Discover & define / Editable DOCX

Interior design proposal template

A proposal explains your understanding of the project and the work you propose to do. Use this editable structure to make the conversation concrete before a project agreement is prepared.

Preview below, then download an editable copy. No sign-up required.

Worked example & fields

Illustrative teaching extension of The Window Room. Pending review; not a client record, supplier quote, site survey, or construction-ready document.

Worked example preview · DOCX

Project understanding

Restate the client’s intended outcome and identify the information you have relied on.

The Window Room: a 20 m² living-room study combining reading, conversation, and storage while retaining the existing floor and openings.

Proposed approach

Explain the sequence and where client decisions will be needed.

Confirm the brief, compare material directions, develop the selected concept, and assemble illustrative drawings and material references.

Proposed deliverables

Name each output and the level of development. Avoid an undefined promise of “all drawings”.

One brief; Quiet Oak and Deep Olive comparison; selected Quiet Oak WR-01 and WR-02 samples; partial material schedule.

Phases and reviews

Describe review gates rather than inventing a universal project duration.

Brief review → concept selection → drawing and material coordination → sample handoff. Dates to agree.

Fee discussion

List the services to be priced and the basis for discussion. Keep purchasing allowances separate from professional fees.

No fee quoted. Design services, supplier purchasing, delivery, and installation allowances require separate discussion.

Assumptions and exclusions

Identify missing inputs, specialist work, procurement responsibilities, and what this proposal does not include.

Nominal room data only. Site survey, engineering, permits, construction documentation, procurement commitments, and installation are not supplied by this example.

Next steps

Name the information needed to develop an agreement. Do not use this outline as a substitute for legal terms.

Confirm scope and project information, discuss fees and responsibilities, then obtain an appropriate project agreement.

How to use this template

Adapt the outline to the services you actually offer. The example is a fictional teaching document with no quoted fee, real client, or enforceable terms. It is not a contract and does not replace professional legal review of an agreement. Check every proposed output against your actual services; separate unpriced items, allowances, and exclusions.

  1. Summarize discovery in the client’s language.
  2. Pair each proposed deliverable with a clear phase and review.
  3. Discuss assumptions and exclusions before preparing a separate agreement.

Describe deliverables a client can recognize

Replace broad promises with an output, a purpose, and a review boundary. The proposal explains the service offer; the scope develops the boundary and responsibilities. The budget estimates project spending. None is interchangeable with a separately reviewed agreement.

Use the table as a wording exercise, not as a recommended service package or contractual clause. Offer only work you can actually provide and leave unpriced services visibly unpriced.

Illustrative teaching extension · No actual project decision or approval
Vague offerMore useful proposal wordingStill to agree
“Complete room design”Brief, concept comparison, and selected-direction review for the named room.Inputs, review responsibility, and revision allowance.
“All drawings”Named plan and elevation with stated intended use and level of development.Which specialist documents and project reviews are excluded.
“Furniture included”Specify whether this means selection advice, documentation, purchasing, or installation.Fees, purchasing authority, delivery, and installation responsibilities.

Review before use

  • Do not copy sample services into an offer you cannot deliver.
  • Do not mix design fees with the furniture purchasing budget.
  • Do not present this educational proposal outline as a legal contract.

Units, source information, and US use

The worked example keeps its original nominal metric dimensions. For a US project, choose and label a primary imperial or metric convention, distinguish item counts from areas, and document any display conversion and rounding. Never relabel metric values as imperial or treat conversion as site verification.

Make it your own

Separate blank and worked-example documents. Edit the blank copy in Word or a compatible document editor.

Free download · No account · No information uploaded to OpenLintel

About this resource

Authored by OpenLintel with AI assistance. Examples are illustrative and have not received independent professional review. Adapt the structure to your practice and verify project-specific information. No legal agreement, regulatory compliance, or construction readiness is represented.

Authorship, review boundaries, sources, and corrections

See the information connect

Follow the corresponding chapter of The Window Room: one illustrative brief, one selected direction, and coordinated sample references.

Explore the sample brief

Discuss your studio’s workflow

If proposed deliverables and actual project handoffs drift apart, discuss the workflow with OpenLintel before any pilot commitment.

Request a pilot discovery conversation