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Profitability by design. Not by chance

Interior design profitability workbook
Programa
Programa
Updated: 28 May 2025

⼻ From concept to final delivery

Discover a design studio system and build a toolkit that works - for you

Managing your interior design business with clarity—and profit

Interior designers didn’t start studios to manage spreadsheets, chase down product specs, or justify their fees over and over again. Yet, profitability issues often stem from exactly that: inconsistent processes, untracked time, and unclear service models.

The outcome? Time and margin lost—not to bad clients, but to internal admin.

Lexie Gillies

Lexie Gillies

Accredited Interior Designer, Programa
Learn SEO for Designers

Meet your host

Interior designer and technology advocate Lexie Gillies brings a global perspective to the intersection of design and innovation. She helps designers and architects streamline their studio operations through thoughtful technology integration. Drawing from her background in luxury residential design and experiential marketing, Lexie will share real-world examples of how leading firms are modernizing their workflows while staying creatively focused.

This workbook

will help you

Identify your most profitable projects

Quote and budget confidently with clients

Build templates and workflows that streamline your day

Ideal for:

Growing interior design studios, or interior designers and specifiers ready to ditch the chaos and operate with clarity.

Programa’s design studio workshop—Live with ASID Illinois at NeoCon

During NeoCon, Programa presented “Profitability by Design, Not by Chance” with ASID Illinois during a live workshop at The Mart, NeoCon 2025. The response from studio owners made one thing clear: every design business needs stronger tools for managing clients, time, projects, and profitability—without compromising design.

 

This article breaks down that same content, so you can follow it like a workbook. Whether you’re building from scratch or optimizing what’s already working, it’s designed to help you work smarter, not harder.

Are you managing your interior design projects—or are they managing you?

A profitable studio doesn’t rely on guesswork. It runs on defined workflows, packaged services, and the ability to track project costs and time in real time.

Let’s walk through the foundations of a scalable, profitable interior design business.

1. Audit your services and workflows

Start by mapping out:

  • What types of projects do you offer? (e.g. styling, renovation, new build)
  • What phases and deliverables are common across those project types?
  • What tasks repeat project after project?

Goal: Identify repeatable patterns and translate them into reusable project templates inside your interior design software.

Interior designers using standardised templates cut setup time by 25%

Interior Design Business Handbook Survey

2. Create custom templates inside Programa

For every major service (e.g. hospitality remodel, styling package), build a distinct template that includes:

  • Task list and timeline structure
  • Key milestones (client presentations, selections, procurement)
  • Embedded tools like specifications and schedules

Goal: These templates are the foundation for repeatable, profitable design delivery.

3. Package your services like products

Instead of quoting every project from scratch, turn your most common offerings into productised design services. This gives clients clarity—and protects your time.

Include in your template:

  • Timeline range
  • Scope and deliverables
  • Inclusions and exclusions
  • Flat-fee pricing

 

A styling package might look like:

Styling package

StageItems
DiscoveryClient questionnaire, onboarding, site photography
ConceptPinboard, space plan options, selections
SpecificationFinal product selections, spec & schedules
ImplementationLogistics, install, wrap-up

Studios offering packaged services saw 28% fewer instances of scope creep.

ASID Business Performance Study

4. Centralise your product information

Every design studio needs a Product Library—a central location to manage your preferred vendors, product specs, and repeat-use FF&E.

Inside Programa, your Product Library supports:

  • Pre-approved selections, organized by category or project type
  • Reuse of common product combos
  • Consistent material specs across projects
  • Rapid selection for repeatable design packages

This alone can save up to 20% of sourcing time—a huge win for both residential and commercial firms.

Commercial A&D professionals spend 36% of their time completing drawings and presentations, and 19% sourcing products. Residential designers spend 28% of time sourcing.

ASID Industry Time Study
Programa product library

5. Use your software to manage interior design clients

Client experience is core to studio profitability. Disjointed communication leads to confusion, misalignment, and scope disputes.

Programa's Client Dashboard supports:

  • Live project progress
  • Transparent deliverables and selections
  • Fewer back-and-forth emails
  • Stronger client trust

When every client touchpoint is documented and clear, you protect your margins and your reputation.

Sharable specifications on Programa

Key takeaways from “Profitability by Design”

This isn’t theory. It’s a proven structure we’ve presented in live workshops and one-on-one sessions with hundreds of interior designers.

