quote can both be honest, for very different deliverables.
Does interior design cost more in Nairobi than the rest of Kenya?
Design fees are similar countrywide, but Nairobi has the widest range of suppliers and price points, so it's usually easier to hit a target budget there. Coastal projects (Mombasa, Diani) often cost more for the same look because of humidity-rated materials and transport.
What is a normal budget for interior design?
A useful rule of thumb is 7–15% of a property's value for a full interior, or simply funding your priority rooms properly and holding a 10–15% contingency. In Kenyan terms, plan from around KES 250,000 for a styled one-room job up to KES 1.2M–4M for a complete 2–3 bed apartment. Tell us your budget and we design to it rather than against it.
What is the 3-5-7 rule in interior design?
It's a guide for grouping decor: arrange objects in odd numbers, in clusters of three, five or seven, because odd groupings read as more natural and balanced than even ones. We use it when styling shelves, coffee tables and mantels so a room feels finished rather than staged.
What is the 70/30 rule in interior design?
Split a scheme roughly 70% dominant style or colour and 30% secondary or accent. It keeps a room cohesive while leaving room for character, the bold cushion, the brass light, the feature wall, without the space feeling busy.
Is hiring an interior designer worth it in Kenya?
It's worth it when the project is large, the finishes are costly, or you can't afford a mistake (a rental that needs to earn, an office that must open on a date). The fee is harder to justify on a one-room cosmetic refresh under about KES 150,000.
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Free and itemised, design fees, finishes and furniture, all in Kenyan shillings, with VAT and transport stated.