How much does furniture usually cost on top of the renovation?
Furniture, decorative lighting, textiles and art need a separate budget based on a list of selected pieces. There is no universal percentage of renovation costs: the total depends on the items, materials, bespoke manufacturing, delivery and installation. Before ordering, prepare an itemised list with supplier prices and identify the existing pieces you will keep. Refine the estimate once specific products have been selected.
What are the three budgets of a project?
Works, built-ins and furniture with decor. These are three different sums with different logic, and mixing them into one figure means losing control. Works cover demolition, structure, services, finishes and sanitaryware. Built-ins (joinery) are the kitchen, wardrobes, dressing rooms, panelling, shelves, all furniture made to the dimensions of the space. Furniture with decor includes free-standing furniture, decorative light fittings, rugs, curtains, art and objects.
The division helps for two reasons. Works and built-ins are needed by a particular date and are tied to the building site; furniture and decor can be bought as the rooms become ready. So the second budget is more flexible: it can be spread over a year, and the first cannot.
If a designer leads the project, he usually prepares a separate specification of furniture and lighting with supplier prices. You need a sum named in advance and a priority list: what is bought at once, what is deferred, what is given up if costs overrun. The relationship between price and labour is covered in our guide to materials versus labour.
What is included in a renovation estimate and what is not?
A renovation estimate usually includes works, materials, fixed equipment in the building and built-in furniture if it is named in the contract. Free-standing furniture, decorative light fittings, rugs, curtains, art and domestic appliances more often fall outside the estimate unless they appear as separate lines. The exact content is defined by the specific document and not by a general idea.
So when comparing estimates check three things: who buys the light fittings (technical and decorative), whether kitchen and bathroom appliances are included and who is responsible for curtains, tracks and blackout. If an item is not in the estimate, it is not in the price either, and it later turns up as a cost you had not thought of. Hidden costs are described in our guide to hidden renovation costs, and what an estimate should contain in our guide to what it must include.
A good estimate separates supplied by the contractor from supplied by the client and says who installs. For the client's items the delivery date to site is given.
How do you avoid spending everything on finishes and being left without a sofa?
Set an overall ceiling before you begin and split it into three parts at once. Then hold the boundaries: any increase in the cost of the works is deducted from another part only deliberately, not by default. A good rule: an expensive stone means a more modest rug, not the absence of a sofa.
Priorities. Make a ladder of three levels: what is needed to live (bed, sofa, dining table, light), what is desirable (armchairs, rugs, art) and what is optional. The first level is bought for the move-in, the second during the year, the third as opportunities arise. The reserve for the unexpected is held apart from the furniture budget: otherwise the first surprise eats exactly that.
Keep an eye on the accumulation of small things. Large purchases are visible at once, but cushions, throws, candles, vases and floor lamps add up to tens of percentage points of the budget. Keep a purchase table with planned and actual prices and you will see the deviation in time. How to manage changes is covered in our guide to change control.
How do you plan furniture and lighting purchases by stage?
Before the renovation starts, draw up a furniture list with dimensions and order lead times; at the start order what takes long; during the works approve the lighting; towards the end order curtains and rugs, and after handover buy the rest. The dimensions of the main pieces (sofa, table, bed, dining set) are needed for the layout before demolition, even if you buy later.
Lighting affects construction more than furniture: suspension points, ceiling reinforcement, power and drivers must be provided before the ceilings are closed. So decorative light fittings are approved before the rough-in stage and ordered early if the lead time is long; space and weight are reserved for them. Planning space for large fittings is discussed in our guide to designer furniture.
Furniture with a long lead time (bespoke sofas, dining tables, beds) is ordered 12 to 16 weeks before the move-in date. It then arrives at the end of the works and not three months later. Not storing it in the flat while dusty work goes on matters more than getting a discount for early ordering.
What should be made bespoke and what bought ready-made?
Made bespoke is what depends on the size of the space: wardrobes, dressing rooms, shelves around windows, a TV unit, window seats, the kitchen. Bought ready-made is what can be moved: sofas, armchairs, tables, beds, bedside tables. The rule is simple: if the piece depends on a recess and a wall, it is made to size; if not, it is taken from a catalogue.
Bespoke furniture in a renovation costs more than ready-made, but not always: for a recess with non-standard dimensions, a ready-made wardrobe loses volume, and on price per useful volume the bespoke one wins. We have a separate guide to bespoke storage.
Objects you will change in a few years (coffee tables, reading chairs) are bought ready-made so as not to overload the bespoke part. And what rests on the structure of the house (hidden doors, panelling, window seats) is made together with the finishes and falls under the works contract.
What should be bought after the works are finished?
Art, small objects, live plants, bed linen, tableware, everyday textiles, small appliances and everything fragile and prone to staining. These are things that suffer from dust and can be damaged during installation. Their selection gives the interior its character, and there is no need to hurry.
Rugs are best laid after the final clean and the last painting. Plants and fresh flowers are brought in the last days so they do not sit in the dry air of a building site. Art is hung with the lighting already tuned: only then is it clear where the lighting works and where it needs correcting. It is hung once the wall is painted and dry.
Part of the purchases can be postponed to a sales season or to your travels: furniture factories, galleries and antique shops offer a better selection on your calendar, not the renovation's. For such a list, keep a note of purchases for later with dimensions, not just names. Placing art in an interior is covered in our guide to art in the interior.
How does BCN YARD help include furniture and lighting in the budget?
BCN YARD prepares a detailed estimate and agrees the scope with the client. For a premium renovation, the starting reference for discussion is from €1,000/m² excluding VAT; this is not a fixed quotation. The total depends on the property condition, materials, building systems and individual solutions. The estimate should distinguish building work, fitted furniture, decorative lighting, purchasing, installation and exclusions. Discuss your project scope and budget with us.
Frequently asked questions
What should I buy first in a renovation?
First what affects the building work: light fittings, the kitchen, built-in wardrobes, sanitaryware. Then long-lead items: bespoke sofas, a dining table, a bed. Later rugs, curtains, art and accessories. The aim is that at handover the flat has light, a place to sleep and to sit, and the rest is added as you live.
Are appliances included in a renovation estimate?
It depends on the contract. Appliances may be supplied by the contractor, the kitchen supplier or you. It matters to record who buys, who installs and when they must arrive. Dimensions and power are needed before the kitchen and electrics are ordered. If they are not in the estimate, the renovation prices are not compared fairly.
Is it better to order furniture through the designer or yourself?
Through the designer it is simpler: he knows the dimensions, lighting and lead times and checks them against the design. On your own it is possible if you are sure of the dimensions and ready to monitor deliveries. Agree who is responsible for receipt and do not buy large pieces until the sizes of recesses, doors and the lift are confirmed.