An interior design studio runs on hours that are hard to see. A client asks for "just one more option" for the living room, a site visit turns into an afternoon with the carpenter, and the design fee you quoted three months ago no longer matches the work. Enquiries from Instagram and referrals pile up in messages, and some never get a reply.
Then there's the money: a design fee paid in stages, deposits into the bank or a wallet, and purchases you made for a client that need to come back. This guide covers what software a design studio actually needs, how Saauzi's interior design setup handles it, and what it leaves to your other tools.
What software an interior design studio actually needs
You need less than you might think, but it has to fit how design work flows:
- A pipeline of enquiries, from first message to signed client or a clear no.
- A project per client, with phases such as measure-up, concept, layouts, selections, site supervision and handover.
- Time tracking that separates billable time from time you choose to absorb.
- Stage invoices that carry your PAN/VAT and go out on time.
- A cash book for fees in and purchases out.
- Team records for designers, a site supervisor and interns.
How Saauzi covers an interior design studio
When you pick Interior Design at sign-up, Saauzi switches on Projects, CRM, HRM and Cashbook. You can install other apps from the hub later.
Projects: one project per client scheme
Each scheme is a project for a client with a status (active, on hold or done), start and due dates, a budget, and fixed-price or hourly billing. A full design for a three-bedroom apartment might be a fixed fee; a styling consultation or a colour session is hourly at your rate. "On hold" covers the weeks when the client is deciding on the sofa or the builder is behind.
The task board (to do, in progress, done) holds the phases as tasks, each assigned to a designer with a due date: measure-up, concept, layout revisions, lighting plan, site visit with the carpenter, final styling. Timesheets record hours per project and task as billable or non-billable. Even on a fixed fee, log your hours: after a few projects you'll see whether a kitchen scheme really takes the time your fee assumes, and which clients' revision rounds run long.
Raise invoices from the project, numbered, with a discount or taxes, and track them from draft to sent to paid. Set VAT once in Settings, and invoices print your studio's name, address and PAN/VAT. The guide to Saauzi Projects, timesheets and client invoicing goes deeper.
CRM: enquiries that become clients
Each enquiry becomes a lead with contact, company (for offices, cafés or hotels), source, deal value, owner and expected close date. Tracking source (Instagram, referral, a builder you work with) shows where your best clients come from. Set stages such as enquiry, first consultation, proposal sent, then won or lost. Log the consultation as a meeting, note the client's style and budget, and set a task to send your proposal by Thursday. The guide to the Saauzi CRM pipeline covers it in detail.
HRM: designers, site staff and interns
Studios often mix full-time designers, a contract site supervisor and interns. Employee profiles record job title, employment type (full-time, part-time, contract or intern), join date, emergency contact, salary on record and status. Leave requests come to you for approval, so installation day never lands on the lead designer's holiday. To hire a junior designer, post the role on your public careers page and move applicants through to offer.
Cashbook: fees in, purchases out
Record design fees received into bank or wallet accounts such as eSewa or Khalti, studio costs, and cash spent on samples, fabric or fittings for a client. Transfers between accounts and a daily reconciliation keep the book matching reality, and income against expense by category shows where the studio's money goes. Exports go to your accountant.
A hypothetical fortnight in a four-person studio
In week one you log consultations for two Instagram enquiries and a referral, and send one proposal from your usual document tool. It's accepted, so you set up a fixed-fee project with phases on the board and bill the first stage.
In week two the client asks for a third layout option. You log those hours as billable, since your agreement covered two rounds. You buy lighting samples in cash and record them in Cashbook, and the client pays the first invoice, which you mark paid.
A checklist for choosing interior design software
- Does it support fixed design fees and hourly consultations?
- Can you mark time per phase as billable or not?
- Do invoices carry your PAN/VAT?
- Does it track where enquiries came from?
Where Saauzi fits and where it doesn't
Saauzi fits a small studio that wants clients, projects, time, invoices and the team in one place. It doesn't cover:
- Estimates or quotes. Write proposals in your usual tool and enter the agreed fee on the project.
- Mood boards or visual presentations.
- Supplier catalogues or procurement tracking per client.
- Document management, client portals or e-signatures.
- Payroll, attendance or integrations with design software.
A showroom selling furniture or decor can add POS Shop and Online Store from the hub later. For the wider picture, read our plain-English guide to ERP for small businesses.
What it costs
Your first app is free forever, so you could start with Projects alone. One flat subscription unlocks every Saauzi app: NPR 1,500 or US$20 per user/month, or NPR 12,000 or US$200 per user/year. A hypothetical four-person studio pays NPR 6,000 or US$80 a month. No commission on sales. See the Saauzi page for interior design studios.
FAQ
Can I send quotes or estimates from Saauzi?
No. Prepare proposals elsewhere, then record the agreed fee and budget on the project.
Can I bill a fixed design fee in stages?
Yes. Set the project to fixed-price and raise an invoice from it at each stage.
Does Saauzi hold mood boards or supplier catalogues?
No. It manages the business around the design: clients, tasks, time, invoices, team and cash.
Start with the part that costs you most, usually unbilled hours, and add the rest when you're ready. See the full setup on the Saauzi interior design industry page, or start with one Saauzi app free.
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