Interior design project for an apartment - before the renovation starts

What an apartment interior design project includes

A design project can be of different scope. The simplest is a layout: where the furniture, the kitchen, the bathroom fittings and the doors go. A fuller project includes 3D visualisations, to see the room before the renovation, and drawings that the tradespeople work from: wall layouts for tiles, a ceiling plan, an electrical points plan. Another level is a list of materials and furniture with specific products.

• Layout: the placement of rooms and furniture.
• 3D visualisations: how the room will look with the chosen finish.
• Drawings: sockets, switches and light points, tile layout, ceilings, plumbing positions.
• Materials and furniture list: what, how much and where.

Interior design and the renovation estimate

The interior design of an apartment directly affects the renovation price. The number of electrical points from the drawing is a line in the estimate: a socket, switch or light point from €12 per point. The tile area from the wall layout is the amount of tiling: from €24/m². Large-format tiles and patterns cost more than ordinary tiling. The more decisions are made in the project, the fewer “by estimate” lines remain.

A project is also useful if you choose the materials yourself: you have a list of what to buy, and the tradespeople have a drawing to work from. For how an estimate is built, see the page renovation estimate.

What a design can and cannot change in an apartment

An interior project itself, which does not include renovation, reconstruction or demolition work, needs no construction intention documents. If the project provides for demolishing a wall, making a new opening or moving the bathroom, that part is replanning, and it may need a construction notice or an explanatory memorandum. More on the page apartment replanning.

The apartment property includes non-load-bearing partitions, the finish of walls, ceilings and floors, doors and utilities up to the common property risers. Load-bearing walls, walls between apartments, floor slabs, windows in external walls and the building's engineering systems are common property; changing them needs the association's consent, although the owner may change windows at their own expense, in agreement with the building manager.

The kitchen, bathroom and ventilation in the project

In apartment buildings, sanitary rooms are placed above similar rooms. Above the living rooms of the apartment below they are permitted if the requirements for soundproofing, waterproofing, thermal insulation, fire safety, ventilation and safety are met. If the bathroom moves in the design, this must be taken into account already in the layout.

The kitchens, toilets, bathrooms and shower rooms of residential buildings are ventilated through natural extract ducts. If the room has a gas hob or another gas appliance and there is no constant air exchange, it is prohibited to connect a mechanical ventilation unit to a natural ventilation duct. This affects the choice of a cooker hood in a kitchen with a gas hob.

How a design project connects with the renovation

1. Measuring Room dimensions, ceiling height, windows, doors, the positions of risers and ventilation ducts.
2. Layout The placement of furniture and equipment, and a decision on whether the layout changes.
3. Visualisations and finish If they are needed, the choice of finish for the rooms.
4. Drawings and list Electrical points, tile layouts, ceilings, material quantities.
5. Estimate and renovation A list of work and an estimate are drawn up from the drawings, then the renovation starts.

How much does an interior design project for an apartment cost?

Design project: price by estimate. It is determined by the apartment area in m², whether you need only a layout or also 3D visualisations and drawings, and whether you need a list of materials and furniture. In your request, write the area, the rooms and what kind of project you want.

The renovation carried out to the project is priced as other work is: cosmetic renovation from €100/m², full renovation from €280/m², turnkey renovation from €600/m² of apartment area. Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate.