Interior design studio blog Notes on running a design studio.
FF&E, lead times, VAT, fees and the business side of the practice, written for people who do it for a living.
Lead story · Procurement
How to calculate order-by dates for FF&E: the arithmetic backwards from install
Work back from the install date to an order-by date for every FF&E line, with buffers, approval time, a worked example and a routine for when lead times move.
“Order-by = install date − install buffer − delivery − lead time − holiday allowance. Approval-by = order-by − approval and deposit time.”
Archive
Earlier pieces.
- FF&E schedule template: the columns a working schedule needsThe columns a working FF&E schedule needs, including currency, VAT, required-by and order-by dates, a ready formula, and how to keep the schedule live.Procurement9 min read
- VAT for interior designers in the UK: thresholds, fees, disbursements and invoicesThe £90,000 threshold, VAT on fees, buying as principal or agent, HMRC’s eight disbursement conditions, mark-ups and VAT invoices, with HMRC sources.Finance9 min read
- Xero for interior designers: a practical setup guide for UK studiosHow to set up Xero for a design studio: the right plan, fee and product codes, project tracking, purchase orders, multi-currency and client deposits.Finance9 min read
- Buying furniture from overseas suppliers: import VAT, duty and currency for UK studiosA step-by-step guide for UK designers buying from EU and overseas suppliers: commodity codes, origin, EORI, postponed VAT, Incoterms and currency risk.Procurement11 min read
- Programa alternatives for UK studios: an honest comparisonA fair guide for UK studios weighing Programa against alternatives: what it does well, what to compare, and real prices by team size.Software9 min read
- The best interior design software for UK studios in 2026: a fair comparisonPrograma, Houzz Pro, Design Manager, Studio Designer and DesignFiles checked against a UK checklist: Xero, VAT, currency, portals and price. Verified Oct 2026.Software9 min read
- The interior design client approval process: deadlines that protect lead timesSet an approval-by date for every selection, keep decisions in one place, take the deposit with the approval and know what to send when a decision is late.Clients9 min read
- Interior design purchase order template: what to include, and how to confirm itThe fields an interior design PO needs, from finish codes and currency to VAT, Incoterms and lead times, plus a routine for sending and confirming orders.Procurement10 min read
- Furniture delayed? A calm playbook for supplier delays on interior design projectsHow to spot furniture delays early, judge the impact on the install, choose between wait, substitute, re-sequence or partial install, and tell the client.Procurement9 min read
- How to charge for interior design in the UK: fixed fee, hourly, percentage, mark-up or hybridFixed fee, hourly, percentage of spend, product mark-up or hybrid: the trade-offs for UK studios, how to stop scope creep and how to check project margin.Finance9 min read
- Trade discounts and mark-up: what to tell clients, what to put in the contract, and the VAT effectPass on, keep and disclose, or cost plus: three ways to handle trade discounts, the contract wording, HMRC’s VAT rules and margin per line.Finance9 min read
- Interior design installation day checklist: two weeks out to handoverA printable install checklist for UK studios: deliveries inspected, trades sequenced, parking and lifts booked, snagging, client walkthrough and handover pack.Projects9 min read
- AI for interior designers: where it helps a studio today, and where it should notWhere AI genuinely helps an interior design studio today (emails, meeting notes, briefs, supplier pages, risk) and where judgement must stay human.Studio9 min read
- Interior design trends 2026: what the fairs and colour reports mean for your specificationSalone del Mobile, Maison&Objet and the 2026 colours of the year, each sourced, and what they change for samples, approvals and lead times.Design8 min read
- Plan FF&E from the install date, not the order dateMost late items were late on the day they were ordered. Work backwards from the date each piece has to be on site and the risk shows while there is still time to act.Procurement4 min read
- Client communication that keeps a project on trackHow to keep clients informed and calm from kick-off to handover, without writing the same update every week.Clients2 min read
- Sustainable procurement: a designer’s guide to ethical sourcingSourcing responsibly without compromising the scheme or the budget, and making the sustainable choice the easy one.Industry2 min read
- Financial management for design studios: beyond hourly billingPricing by outcome, seeing margin while you can still change it, and protecting cash flow on procurement-heavy projects.Business2 min read
- Remote design collaboration: running a distributed studioKeeping the shared references, the quick back-and-forth and the sense of a team when half the studio is somewhere else.Studio2 min read
AlsoWhat has shipped, month by month FF&E procurement in Techstyles
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