Interior Design Brief | Guide + Template

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When switching from Google Docs to HolaBrief, I found that our briefs became significantly more in depth
- Terri Williams, Agency Founder

What is an interior design creative brief?

An interior design project brief is a comprehensive document that acts as a guideline for your interior designer. This will outline what the project is, what you are expecting, and the requirements alongside other key factors such as budget and timeframe.

While this can be a time-consuming exercise to undertake, it is an essential requirement to ensure the smooth running of your project. One minor miscommunication early on can result in drastically different results than you were expecting, leading to lengthy delays and expensive reworks.

That is why taking the time to complete a comprehensive interior design brief that covers everything you expect will minimize the risk of a mistake. This document should include:

  • Your vision of what the finished interior will look like
  • What existing spaces inspire you (it is a good idea to include examples here)
  • What will the room be used for
  • Who will be responsible for what
  • The overall project brief
  • What is the timeframe for the project
  • What you hope to gain from the project

No matter whether it is a small project or a large project makeover, the more in-depth you are with your interior design brief, the greater the results will be. Making sure that you are being as open and as thorough as you can help to ensure the interior designer knows exactly what you are looking for.

What are the hidden benefits of implementing one?

No matter whether it is a residential home or a large corporate office, interior design is essential to any property. The right design can enhance your mood and keep you feeling relaxed, and an interior design creative brief is crucial in helping you to achieve your décor goals.

One of the biggest benefits of an interior design project brief is that it is effectively your blueprint for the entire project. This ensures that you, your interior designer, and the whole team understand exactly what is required, giving you complete peace of mind that the project will be able to run smoothly and efficiently.

The actual process of creating your interior design brief is also a great way to get you thinking critically about your project. It will give you the chance to truly understand what it is you are looking for from the finished room.

Another major benefit of an interior design project brief is its ability to help maximize the efficiency of your project. When your interior designer is not having to continuously go back and forth to ask minor questions, it helps to speed up the process while also ensuring that there is a minimal risk of miscommunication leading to your design needing to be redone.

How do you write an interior design project brief? A tested outline

An interior design brief is a fantastic way to ensure your final décor is exactly as you picture it. While there can be no denying the many benefits that a comprehensive interior design brief brings, how do you start writing one?

If you have never written one of these briefs before, it can seem a daunting prospect. That is why to help you, we have put together five tested areas to focus on when creating your interior design brief:

1) Project Description and Objectives

The first and most important step of any interior design project brief is to clearly outline your project and the objectives. This should be a comprehensive description of what the finished article will look like, what the room will be used for, and any sources of inspiration or examples of rooms you like.

Alongside outlining what the room will look like, you should also make sure that your interior design brief is clearly outlining what you expect from your interior designer. This should include details of how frequently you will communicate, when they should update you, and what the expected time frame on any deliverables should be.

2) Budget

When you have been able to create your project description and objectives, the next stage of your interior design creative brief should be to confirm your budget. It can be very easy for your décor costs to start spiralling out of control, so an effective brief will ensure that your project remains on budget.

When you have a clear outline of expected expenditure, it ensures you can have complete peace of mind that you are not going to face any surprise costs.

3) Requirements

With the budget in place, the next step that you should undertake is to completely outline your requirements. This is a major aspect of your interior design brief and is crucial to ensuring that everyone working on the project understands exactly what is required from then and by when.

By outlining the requirements of everyone, it helps to create harmony and minimize the risk of errors or miscommunication.

4) Timeline

Alongside your budget and requirements, your interior design creative brief should also detail a clear expectations of a timeline. This should not only include the expected finish date but also when any mid-project deliverables, such as first ideas, should be submitted to you for approval.

5) Look, Feel, and Direction

Finally, your interior design project brief should also help to convey the look, feel, and direction of the décor that you are looking for your interior designer to produce. You should use the brief to outline your vision, helping to guide the designer and allow them to understand what is driving your passion.

Moodboards are an excellent tool to use while tackling this phase since they allow you and your client to communicate and collaborate on ideas while also providing the project with a clear path to follow. Try our interactive moodboards for free!

Build and download your interior design creative brief samples

No matter what project you might be completing, an interior design brief should be one of the first things that you complete. This is your chance to ensure everyone working on the project understands what the finished results will look like and what their role in achieving that will require.

However, here at HolaBrief, we also know how confusing it can be to try and create a comprehensive interior design creative brief. That is why our mission is to help you every step of the way. Our unique software has been developed to help you get the head start that you deserve, and our templates are incredibly quick and easy to use.

So if you are looking to transform your interior and want to make sure your interior designer has all the info they need, get started on your brief today!

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Build interactive briefs that your clients will love to fill out

Either pick from our tested templates or create custom briefs using interactive exercises like Moodboard, Customer Persona, or Competitors Map. Once done, send the link to the client so they can respond without the need to have an account.

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Ready to create standout work in less time?

Join 1000s of agencies using HolaBrief to set up their projects for success.