How Much Does It Cost To Start an Interior Decorating Business?

Is An Interior Decoration Business Profitable?

Yes, interior decorating can be an extremely profitable business. In fact, the global interior design and decor industry is estimated to reach a value of USD 175.74 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.1% between 2024-2030. This means that the demand for interior decorators is only going to continue to rise – and there’s never been a better time to start your own interior decorating business!

Of course, as with any business, your success will ultimately depend on a variety of factors – including your experience level, marketing efforts, and niche market. But if you’re passionate about interior decorating and willing to put in the work, there’s no reason you can’t achieve success in this field.

Is It Hard To Start an Interior Decorating Business?

While starting any business can be challenging, interior decorating is a relatively easy industry to break into. In terms of experience, you certainly don’t need a degree in design to start your own company. However, it’s important to have some knowledge of the basics – including color theory, furniture selection, and layout principles.

If you don’t have any experience in interior decorating, we recommend taking a reputable certification course before starting your business. This will help ensure that you have the necessary skills to succeed in this competitive industry!

Interior Decorating Startup Costs: What Do I Need To Start My Business?

To start a business, there are a few key things you’ll need in place first. These include:

In addition to the above, you’ll also need to invest in a few key supplies and pieces of equipment. These are essential for running your interior decorating business smoothly and efficiently. Here’s a general list of what you’ll need:

Interior Decorating Business Expenses

As we mentioned earlier, starting your own interior decorating business can be quite costly. To begin, let’s take a look at the 2 main types of expenses you’ll encounter as a business owner:

1. One-time startup expenses, and
2. Recurring monthly expenses.

The 8 Categories for Your Estimated Business Expenses

To get an even better understanding of how much it costs to start your interior decorating business, we’ve broken down all the estimated expenses into 8 categories:

1. Business formation expenses
2. Equipment + supply expenses
3. Software expenses
4. Office space expenses
5. Website costs
6. Advertising + marketing costs
7. Employee expenses
8. Freelancer expenses

1 – Business Formation Expenses

When starting your interior decorating business, the first thing you’ll need to do is choose the legal structure of your business. Will you operate as a sole proprietorship, limited liability company (LLC), or corporation?

The type of business entity you choose will affect how much money you’ll need to spend on formation expenses. This is because there are fees associated with registering your business. Moreover, they can vary depending on the type of business you have, as well as your location.

For example, if you’re starting a sole proprietorship in the United States, you can expect to pay around $50-$500 to register your business. Whereas, if you’re starting an LLC (Limited Liability Company), you can expect to pay anywhere from $100-$800.

To get a better idea of how to go about registering your specific business type in your state, we recommend checking out this handy article by UpCounsel. Here are some additional resources, should you reside elsewhere:

Assuming that you’re starting a small interior decorating business by yourself, we’ll estimate that it will cost you roughly $200 to register your business.

Total Estimate for Business Formation Expenses

2 – Equipment + Supply Expenses

Essential Supplies

To start, you’ll need to stock up on some essential supplies, such as paintbrushes, painter’s tape, drop cloths, etc. For a complete list of painting supplies, we recommend checking out this article by Benjamin Moore.

Equipment

The costs for these will depend on where you source them from. For instance, you can find decent quality samples at your local home improvement store for a relatively low cost. However, if you want higher-end samples, you’ll need to purchase them from a specialty retailer – which can get pricey.

Assuming that you already have some of the basic equipment (e.g. laptop, printer, etc.), we’ll estimate that it will cost you around $500 to purchase the necessary supplies and equipment for your interior decorating business.

Total Estimate for Equipment + Supply Expenses

NOTE: The cost of painting supplies will also vary depending on the quality of products you use. If you want to use high-end supplies, you can expect to pay more money.

Again, remember that these are only estimates. The actual cost of supplies and equipment will vary depending on the type and size of projects you take on. For example, if you plan on working on large commercial projects, you’ll need to purchase more expensive equipment, such as scaffolding.

