How interior designers in Dubai charge: per sqft, by stage or as a share of the build.
Three fee models cover most design work in Dubai, and an hourly rate covers advice. Each puts the risk in a different place, so compare what the fee buys, not only the number: a fee that ends at mood boards and renders leaves the drawings a contractor needs to someone else.
- Per sqftA rate on the floor area. Easy to compare and fixed from the start; the scope of drawings must be written down.
- Share of the buildA percentage of the construction cost. It grows with the budget, so fix it as a dirham figure once the concept is signed.
- Fixed fee by stageA sum per stage: concept, design development, technical set. Clear for small or well-defined jobs.
- HourlyFor advice and consultations, not a whole design.
How Fajr charges for design.
We charge for design per sqft, with a minimum fee, and the fee covers the full drawing set a contractor can build from, approval drawings included. The rates below are for design only; the build is priced separately, line by line, against the drawings.
Villas, penthouses, apartments · design only
AED 45 per sqft of built-up area
Minimum fee AED 150,000. Twelve weeks: 4 weeks planning, then 8 weeks design with approvals in parallel. Ends with the technical set and approval drawings.
Offices · design only
AED 25 per sqft of floor
Minimum fee AED 50,000. Four weeks: brief and survey, three test fits to a signed plan, the concept and material board, then the technical set.
- Office test fit on its ownAED 5 per sqft: three options for the floor, each counted. Credited in full against the design fee.
- First meetingFree, at our studio in Al Barsha 1 or by video.
- Site surveyAED 2,500, credited against the design fee.
- If Fajr builds it50% of the design fee is credited against the build contract when it is signed within 30 days of the technical set being issued.
- Payments40% on signing, 30% at concept sign-off, 30% when the technical set is issued.
- RevisionsTwo rounds of comments per stage are included.
- VAT5% is added to every fee.
What the fee covers.
For a villa, penthouse or apartment: space planning, 3D renders of each room, material and finish selection from physical samples, the FF&E schedule, lighting design, the technical drawing set and the approval drawings. For an office: three test fits, a signed plan, the concept and the technical set. These are the same drawings we build from.
The renders are drawn to be built. Two rooms at IMI, One Za’abeel, as designed and as handed over:
RenderDrawn 
PhotographBuilt The boardroom at IMI, One Za’abeel: drawn, then built.
RenderDrawn 
PhotographBuilt The entrance and the lounge behind glass: drawn, then built.
Design only, or design and build: what changes in the fee.
Design only ends with a set a contractor can price and build from, and the fee is the whole cost of the design. If Fajr also builds it, half the design fee is credited against the build contract when that contract is signed within 30 days of the technical set being issued, and the team that drew the project runs the site.
Instagram · Design reviewMarked up live. Not emailed.
The layout changed on screen with the client in the room: one session instead of rounds of email.
Film · Fajr HQThe plan, walked before it is built.
The signed layout marked out on the slab and checked against the drawing.
The two routes for a villa, side by side: villa interior design in Dubai → For offices: office interior design in Dubai →
Where design sits inside a villa or office budget.
The design fee is set by area; the build is set by the drawings. As plain arithmetic, before VAT: a 6,000 sqft villa at AED 45 per sqft is a design fee of AED 270,000, and a 6,000 sqft office floor at AED 25 per sqft is AED 150,000. Build costs are published separately:
- Villa renovation: villa renovation cost in Dubai →
- Office fitout and renovation: fitout and renovation cost in Dubai →
- Bathrooms: bathroom renovation cost in Dubai →
The first meeting and the site survey.
The first meeting is free, at our studio in Al Barsha 1 or by video: you tell us what you are planning, and we tell you how we would sequence it and what the design stage would cover. The site survey follows at AED 2,500, credited against the design fee if you go ahead.
To start, estimate the project → or call +971 800 3257.
Interior design cost — questions.
01How much does interior design cost in Dubai?
It depends on how the fee is charged and what it covers. At Fajr, design only for villas, penthouses and apartments starts from AED 45 per sqft of built-up area, minimum AED 150,000, and office design from AED 25 per sqft, minimum AED 50,000, with VAT added.
02How do interior designers charge in Dubai?
Per sqft of floor area, as a percentage of the construction cost, or as a fixed fee per stage, with hourly rates for advice. Compare what each fee includes: a design that ends at renders leaves the technical drawings and approvals to someone else.
03Is there a fee for the first consultation?
No. The first meeting is free, at our studio in Al Barsha 1 or by video. The site survey that follows costs AED 2,500, and that amount is credited against the design fee if you go ahead with the design.
04Is the design fee included in a design-and-build contract?
Half of it is credited. When Fajr builds the project, 50% of the design fee is credited against the build contract, as long as that contract is signed within 30 days of the technical set being issued.
05How long does the design stage take?
Twelve weeks for a villa, penthouse or apartment: 4 weeks planning, then 8 weeks design with approvals in parallel. Four weeks for an office floor: brief and survey, three test fits, the concept and material board, then the technical set.
