How Much Does it Cost to Furnish a Dining Room with a Designer in 2025?
The third room we’re taking a look at in this series is the Dining Room. For a review of designer fees and different ways a designer might charge, the variety of mid-range to high-end/luxury furniture that can be sourced, as well as shipping, storage, installation, and tax fees, please reference my blog post: How Much Does it Cost to Furnish a Living Room with a Designer in 2025?. To learn more about bedroom costs, reference: How Much Does it Cost to Furnish a Bedroom with a Designer in 2025?.
Designer Fees
As mentioned in the previous blog, there are a variety of ways a designer might charge for selecting & procuring furniture. For a dining room, flat fees may start around $1,500 and go upward from there, but every designer is different and it’s important to find out how your designer bills, what is included in their scope of work, and their anticipated fees. At Sepal Design Studio, I charge an hourly rate for selections. Procurement & installation services are covered by my % mark-up on goods sold.
Furniture Costs
As with other rooms, furniture costs can also vary drastically. There are always times when it makes sense to mix a high-quality piece with a more affordable piece and it’s important to work with a designer that will respect your desires and financial needs.
Below is a low-cost and high-cost budget for a dining room project I might source at Sepal Design Studio. I put these budgets together with the caveat that by mixing more affordable pieces into the low-cost number, or adding very high-end, one-of a kind pieces into the high-end number, the budget could land slightly below or above these numbers. And of course, selecting a mix of products could land you somewhere in the middle. The most important thing is to be up-front with your designer about your budget and goals for the project.
Shipping, Storage, Installation & Taxes
At Sepal Design Studio, I typically like to add 25% (a very comfortable cushion) to the project total to account for these fees when budgeting, leaving us with a grand total of...
Based on the information above regarding design fees, furniture costs, and additional fees, I would budget anywhere from $15,000 - $120,000 for a large, full-scope dining room furniture update utilizing an interior designer. While some designers are fine to source from mid-range retailers, others only like to use high-end, luxury, bespoke lines, so be sure to ask these questions and share your budget when looking to hire a designer to help with furniture selections and procurements!