How much does an interior design project cost for HoReCa in Romania
There is no official rate for a HoReCa project. The itiles.ro guide gives 40–90 €/sqm for concept and technical design, 60–120 €/sqm for full service with project management and 1,500–1,800 €/sqm for a complete fit-out with installations and equipment. At SelfDezign, commercial design costs 25–55 €/sqm. These are starting points, not fixed prices. The complexity of the space, contract furniture and permits all change the budget, and a 15–20% reserve remains necessary.
In summary:
- In the itiles.ro guide, concept and technical design cost 40–90 €/sqm and a complete fit-out 1,500–1,800 €/sqm. At SelfDezign, commercial design costs 25–55 €/sqm.
- Design fees are calculated by four main models: rate per square meter, percentage of the value of the works, hourly rate and fixed package, it is essential to compare offers with the same checklist of deliverables.
- The total fit-out budget includes costs for infrastructure, furniture, equipment, décor and must provide for a 15-20% reserve for contingencies to avoid bottlenecks and additional costs.
- A correct financial plan requires a breakdown of the budget by chapters and strict allocation of the amount for each, including the designer's fee, with the phased payment on delivery.
- The price differences between designers are explained by the specialization on specific regulations and the level of project management, not just by the area of the space.
SelfDezign
HoReCa projects tailored to your business
SelfDezign creates interior concepts and technical designs and coordinates implementation for HoReCa spaces.
HoReCa interior design cost: what do you actually pay
The first confusion we see in restaurant and café owners is the overlap between the design fee and the total fit-out budget. They're two separate things with different computational logic.
The design fee covers intellectual work: visual concept, technical plans, renderings, coordination. The fit-out budget covers everything that is actually built and bought: walls, installations, furniture, kitchen equipment, decor. A designer can correctly bill a fee of several thousand euros for a project whose total work budget reaches hundreds of thousands of lei, because there are amounts that answer different questions.
On the Romanian market, fees are calculated by four main models:
- Rate per square meter: the most common for HoReCa projects, because it reports the direct cost to the usable area.
- Percentage of the value of the works: frequently used for large projects, where the fee increases with the execution budget.
- Hourly Pay: suitable for punctual consultancy or adjustments to an existing concept.
- Fixed package: useful when the deliverables are clearly defined from the beginning, without the risk of unlimited hours.
Project management included in the package raises the fee, but reduces the risk of rework and costly delays. What adds cost under any model: custom furniture, multiple photorealistic renderings, prototypes for unique pieces and additional technical approvals. A “cheap” offer that omits these chapters is not more economical, but incomplete.
How much does it cost to set up a HoReCa space in 2026
The figures vary by the type of project you contract, not just by area. Here are the published benchmarks:
- Concept + technical design: 40–90 €/sqm in the itiles.ro guide, for owners who only want the documentation.
- Full service with project management: 60–120 €/sqm in the same guide, with site coordination.
- Complete fit-out: itiles.ro, with installations and equipment, and architect Sebastian Mîndroiu (Pick Two Studio) give 1,500–1,800 €/sqm.
- Fit-out excluding construction or renovation: the 2022 Chairry analysis gives 600–1,000 €/sqm for new hotels and restaurants.
Details are in how much a restaurant fit-out costs.
An order-of-magnitude calculation: at 40 sqm, a 90 €/sqm package means €3,600, and the SelfDezign rate of 25–55 €/sqm means €1,000–2,200. The 2022 benchmark, excluding construction or renovation, gives €24,000–40,000. The complete fit-out benchmark gives €60,000–72,000. At 150 sqm, the same benchmarks give €13,500, €3,750–8,250, €90,000–150,000 and €225,000–270,000. The benchmarks cover different scopes, so do not read them as one range.
One detail often changes the final offer: the EUR/RON rate when you buy imported furniture and equipment. Many suppliers invoice in euros, and custom pieces can take extra weeks. Check whether the offer includes VAT or shows it separately, because this changes the comparison between two offers.