  • Audit your services and phases
  • Build templates aligned to those services
  • Package them with clear scope and pricing
  • Leverage your Product Library
  • Create a repeatable client experience
Project client dashboard in Programa

Programa is the operating system for your design studio

When your systems support your services, profitability becomes the default—not the exception.

  • Manage interior design projects with defined workflows
  • Productise your services with consistent structure
  • Track time and scope in one place
  • Align client expectations with real deliverables
  • Centralise your sourcing and specs

You became a designer to create

Programa helps you protect that
Table of contents
  1. Partnership
  2. It Makes Sense
  3. Key Benefits of the Programa and IDS Partnership
  4. About Programa
  5. About the Interior Design Society
  6. Interior Design Software For Professional Interior Designers
  7. How to Connect with Your Ideal Clients
  8. Choosing the Right Marketing Channels
  9. How to Differentiate Yourself
  10. Leveraging Relationships to Stand Out
  11. Comprehensive Guide to Client Communication Software for Interior Designers
    1. What is a Spec Sheet?
    2. The Power of Programa
    3. Flexible Design Features
    4. Ease of Use
    5. Cost Savings
    6. Increased Productivity
    7. <strong>How It Works</strong>
    8. <strong>Why It Matters</strong>
    9. <strong>Your New Shortcut for Smart Scheduling</strong>
    10. Tablet-friendly update
    11. 14 May 2025
    12. 07 May 2025
    13. 01 May 2025
    14. 23 April 2025
    15. 12 April 2025
    16. 9 April 2025
    17. 7 April 2025
    18. 3 April 2025
    19. 1 April 2025
    20. 28 March 2025
    21. 25 March 2025
    22. 20 March 2025
    23. 18 March 2025
    24. Welcome Back!
    25. 06 January 2025
    26. It's that time of year!
    27. 19 December 2024
    28. 17 December 2024
    29. 10 December 2024
    30. 09 December 2024
    31. 03 December 2024
    32. 28 November 2024
    33. 27 November 2024
    34. 26 November 2024
    35. 20 November 2024
    36. 19 November 2024
    37. 13 November 2024
    38. 08 November 2024
    39. 31 October 2024
    40. 30 October 2024
    41. 29 October 2024
    42. 24 October 2024
    43. 23 October 2024
    44. 22 October 2024
    45. 17 October 2024
    46. 15 October 2024
    47. 11 October 2024
    48. 10 October 2024
    49. 07 October 2024
    50. 03 October 2024
    51. 02 October 2024
    52. 30 September 2024
    53. 25 September 2024
    54. 20 September 2024
    55. 19 September 2024
    56. 17 September 2024
    57. 13 September 2024
    58. 11 September 2024
    59. 06 September 2024
    60. 05 September 2024
    61. 02 September 2024
    62. 30 August 2024
    63. 27 August 2024
    64. 22 August 2024
    65. 21 August 2024
    66. 20 August 2024
    67. 19 August 2024
    68. 16 August 2024
    69. 15 August 2024
    70. 14 August 2024
    71. 12 August 2024
    72. 13 August 2024
    73. 07 August 2024
    74. 08 August 2024
    75. 09 August 2024
    76. 05 August 2024
    77. 01 August 2024
    78. 31 July 2024
    79. 30 July 2024
    80. 29 July 2024
    81. 26 July 2024
    82. 23 July 2024
    83. 18 July 2024
    84. 12 July 2024
    85. 09 July 2024
    86. 05 July 2024
    87. 04 July 2024
    88. 02 July 2024
    89. 01 July 2024
    90. 26 June 2024
    91. 19 June 2024
    92. 18 June 2024
    93. 17 June 2024
    94. 13 June 2024
    95. 07 June 2024
    96. 06 June 2024
    97. 04 June 2024
    98. 30 May 2024
    99. 27 May 2024
    100. 24 May 2024
    101. 23 May 2024
    102. 16 May 2024
    103. 14 May 2024
    104. 09 May 2024
    105. 03 May 2024
    106. 02 May 2024
    107. 29 April 2024
    108. 24 April 2024
    109. 22 April 2024
  12. April 16 2024
  13. 15 April 2024
  14. Other updates
  15. 11 April 2024
  16. <strong>09 April 2024</strong>
    1. Client Portal
    2. Client Communication
    3. Rebranding
    4. Client Testimonial
    5. Software Solution
    6. Key Benefits:
    7. Interior Design & Architecture Software For Professional Interior Designers & Architects
    8. With Programa’s Client Dashboard, you can:
    9. Minimalise Misunderstandings, Maximalise Results
    10. Shared Schedules and Integration with Client Dashboard
    11. Collaboration between Designers and Clients
    12. What is Transparency?
