Interior design contract: scope, revisions, ownership and supervision

How does a design contract differ from a building contract?

It describes not a physical result but a set of documents and decisions: concept, drawings, material selection, supervision. The acceptance test is not "the wall is straight" but "the package contains what was promised and you have approved it". So scope, stages, revisions and ownership of documents matter more.

A building contract answers "what was built and how"; a design contract answers "what do you receive on paper and who may use it". If they are signed with different companies, they must be checked against each other or responsibility will fall into the gap.

What does the design project include under the contract?

The scope should be itemised by stage with deliverables: concept and layout, design scheme with views, working documentation, procurement and design supervision. For each stage state the number of sheets, types of drawing and whether renders are included.

The key document for building is the working documentation: dimensioned plans, wall elevations, tile and stone layouts, junction details, electrical, lighting and plumbing diagrams, and a specification schedule with references. The contract should name those documents rather than promise "a full set". If it says only "design project", the dispute arrives in the second week of building, when the contractor lacks a drawing.

Check separately whether the project includes specifications per item, supplier details and quantity calculations. Those items save weeks when ordering.

How many revisions are allowed and how does approval work?

The contract sets the number of approvals per stage and a revision limit. Usually that is one or two concept approvals, one layout iteration and a limited number of revisions to the working documentation. Additional revisions are paid separately at a named price.

It helps to write down what counts as a revision and what as a new brief. Moving a light and changing a wall colour is a revision. Changing the layout after the drawings are approved is a new brief. The procedure matters even more: each approval is recorded in writing, with a date and a reference to the document. It protects both sides, because "we discussed it at the meeting" does not work a month later.

If you live abroad, agree the form of approvals: email or a platform, each side's response time and what happens on silence. Without that, the project stalls for weeks.

Whose drawings are they after payment?

The Intellectual Property Act protects projects, plans, models and designs of architectural and engineering works as authored works (article 10). Copyright stays with the author and you receive the right to use the documents on the terms of the contract.

The typical arrangement: you may use the documentation to build and maintain that specific home and pass it to contractors and technicians. You may not reuse the project for another home, alter it without the author's consent or give it to third parties for other purposes. Protection lasts for the author's lifetime and seventy years after death (article 26).

Clarify three things in the contract: whether you may hand the drawings to another designer or contractor if the studio leaves the project, whether you receive editable files or only PDFs, and whether the studio may publish photos of your home. Show the exact wording to a lawyer.

Who is responsible for delivery and what does design supervision give?

The studio is responsible for the quality of the design and the contractor for execution. Design supervision links the two zones: the designer visits the site and checks that it is being built to the concept. It does not replace technical supervision.

The contract should set out: how many visits the package includes, how comments are recorded (a written report with photos), who may require corrections from the contractor and what happens if designer and contractor disagree. The studio's liability for a drawing error that forces work to be redone is best defined in advance, as is whether the studio holds professional indemnity insurance.

If designer and contractor are the same company, read the control section with particular care: who checks the checker.

What if I do not like the concept?

The contract should give you a way out: several concept options in the first stage, a limit on refinements and the right to leave after the first stage paying only for what was done. Then a poor start does not commit you to the whole project.

A concept is often accepted on images and references, so it helps to approve it in a compact form: a plan, three or four key views and a set of material samples. If your reaction is "not this", ask for the reasoning and an alternative, and put objections in writing: "I do not like it" cannot be fixed, while "the lighting in the living room is too cold" can.

Find out how the studio charges for the concept stage. If it is paid in full before work starts and you do not accept it, your only lever is the right to exit. So tie each stage payment to acceptance of the results.

What else should go in, and how does BCN YARD handle it?

Write down stage timings, the payment schedule, how to terminate, confidentiality and the contact of the person responsible. Tie payments to accepted results, not to a date in the calendar.

We run renovation and interior design. One person responsible for the site stays in touch in Spanish and Russian, payments follow stages under the contract and we give the exact price after the visit and measurements. If you already have a draft contract from another studio, send it to us and we will tell you what it lacks from the construction side.