How to correctly calculate the budget of a HoReCa project
A fair budget is not built from a single figure per square meter, but through a four-step process that helps you compare different offers on the same basis.
- Estimate the total budget per sqm, using the benchmarks above as a starting point.
- Break down the budget by chapters: structure and installations, furniture, kitchen and bar equipment, decor, audio/video and IT systems.
- Allocate the designer's fee separately, regardless of the pricing model you choose.
- Book 15 to 20% of the total for contingencies.
The scheduling of payments usually follows the deliverables: an advance on the signing of the contract, a tranche on the delivery of the concept, another on the delivery of the complete technical plans and the rest on the completion of the site coordination. This model protects both parties, because payment follows the work delivered, not the calendar.
Professional advice: Ask any designer for a minimum checklist in the offer: the exact number of deliverables, how many revisions are included free of charge, how many site visits are foreseen and what costs are explicitly excluded from the fee. A bid without these four points is incomparable to another, no matter how close the final figures are.
What deliverables justify the cost of an interior design project
The price of a HoReCa project is reflected in the deliverables you receive, not just in the final figure on the invoice. A complete project typically includes:
- Initial brief and analysis of the operational context of the space.
- Visual concept with material palette and brand direction.
- 2D plans and technical execution details.
- Specifications for Contract Furniture and Purchase Lists.
- 3D renderings for visualizing the finished space.
- Technical documentation for the necessary approvals.
Multiple photorealistic renderings and prototypes for one-of-a-kind furniture increase the fee but reduce the risk of costly rework on site. The coordination of implementation, i.e. the presence of the designer during execution, is the chapter that most often prevents unbudgeted additional costs, because it catches deviations from the initial technical plan early on. You can see the complete stages of such a process in a practical guide about the HoReCa fitting workflow.
SelfDezign Perspectives: what we learned from HoReCa projects
The specialization on HoReCa is not a marketing detail, but a direct cost and risk factor. ISU, DSP and DSVSA norms are not an administrative form, but constraints that change the technical plan. A designer who doesn't know them well exposes you to costly redesigns after submitting documentation.
Ask for an estimate structured in clear stages, with named deliverables and revision rules, because clients who know what to expect negotiate better with contractors. In execution, ask for approved material samples before ordering, mock-ups for repetitive furniture pieces and partial acceptance at the end of each stage.
A well-budgeted HoReCa project is not the cheapest on paper, but the one where each cost chapter is documented before it reaches the site.
Where owners go wrong when budgeting a HoReCa project
The most common mistake is not choosing an expensive designer, but comparing incomparable offers. An owner puts together an hourly rate, a fixed package and a percentage of the value of the works, without understanding that the three models respond to different needs. The result is a decision made on the smallest figure, not on the real value.
Conventional advice says “ask for three offers and choose the most advantageous one”. The reality in HoReCa projects shows something else: ask for three offers with the same checklist of deliverables, otherwise compare apples with pears. The reserve of 15 to 20% for contingencies is not an excess of caution, it is the difference between a project completed on time and one blocked halfway through its execution.
The real priority for a restaurant or cafe owner is not to find the minimum price per square meter, but to understand exactly what they buy at that price and who is responsible when the plan collides with the reality of the site.
How to choose the right package for your HoReCa project
For small or medium-sized spaces where the owner can manage his own suppliers, the concept and technical project package covers the essential need without additional coordination costs. For complex restaurants and venues with professional kitchens and tight opening deadlines, full service with project management significantly reduces the risk of delays and rework.
In any offer, ask for a staged estimate, the number of site visits set from the start and deliverables named in the contract. Before you ask for an estimate, check the complete checklist for an interior design project and clarify your goals using this practical guide to defining project objectives. With these two documents ready, the estimate discussion with the SelfDezign team starts from concrete data.
Sources
To check the figures in this guide, read the itiles.ro guide on pricing by project type, the restaurant fit-out checklist, the Chairry analysis published by Economedia and the Pick Two Studio benchmark in Agenda Construcțiilor. Use them as market benchmarks, not as a replacement for an estimate for your space.