    13. What are the benefits?
    14. Getting Started
      1. How It Works
      2. Viewing Your Schedule
      3. Approving Products
      4. The Benefits of the Client Dashboard
      5. Programa Interior Design Software: A Comprehensive Project Management and Collaboration Solution for Architects and Interior Designers
      6. User-friendly Interface and Tools for Seamless Project Management
    15. Methods for Calculating Fees
    16. Which Method Will Work For Your Studio?
    17. A Designers Responsibility
  17. <strong>About Nightworks</strong>
    1. Setting Clear Expectations and Boundaries
    2. Professionalism in Operations and Contracts
    3. Managing Finances and Discounting
    4. Handling Product Purchasing and Trade Pricing
    5. Protecting Relationships
    6. Keep it Professional
    7. Design Fees & Discounting
    8. Product Purchasing & Trade Pricing
    9. <strong><strong>1. Follow A Clearly Defined Process</strong></strong>
    10. <strong>2. Create a Detailed Scope of Work</strong>
    11. <strong><strong>3. Set Clear Boundaries</strong></strong>
    12. <strong>4. Document Everything Thoroughly</strong>
    13. <strong>5. Be Clear on the Limit of your Management Services</strong>
    14. <strong>6. Communicate Regularly</strong>
    15. <strong>7. Action Breakdowns Immediately</strong>
    16. <strong>8. See It Through</strong>
      1. Information about how Programa handles your data
      2. Introduction
      3. Our Values<br />
      4. Why we process your information
      5. <br />Your rights over your information
      6. Where we transfer your information
      7. How long do we retain your information
      8. Our use of advanced technologies
      9. How we protect your information
      10. How we use “cookies” and other tracking technologies
      11. How you can reach us
      12. Types of data we collect and process
      13. What Personal Data we receive
      14. Retention
      15. Our purpose for using your personal data
      16. Disclosing your personal data<br />
      17. Changes to this Privacy Policy
      18. Additional Privacy Information for Brands & Suppliers<br />
      19. When and why we share your information with others
      20. Your rights over your information
      21. How long we retain your information
      22. Your customers’ information
      23. Additional Information about how we process data globally
      24. Processing data globally to fulfil our service obligations
      25. United States Regional Privacy Notice
      26. What information we collect and share about you
      27. Why we collect and share your Personal Information
      28. Sources of Personal Information
      29. How long we keep your information
      30. What We Do
      31. Our Mission
    17. Challenges Faced by Designers in Procurement
    18. How designers can use Procurement Hub
    19. Built by and for designers
    20. The impracticalities of using generic software
    21. Enter Programa.
    22. Remove unnecessary stress and double handling with Programa:
      1. <br />What’s New at Programa?
      2. <br />Looking Ahead: Upcoming Features
      3. <br />Pricing Update: Supporting Continuous Improvement
      4. <br />Thank You for Being Part of the Programa Community
    23. ⼻ From concept to final delivery
  18. Managing your interior design business with clarity—and profit
    1. Ideal for:
  19. Programa’s design studio workshop—Live with ASID Illinois at NeoCon
  20. Are you managing your interior design projects—or are they managing you?
  21. 1. Audit your services and workflows
  22. 2. Create custom templates inside Programa
  23. 3. Package your services like products
  24. 4. Centralise your product information
  25. 5. Use your software to manage interior design clients
  26. Key takeaways from “Profitability by Design”
  27. Programa is the operating system for your design studio
  • Interior Design
Reading: Profitability by design, not by chance, Studio workbook
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Join the world’s best studios

During NeoCon, Programa presented “Profitability by Design, Not by Chance” with ASID Illinois during a live workshop at The Mart, NeoCon 2025.

The response from studio owners made one thing clear: every design business needs stronger tools for managing clients, time, projects, and profitability—without compromising design.