Great interior design work requires the right design budget, but how do you get clients to bring the right budget to the table, prepared to invest in professional design services?

The way NOT to do it? Say “For Every Budget” anywhere on your website or in your marketing. 🚫

I talk about how to price your interior design services in detail in this post and this post, but pricing design services is more than a numbers game. Yes, you need to know your costs and profit margins, but pricing only works if your marketing supports it. 

When designers ask me for help with pricing, they’re not usually thinking about their marketing. They’re focused entirely on their hourly rate, and I hear one of two things:

• “Should I lower my prices so more people will hire me?”
• “I want to charge more, but… will anyone actually pay it?”

Here’s the truth about pricing: No amount of lowering your prices will get people to buy something they don’t value. Likewise, no one will pay more for something they didn’t value in the first place. 

Price is never the problem. Perceived value is.

And what determines perceived value? Your marketing.

How “For Every Budget” Sabotages Your Business

One of the most common price-signaling mistakes I see interior designers make is saying “for every budget” on their website. Whether they want to attract luxury clients or mid-market clients, this phrase works against them. Why? 

Because just like“I design for anyone” makes you sound like a generalist with no specialty, saying “for every budget” does exactly the same thing. The result? You scare off luxury clients, and confuse mid-market clients. 

It’s essential that you determine if you’ll be the Safeway or the Whole Foods in terms of pricing (and client expectations) if you want to attract (not scare off) your perfect clients:

• Luxury clients aren’t looking for a “deal.” They want an expert who can deliver their dream space with confidence. If your messaging is focused on affordability, they’ll assume you’re not operating at their level.
• Meanwhile, mid-market clients will misunderstand your pricing. If your branding says “for every budget,” they might think their $10K kitchen remodel wish list is reasonable — even if your typical projects start as low as $50K. That just sets you up for awkward pricing conversations.

Serious buyers at every budget level want to hire specialists, not generalists. The only folks looking for generalists are bargain hunters. If that’s not the game you want to play, the fix is straightforward: nail your expert niche, and align your marketing with your pricing.

How to Signal the Right Price in Your Marketing

Your website, social media, and brand messaging should do more than attract clients — they should pre-frame their expectations. Every carefully selected word on your website should signal that your reader is in the right place and has found not just any ol’ interior designer, but the perfect designer for them and their project scope, quality expectations, and price point.

Ditch the vague language and speak to your ideal client. If your dream projects start at $150K, say so. Don’t be afraid to use phrases like “Our full-service design projects start at…” or “We specialize in high-end, custom interiors.” 

If you love helping mid-market clients, lean into cost-conscious language like “Affordable pricing for DIYers.” or “Quick turn-around designs for folks who need to get ‘er done.” 

Get honest with yourself — and your potential clients — about who you best help and what it costs to get that level of service.

The Real Reason Pricing Feels Hard

If you’re struggling to price your services confidently, it’s not just a pricing issue — it’s a marketing issue. The best designers in the world don’t just “charge more.” They build trust through clear, strategic marketing that prepares clients to invest at the right level. When you communicate your value with confidence, clients respond in kind.

They see you as the expert.

They respect your process.

And — yes — they bring the right budget to the table.

So the question is: Are you marketing like the expert you are? Because in the end it really doesn’t matter if you know your worth. It matters if your client does!

Want marketing support? 

If you’re an interior designer and avoiding marketing altogether (or posting once every six months and hoping for the best), your dream clients probably aren’t finding you — and they definitely aren’t bringing the right budget to the table.

That’s why I created Mimosa Mondays — a monthly marketing mastermind designed to help interior designers attract the right clients, set clear expectations, and stop overthinking their marketing. If you could use some strategic marketing accountability, check it out.

May your design biz always make you Seriously Happy!

💛 Rebecca