HOW TO HIRE · TRADES & CONSTRUCTION · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire an interior designer in Ireland
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
An interior designer in Ireland costs €1,500–€15,000 per project, typically around €4,000. Here is how to check that in a minute, what to ask before you book, and what you must be handed when the job is done.
- Search and compare — no account needed
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THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring an interior designer in five steps
- Are you on the Construction Industry Register Ireland, and what is your number?A number you can look up yourself before you agree a price — development of design — development of design concepts and mood boards.
- Will I get a Certificate of Compliance on Completion, and when?On the day the work is finished and tested, not posted on later — initial consultation to — initial consultation to understand client needs.
- How does factors that change the price?It affects the finish as much as it affects the price. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- How does what does this service include? change the price?It changes the hours on site, and the hours are most of the price. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- How does collaboration with Other Professionals change the price?A specialist charges above a generalist for the same hours. — ask before the quote rather than after.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI)
CIRI is a VOLUNTARY register today. The Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 was signed on 5 July 2022 and S.I. 429/2022 commenced parts of it on 29 August 2022; the Construction Industry Federation was appointed registration body on 16 January 2023. Registration is NOT yet mandatory: the divisions regulations had not been drafted as of a May 2025 Dáil answer, and CIRI itself projects mandatory registration from 2027. So being absent from CIRI breaks no law in 2026 — and being on it is still the only independent check of a builder that exists here.
Search the Construction Industry Register Ireland for the name or the registration number before you agree a price. ciri.ie →
a Certificate of Compliance on Completion
Issued by the assigned certifier and the builder, where the work needed a commencement notice on completion, before the building is occupied. It matters because it is lodged on the statutory register and is what a buyer's solicitor looks for; work done without one surfaces on sale.
Agree before the work starts that you will be handed a certificate of compliance on completion, and keep it with the house papers.
Insurance
Expect public liability and, for anything structural, professional indemnity from whoever designed it. From a company, ask for the insurer, the limit and the VAT number, and ask who actually attends: the team that turns up may be employed, subcontracted or both, and only one of those is supervised by the firm you are paying.
Ask to see the current certificate of insurance — the insurer's name, the limit and the date it runs to.
Trader or private seller
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 a trader must tell you they are a trader, and your consumer rights — work carried out with reasonable skill and care, and a cooling-off period on a contract agreed in your home or online — apply to traders and not to private sellers. On Locufy the trader status is shown on the profile.
Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile, and ask anyone else for it in writing before you agree a price.
VAT
VAT at 23%, the standard rate Revenue publishes for this service. Ask whether the price you were given includes it. A trader under the €42,500 registration threshold does not charge it; one over it must, and must show it separately.
Ask whether the figure you were given includes it, and for the VAT number if they are registered — Revenue publishes the rate for this service. revenue.ie →
A good answer: A number you can look up yourself before you agree a price — development of design — development of design concepts and mood boards.
A good answer: On the day the work is finished and tested, not posted on later — initial consultation to — initial consultation to understand client needs.
A good answer: It affects the finish as much as it affects the price. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: It changes the hours on site, and the hours are most of the price. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: A specialist charges above a generalist for the same hours. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: What does this service include? — interior design services typically encompass concept development, material selection, and project management — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a interior designer job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.
A good answer: Expect public liability and, for anything structural, professional indemnity from whoever designed it — colour Consultation — advising on colour schemes to create desired moods and aesthetics.
Getting the quote right
- Factors that — it affects the finish as much as it affects the price.
- What does this service include? — it changes the hours on site, and the hours are most of the price.
- Collaboration with Other Professionals — a specialist charges above a generalist for the same hours.
- Residential Design — harder work needs better tools and more setting up.
- In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts
- What is NOT included, named
- Who actually attends, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
- The VAT number, and whether it checks out on the Revenue register
Walk away if
- They are not on the Construction Industry Register Ireland, or the number does not resolve to the name on the quote
- No a Certificate of Compliance on Completion is offered, or you are told you do not need one for work of this kind
- They will not talk about it: factors that — it affects the finish as much as it affects the price
- They will not talk about it: what does this service include? — it changes the hours on site, and the hours are most of the price
- They will not talk about it: collaboration with Other Professionals — a specialist charges above a generalist for the same hours
- A price for the interior designer before anyone has asked the size, the access or the condition of what they are working on
What an interior designer costs: €1,500–€15,000 per project
The figures are for the job, per project, and a quote for your own is the only number that binds anyone. Residential design and Commercial design each carry their own band. Interior Designer price guide →
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE
Interior designers near you, with the badges that matter shown
ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
- Look firstFactors that — it affects the finish as much as it affects the price — that is what the interior designer is judging on the first visit, and a price given without it is a guess.
- Agree what is being doneWhat does this service include? — it changes the hours on site, and the hours are most of the price — put in writing before anyone starts, because it is the document you both read back at the end.
- The work itselfCollaboration with Other Professionals — a specialist charges above a generalist for the same hours — and anything found on the day that was not in that is priced before it is started.
- Check it togetherResidential Design — harder work needs better tools and more setting up — walked against the written scope rather than against the feeling of it, while the interior designer is still there.
- What you are handedA Certificate of Compliance on Completion, the invoice and any guarantee on the workmanship and the parts, space Planning — the quote moves with this more than with anything else listed.
- What does this service include?
- Interior design services typically encompass concept development, material selection, and project management.
- Initial consultation to
- Initial consultation to understand client needs.
- a Certificate of Compliance on Completion
- The document the assigned certifier and the builder, where the work needed a commencement notice issues on completion, before the building is occupied; it matters because it is lodged on the statutory register and is what a buyer's solicitor looks for; work done without one surfaces on sale.
- Commercial Design
- Designing functional and appealing spaces for businesses, enhancing brand identity.
- Space Planning
- Optimising the layout of rooms to improve flow and usability.
- Colour Consultation
- Advising on colour schemes to create desired moods and aesthetics.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring an interior designer: questions people ask
The duration of an interior design project can vary widely based on the scope and complexity, but most projects take several weeks to a few months. Check if the designer has relevant qualifications or certifications.
Many clients find that the investment in an interior designer pays off through enhanced functionality and aesthetics, ultimately increasing property value. An interior designer is a professional who enhances the interior spaces of homes and businesses, creating aesthetically pleasing and functional environments.
Interior designers can work with a variety of styles, from modern and minimalist to traditional and eclectic, depending on client preferences. Their work involves understanding the client's needs, space planning, selecting colour schemes, materials, furniture, and fixtures, and overseeing the implementation of the design.
Absolutely! Most interior designers encourage client input and collaboration throughout the design process.
Search the name or the registration number. If the number does not resolve to the name on the quote, stop there.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and put right if it is not. Say what is wrong in writing first.
MORE GUIDES
More hiring guides in trades & construction
Interior designers near you
Sources — checked October 2026
- Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022
- S.I. 429/2022 — Commencement Order
- Construction Industry Register Ireland
- Department of Housing — Building Control
- Consumer Rights Act 2022
- Revenue — GRAPHIC DESIGNERS (Supply of a Service) — Standard rate
- Revenue — current VAT rates (effective 1 January 2026)
- Revenue — VAT thresholds: €42,500 for a person supplying services only