3 – Software Expenses

To help you run your interior decorating business smoothly, it’s strongly recommended that you invest in various software programs. These can include everything from accounting and invoicing software to project management software.

Not only will these programs make your life easier – they’ll also help you save time and money in the long run! For instance, by using accounting software, you can keep track of your finances with ease, instead of hiring an accountant to do it for you.

When choosing which software programs to invest in, be sure to pick ones that fit your specific business needs. There’s no need to break the bank by purchasing every single program on the market. Typically, software programs can range anywhere from $0-$100 per month, depending on the features and functionality you need.

Software Recommendations

Total Estimate for Software Expenses

4 – Office Space Expenses

Starting an Interior Decorating Business in a Commercial Space

If you plan on running your interior decorating business out of a commercial space, there are a few things you need to take into consideration. First and foremost, you’ll need to factor in the cost of rent. Depending on the size and location of your office space, rent can range anywhere from $500-$5000 per month.

In addition to rent, you’ll also need to account for utilities (e.g. electricity, water, etc.), as well as the cost of furnishing your office space. For example, if you plan on meeting with clients in your office, you’ll need to purchase chairs, a table, and possibly some artwork or plants to spruce up the place!

Lastly, don’t forget about internet and phone expenses. If you want to be accessible to your clients, you’ll need to have a reliable business phone line and high-speed internet connection.

Starting an Interior Decorating Business from Home

On the other hand, if you plan on running your interior decorating business from home, then you won’t have to worry about the cost of rent or utilities. However, you’ll need to set aside a designated space in your home where you can work uninterrupted. This could be anything from a spare room to a corner in your living room!

In addition, although it’s not required, we recommend investing in some basic office furniture for your home office. This can include items like a desk, chair, and filing cabinet. Trust us – having proper office furniture will make a world of difference in your productivity and overall work experience!

Total Estimate for Office Space Expenses

5 – Website Costs

Having a professional website is absolutely essential for the success of your interior decorating businesses. Not only will a website help you attract new clients; it’ll also give you a platform to showcase your work and build credibility in the industry.

So, how much does it cost to create a website? Well, that depends on a few factors! For instance, are you going to create the website yourself or hire someone to do it for you? Do you need hosting and/or domain services? How many pages do you need?

On average, most small businesses spend between $500-$2000 on their websites. However, if you’re on a tight budget, there are plenty of DIY website builder platforms (e.g. Wix, Squarespace, Weebly) that you can use to create a website for less than $100!

Total Estimate for Website Costs

6 – Advertising + Marketing Costs

One of the key ingredients to success is advertising and marketing. After all, how else are you supposed to let people know about your interior decorating business and attract new clients?

There are a multitude of different ways that you can market your interior decorating business. That said, some methods will obviously be more effective (and more expensive) than others. TV commercials, print ads, and social media ads (such as on YouTube or TikTok) can be a bit costly. However, they also reach a wide audience and can generate a lot of buzz for your business!

On the other hand, targeted online ads and social media campaigns tend to be more budget-friendly. That said, with a smaller budget comes a smaller audience reach. So, that’s definitely something to keep in mind.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide which marketing channels makes the most sense for your specific interior decorating business. As a general rule of thumb, though, you should expect to spend around 10.6% of your company budget on marketing – which can cost as little as $100 to as much as $10,000 per month, depending on your revenue.

Total Estimate for Advertising + Marketing Costs

7. Employee Expenses

If you plan on hiring employees to help you with your interior decorating business, then you’ll need to factor in the cost of their salaries and benefits. The amount you’ll need to budget for will depend on how many employees you plan on hiring and what their job roles will be.

Assuming that you’re just starting out and won’t need a lot of help, we recommend budgeting for one part-time administrative assistant. Given that (in light of recent inflation) the current living wage sits at an average of $25.02 per hour, let’s say that you would be paying this admin assistant $25/hour for 20 hours per week. This comes out to a total of $2000 per month.

