6 Interior Design Contract Gotchas
- Design Ownership Rights: HIGH Designer may retain copyright to all designs, drawings, and specifications. You may not reuse designs in other projects
- Procurement Markups: HIGH 20-40% markup on furniture and materials is standard but often undisclosed. You pay designer's price, not retail
- Trade Discount Retention: MEDIUM Designer keeps trade discounts (often 30-50% off retail) as compensation. You don't benefit from their buying power
- Scope Creep Billing: MEDIUM Changes and additional meetings billed hourly. "A few small changes" can add thousands
- Vendor Commission Conflicts: HIGH Designer may receive kickbacks from recommended vendors without disclosure
- Project Timeline Flexibility: MEDIUM Delays due to vendor backorders or contractor issues may extend timeline indefinitely without penalty