Budget Planning
How to Budget an Interior Without Losing the Design
Sheela Nair · 9 May 2026 · 8 min read
Where to spend, where to save, and the three line items that always run over.
Spend on the fixed
Anything you cannot change later — joinery, flooring, plumbing routes, electrical — deserves the money. Loose furniture can wait.
Hold 12% contingency
Renovations reveal surprises. A contingency that is planned is not an overrun.
The three usual culprits
Civil rework, imported hardware lead times and late scope additions account for most cost escalation we see.
Value engineer early
Trimming at design stage costs drawings. Trimming on site costs demolition.
Written by Sheela Nair at ArShe Design Studio. Questions about your own project? Talk to the studio.