Now, if you were to add full-time employees (e.g. designers, project managers, etc.) to your team, we’d recommend budgeting for $4000-$8000 per month. And obviously, the more members you add to your team, the higher this monthly figure will get.

Total Estimate for Employee Expenses

8 – Freelancer Expenses

In addition to (or instead of) hiring employees, you may also need to hire freelancers to help with specific tasks and projects. For instance, you may need to hire a freelance graphic designer to help with your website or a freelance writer to help with your blog.

The cost of hiring freelancers will obviously vary depending on the specific skillset and experience that you’re looking for. That said, you can expect to pay anywhere from $20-$100+ per hour for most freelancers. According to Indeed, as of January 2nd, 2025, the average hourly freelancer rate in the United States is USD $47.71/hour. So, for the sake of this article, we’ll assume you would be paying your freelancer(s) $47/hour.

Total Estimate for Freelancer Expenses

So, How Much Does It Cost To Start an Interior Decorating Business?

Now that we’ve gone through all of the different expenses you need to consider when starting an interior decorating business, let’s do a quick recap of everything:

As you can see, there are A LOT of different factors that go into starting an interior decorating business – and the cost can vary quite a bit. Ultimately, the amount of money YOU’LL need to start your business (as well as spend on a monthly basis) will depend on a variety of factors, including the size and scope of your business, where you’re located, and whether you plan on hiring employees or freelancers.

Keep all of these factors in mind as you create your business plan and budget for your new business. And speaking of your business plan, let’s take a quick look at that next!

Starting a Design Business: Your Business Plan

A business plan is a roadmap for your business that outlines your goals, strategies, and how you plan on achieving them. It’ll help you stay organized and on track as you grow your company. Plus, if you’re looking to get funding from your bank or an investor, you’ll need to have a business plan in place.

Not sure where to start? Don’t worry! Here’s a breakdown of all the pertinent information your business plan should cover:

This is all just a basic outline of what should be included in your business plan. For more detailed instructions on how to write a business plan, check out this helpful article from the Small Business Administration. There’s also this free business plan template, courtesy of Shopify.

Funding Your Interior Decorating Business

If you’re looking to start an interior decorating business, you’ll need to start thinking about how you’re going to fund it. There are a few different options available to small business owners when it comes to funding, including loans, credit cards, and personal savings.

Let’s take a look at each of these options in more detail:

Loans

There are a variety of different loans available to small business owners, including SBA-backed loans and private loans. If you’re looking to take out a loan, just be sure to shop around and compare interest rates before making your decision.

Credit Cards

Utilizing a credit card can be a great option if you have good credit and can qualify for a low interest rate. However, it’s important to be aware of the potential risks associated with using credit cards to fund your business, as you could end up with a lot of debt if you’re not careful.

Private Lenders

Private lenders are usually individuals or businesses that are willing to lend money to small businesses in exchange for an equity stake in the company. This can be a great option if you’re unable to qualify for a loan from a traditional lender, but it’s important to be aware of the risks involved.

Personal Savings

If you don’t want to take on any debt, then you could always fund your interior decorating business with your own personal savings. This is often the safest option, as you won’t have to worry about making loan payments or accruing interest. However, it’s important to make sure that you have enough saved up to cover ALL of your start-up costs, as well as any unexpected expenses that might come up.

Conclusion

Starting an interior decorating business can be a great way to turn your passion for design into a successful career. However, it’s important to be aware of the costs and expenses associated with starting a business before you make the decision to jump in. At the end of the day, though, if you’re passionate about event planning and are willing to put in the hard work, then we believe the investment is definitely worth it!

We hope that this article has given you a better understanding of how much it costs to start an interior decorating business. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below. And if you found this article helpful, be sure to share it with your friends!

Helpful Resources