Commercial Interior Design

A commercial interior designer will help to formulate design concepts and refine them further into ideas that are suitable for the project brief. This could range from hospitality projects such as a restaurant, bar, hotel, work place, coffee shop or retail space. Most interior designers have a refined process which supports clients through each phase of the project. Designers will typically support a client through the design stages (includes both conceptual and technical design) and some will even continue to support the client through the construction and fit out phase also. 

The most common types of commercial interior design are as follows:

• Restaurant Design 
• Restaurant Bar Design 
• Hotel Design 
• Coffee Shop Design 
• Cafe & Deli Design 
• Retail Design
• Workspaces (Head Office, Private Office, Public Office) 

A commercial interior designer is responsible for the overall design of a commercial space. This could include a restaurant, bar, hotel, coffee shop, cafe, retail or work place. A commercial interior designer will be responsible for the planning and use of the space, material choices, table and seating, furniture, equipment (including integrated technology), lighting, wall finishes, floor finishes, art and props, technical drawings, visualisations, and also assisting contractors through the fit out phase of a project. There are also many other things in-between this subject to the type of project. For example if they have been appointed to design a restaurant they may assist in the sourcing of glassware, cutlery and tableware to make sure it is in keeping with the overall design concept. 

Interior designers fees can be made up in any of the following ways. 

• They are based on a percentage of the overall contract sum 
• On an hourly rate subject to the size of the project 
• On a fixed fee which has been agreed upon prior to undertaking the work 

The key difference between design and fit out is that the design phase is about creating the concept. Where as fit out focusses transforming the concept into reality.

As the design phase progresses to the development stage it becomes vey focussed on the fit out.  Working with a fit out specialist helps to highlight any issues with the design. During this design phase we start to look more closely at material specifications (and costs) and ensure that before the fit out process starts everything is finalised with the interior design concept.