Procurement service vs. interior designer: which one do you need?
Two different services. One gets you furniture. The other gets you a room that makes sense.
If you have ever searched for help with a room and come back confused about whether you need an interior designer or a procurement service, you are not alone. The two overlap in the furniture space, but they serve different needs — and the one you choose changes your cost, your process, and what you end up with.
What an interior designer does
An interior designer creates the vision for a space. They handle layout, finish selection, lighting plans, spatial flow, millwork coordination, contractor management, and the overall design direction. Furniture is part of the package, but it is downstream of a larger design process.
Interior design is sold on hourly rates ($100–$350/hour depending on market and experience), flat project fees, or a percentage of furnishings — typically 30–40% markup over designer net cost. A well-run living room project with a mid-market designer runs $8,000–$30,000 in design fees before a single piece of furniture is purchased.
If you do not have the room figured out and need someone to solve the space problem first, that is a design problem. If you have the vision and need someone to source and deliver the furniture, that is a procurement problem.
What a procurement service does
A procurement service sources and delivers furniture. You bring the vision — a reference board, a style direction, a description of what the room needs to do — and the procurement service finds the right pieces from real workshops, manages the purchase orders, coordinates delivery, and invoices one flat fee for doing it.
DAF charges supplier cost plus 20%. On a $20,000 furniture package, the fee is $4,000. No hourly design billing. No markups over net. The client sees the supplier cost in the plan.
Procurement does not design the room. It executes the furniture portion of a room that already has a direction.
How to tell which one you need
- You know what you want but need help finding it → procurement
- You have a blank room and no idea where to start → interior designer
- You have an existing room that needs a refresh or upgrade → procurement
- You are renovating and need layout, finishes, and contractors coordinated → interior designer
- You want to buy well but skip the retail markup → procurement
- Your space is architecturally complex or requires bespoke millwork → interior designer
A third of DAF clients have worked with a designer before and are now sourcing the furniture independently. The designer handled the vision. DAF handles the execution.
Can you use both?
Yes, and it is a common setup. An interior designer handles the space plan, finish selections, and custom millwork. DAF sources the furniture to spec — the pieces the designer selected or approved — at supplier cost plus 20%. The designer stays focused on design, not vendor management.
DAF also has a formal Trade program for designers who procure regularly. One signed agreement covers all projects. Trade clients run the same 20% fee structure.
DAF gives you what a designer gives you — minus the hourly fees. Sourcing expertise, one flat fee.
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