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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. Why Use Interior Design Client Proposal Templates?
  2. Key Components of an Interior Design Presentation Template
  3. Conclusion
  4. Interior Design Software For Professional Interior Designers
  5. ⼻ From concept to final delivery
  6. Managing your interior design business with clarity—and profit
    1. Ideal for:
  7. Programa’s design studio workshop—Live with ASID Illinois at NeoCon
  8. Are you managing your interior design projects—or are they managing you?
  9. 1. Audit your services and workflows
  10. 2. Create custom templates inside Programa
  11. 3. Package your services like products
  12. 4. Centralise your product information
  13. 5. Use your software to manage interior design clients
  14. Key takeaways from “Profitability by Design”
  15. Programa is the operating system for your design studio
    1. Interior Design & Architecture Software For Professional Interior Designers & Architects
    2. 14 May 2025
    3. 07 May 2025
    4. 01 May 2025
    5. 23 April 2025
    6. 12 April 2025
    7. 9 April 2025
    8. 7 April 2025
    9. 3 April 2025
    10. 1 April 2025
    11. 28 March 2025
    12. 25 March 2025
    13. 20 March 2025
    14. 18 March 2025
    15. Welcome Back!
    16. 06 January 2025
    17. It's that time of year!
    18. 19 December 2024
    19. 17 December 2024
    20. 10 December 2024
    21. 09 December 2024
    22. 03 December 2024
    23. 28 November 2024
    24. 27 November 2024
    25. 26 November 2024
    26. 20 November 2024
    27. 19 November 2024
    28. 13 November 2024
    29. 08 November 2024
    30. 31 October 2024
    31. 30 October 2024
    32. 29 October 2024
    33. 24 October 2024
    34. 23 October 2024
    35. 22 October 2024
    36. 17 October 2024
    37. 15 October 2024
    38. 11 October 2024
    39. 10 October 2024
    40. 07 October 2024
    41. 03 October 2024
    42. 02 October 2024
    43. 30 September 2024
    44. 25 September 2024
    45. 20 September 2024
    46. 19 September 2024
    47. 17 September 2024
    48. 13 September 2024
    49. 11 September 2024
    50. 06 September 2024
    51. 05 September 2024
    52. 02 September 2024
    53. 30 August 2024
    54. 27 August 2024
    55. 22 August 2024
    56. 21 August 2024
    57. 20 August 2024
    58. 19 August 2024
    59. 16 August 2024
    60. 15 August 2024
    61. 14 August 2024
    62. 12 August 2024
    63. 13 August 2024
    64. 07 August 2024
    65. 08 August 2024
    66. 09 August 2024
    67. 05 August 2024
    68. 01 August 2024
    69. 31 July 2024
    70. 30 July 2024
    71. 29 July 2024
    72. 26 July 2024
    73. 23 July 2024
    74. 18 July 2024
    75. 12 July 2024
    76. 09 July 2024
    77. 05 July 2024
    78. 04 July 2024
    79. 02 July 2024
    80. 01 July 2024
    81. 26 June 2024
    82. 19 June 2024
    83. 18 June 2024
    84. 17 June 2024
    85. 13 June 2024
    86. 07 June 2024
    87. 06 June 2024
    88. 04 June 2024
    89. 30 May 2024
    90. 27 May 2024
    91. 24 May 2024
    92. 23 May 2024
    93. 16 May 2024
    94. 14 May 2024
    95. 09 May 2024
    96. 03 May 2024
    97. 02 May 2024
    98. 29 April 2024
    99. 24 April 2024
    100. 22 April 2024
  16. April 16 2024
  17. 15 April 2024
  18. Other updates
  19. 11 April 2024
  20. <strong>09 April 2024</strong>
  21. The Importance of a Strong Digital Presence
  22. Leveraging Social Media Engagement
  23. Implementing SEO Optimization Techniques
    1. The Complexities of Residential Interior Design
    2. Client Connectivity: Crafting Relationships and Spaces
    3. Project Prowess: Managing the Symphony of Tasks
  24. Materials Mastery: Sourcing, Selection, and Inventory
    1. Pinboards: Your Creative Oasis
    2. Financial Finesse: The Art of Business Management
    3. Embark on Your Programa Journey Today
    4. Q3 Product Update
    5. The world’s best scheduling software gets even better.
    6. The All-new Web Clipper
    7. Other Improvements
    8. What’s next?
      1. Information about the Programa Payments Service
      2. The Programa Payments Service
      3. Getting or Activating a Payments Services Account
      4. Processing Transactions and Receiving Your Funds
      5. <strong>Termination and Other General Legal Terms</strong>
      6. <strong>Contact Support</strong>
      7. Programa Interior Design Software: A Comprehensive Project Management and Collaboration Solution for Architects and Interior Designers
      8. User-friendly Interface and Tools for Seamless Project Management
    9. 03 September 2024
    10. Designed for Designers
    11. Dedicated In-House Design Team
    12. A Commitment to Progress and Trust
    13. Discover the New Outdoor Range
    14. Start Sourcing GlobeWest Today
    15. Seamless Integration with Product Library
    16. Tailored PDF Exports
    17. Intuitive Schedule Navigation
    18. 1. Schedules
    19. 2. Project Management
    20. 3. Client Dashboard
    21. 4. Pinboards
    22. 5. Financials View
    23. Traditional Quality with Modern Efficiency
    24. Collaboration: Orchestrating a Seamless Symphony
    25. Precision is crucial: Mitigating Errors
    26. All-encompassing Project Management
    27. A Library at Your Fingertips
    28. Conclusion: The Renaissance of Design
  • 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.