Analysis // Charging for design


S


peaking at last year’s KBSA Conference, architect and TV presenter George Clarke called on the KBB industry to unite over charging for their design services. His argument was that if retailers aren’t already doing it then they’re undervaluing the time, skill and creativity involved in the


whole design process. “As an architect, I charge for everything,” he told attendees, continuing: “I can


see why it’s tricky for kitchen and bathroom designers, because you’re providing a product and the design is part of that. But it’s not right that people walk off with your work and then go to someone else…” As a solution, Clarke raised a decent point: KBB retailers need to use some joined- up thinking and either all agree to charge for design, or all agree not to (which, let’s be honest, is never going to happen in a million years), to help set a standard expectation for clients. So although the debate about whether you should or shouldn’t charge for design


has raged on seemingly since the dawn of the KBB industry itself, if people like Clarke insist retailers should do it, that presents a new question: what’s the most ideal way to charge for your design work? To find out, we pitched the question to our pool of expert retailers, and although


everyone apparently has their own tried and tested methods, in the end, it seems most people fall into just one of a few camps…


Model one // Flat fees Route one // Standard rates


Of all of the models that our contributors mentioned, charging clients a flat fee per design or room seems like arguably the most straightforward route. For example, Luke Niblett, owner at Luxe Kitchen Designs, says he generally


charges a fee of £300, although that does sometimes fluctuate higher or lower depending on the job. “The majority of clients are fine once we explain that we spend a lot of time,


effort and resources putting client designs together,” he explains. “We charge for our designs not to make money but more as a test to see if a client is right for our company or not. The ones that do object do not see the value that we offer as designers and they are more suited to going to a larger retailer.” Martina Landhed says InStil Design uses a similar process, although her


bathroom design fees start from £325 and then continue to scale depending on the specifics of the project or space. For example, after a complimentary design brief meeting and payment of an engagement fee, InStil charges slightly extra for a “non-standard bathroom” at £365, and this increases further to £550 if the design is created by Landhed herself, as the studio’s creative design director. On paper, this sounds quite similar to the sliding fee scale that professions like


solicitors use for their consultancy fees, where more senior partners sometimes charge a higher premium for their work because of their tenure and expertise. “Our core clients understand and value both our time and expertise. They come to


us for a high level of service, product knowledge, and a smooth, stress-free process, which is reflected in our full-service offering,” Landhed says. “Occasionally, some clients question the engagement fee, particularly if they


have encountered ‘free design’ elsewhere. In those cases, they are often not our target clientele. That said, in certain situations (a couple of projects per year), such as smaller-value bathroom projects or referral clients, we may agree in advance to offset the engagement fee against the final balance.” Meanwhile, Unique Solutions’ MD Mark Newman says he doesn’t technically


charge for design, but that a cost of £650 is built-in to every project, and the studio only creates a CAD design if it knows the job is going to go ahead anyway.


>


We charge for our designs not to make


money, but more as a test to see if a client is right for our company or not


Luke Niblett "


May 2026


kbbreview


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