How much does interior design cost in Dubai in 2026?
Published 12 April 2026 · Updated 8 June 2026 · By Subhra
In short
In Dubai in 2026, a furnished apartment design and refresh typically starts from around AED 100,000, and a full villa interior from around AED 1,000,000 and up. Restaurant projects usually start from around AED 700,000 and offices from around AED 450,000. As a rough rule, the build itself runs from about AED 120 per square foot for a simple refresh to AED 400 to 700 or more per square foot for high-end, joinery-heavy work. The biggest variables are how much structure you change, the materials you choose, and the amount of bespoke joinery.
The short answer, by project type
Prices in Dubai vary widely, but useful starting points in 2026 are: a furnished apartment design and refresh from around AED 100,000; a full villa interior from around AED 1,000,000 and rising well beyond for larger homes; a restaurant project from around AED 700,000; and an office from around AED 450,000, higher in regulated districts like DIFC. These are entry points for considered, well-built work, not the cheapest quote in the market. The honest truth is that the same brief can be quoted 40 to 60 percent apart by different firms, so the number only means something once you know what is inside it.
What you are actually paying for
An interior project has three cost layers, and confusion usually comes from mixing them up. First, the design fee, which buys the concept, the space planning, the full CAD documentation, lighting and joinery drawings and material specification. Second, the build itself, sometimes called the fit-out: demolition, MEP (electrical, plumbing, cooling), carpentry, joinery, painting, flooring, stone and finishes. Third, FF&E, the furniture, fittings and equipment, loose furniture, lighting fixtures, rugs, curtains and styling. Some firms contract all three for you; ZuriSpace designs the first layer and oversees the build and FF&E on your behalf through trusted contractors, rather than acting as the building contractor itself.
Apartments
A styling and furniture-led refresh of a one or two bedroom apartment, where the layout stays put, commonly runs from AED 100,000 to AED 400,000. A full renovation with new joinery, a reworked kitchen, fresh flooring and built-in wardrobes more typically lands between AED 250,000 and AED 900,000 depending on size and finish level. Larger units and penthouses, especially in waterfront towers in Dubai Marina, Downtown Dubai or Creek Harbour, go higher. Mid-rise stock in JVC and Business Bay often sits at the lower end of the range. Expect the build to run roughly AED 150 to AED 400 per square foot once you move past a simple refresh.
Villas
A full villa interior generally starts around AED 1,000,000 and scales to several million for large homes in communities like Palm Jumeirah, Emirates Hills, Dubai Hills or Arabian Ranches. Family villa fit-outs in Al Furjan and The Valley start lower, from around AED 400,000 and AED 200,000 respectively for a focused upgrade. The spread comes almost entirely from three things: how much you change structurally, how much bespoke joinery the design carries, and the grade of stone, wood and fittings. A 5,000 square foot villa finished to a calm, material-led luxury standard commonly works out between AED 300 and AED 700 per square foot for the build, before loose furniture.
Restaurants and hospitality
A restaurant project in Dubai typically starts around AED 700,000 for a modest venue and rises to AED 3,500,000 or more for a branded, chef-led or large-format concept. The kitchen, the MEP coordination and the authority approvals are usually the biggest line items rather than the visible finishes. Beachfront and mall locations carry extra approval and landlord-coordination costs. Lounges, cafés and spas sit on a similar curve, driven by kitchen or wet-area complexity.
Offices and commercial
An office project commonly starts around AED 450,000 and runs to AED 2,000,000 or more depending on size, finish and district. Business Bay and standard commercial towers sit at the lower end; DIFC is higher, often from around AED 600,000, because the DIFC fit-out manual demands more on acoustics, fire compartmentation and approved-contractor frameworks. Retail and showrooms vary with shopfront and display-joinery complexity and mall-authority requirements.
What pushes the price up or down
Five things move the number more than anything else. Structural change: moving walls, plumbing or cooling is far more expensive than working within the existing shell. Bespoke joinery: custom wardrobes, kitchens, panelling and feature ceilings are skilled labour and the most common reason two quotes diverge. Material grade: natural stone, solid timber and real metal cost more than engineered look-alikes, but age far better in the Gulf. Imported, long-lead items: stone, statement lighting and specialist furniture carry both a price and a timeline. And finally, change orders: decisions altered after the build has started are the quiet budget killer.
How design fees are charged
In Dubai, design fees are charged in one of three ways: a percentage of the project cost (often in the region of 10 to 15 percent), a fixed fee scoped to the brief, or a per square foot rate. Some design-and-build firms fold the design fee into the overall contract. None of these is automatically better; what matters is that the basis is written down, the deliverables are listed, and you know whether site supervision, approvals and revisions are included or billed separately.
How to budget sensibly
Three habits keep a Dubai project on track. Hold a contingency of 10 to 15 percent for the unknowns that every build surfaces. Get an itemised, line-by-line quotation rather than a single lump sum, so you can compare firms honestly and see where the money goes. And lock your major decisions before site work starts, because the cheapest change is the one made on paper, and the most expensive is the one made after the joinery is installed.
Where ZuriSpace sits
ZuriSpace is a founder-led design studio. We design your home and oversee the build on site through trusted contractors, rather than acting as the building contractor ourselves, so you keep one design eye accountable from first sketch to final styling. Residential work starts from around AED 100,000 for an apartment and AED 1,000,000 and up for a full villa, quoted bespoke and led personally by Subhra after a first consultation. The aim is never to be the cheapest line on a spreadsheet; it is a home that is calm, well made and still looks right a decade later.
Quick answers.
A furniture and styling-led apartment refresh in Dubai commonly runs from AED 100,000 to AED 400,000, while a full renovation with new joinery, kitchen and flooring typically lands between AED 250,000 and AED 900,000 depending on size and finish. Penthouses and large waterfront units go higher.
A full villa interior in Dubai generally starts from around AED 1,000,000 and scales to several million for large homes in communities like Palm Jumeirah or Emirates Hills. As a build rate, a well-finished villa often works out between AED 300 and AED 700 per square foot before loose furniture.
As a rough guide, the build runs from around AED 120 per square foot for a simple refresh, AED 150 to AED 400 per square foot for a solid mid-to-high apartment or villa, and AED 400 to AED 700 or more per square foot for high-end, joinery-heavy luxury work. The figure depends mostly on structural change, joinery and material grade.
Design fees are usually charged as a percentage of the project cost (often around 10 to 15 percent), as a fixed fee scoped to the brief, or as a per square foot rate. What matters most is an itemised scope so you know exactly what is and is not included.
Plan for a contingency of 10 to 15 percent on top of the contracted cost. Every build surfaces unknowns, from existing site conditions to mid-project changes, and a contingency keeps those from derailing either the budget or the finish quality.
ZuriSpace issues a bespoke, itemised quotation after an initial 'Meet & Agree' consultation. Residential projects start from around AED 100,000 for an apartment and AED 1,000,000 and up for a full villa, with the design led in-house and the build overseen on your behalf through trusted contractors.
- Apartment interior design in Downtown DubaiBurj-facing apartments from AED 150,000.
- Villa interior design in Arabian RanchesFamily villa fit-outs across Ranches 1, 2 and 3.
- When to hire an interior designer in DubaiWhy engaging a designer early protects the budget.
- Apartment interior design in JVCFamily and rental-ready apartments from AED 100,000.
- Villa interior design in Al FurjanFamily villas in Murooj, Quortaj and Grenland from AED 400,000.
Written by
Subhra
Founder & Principal Designer
Subhra is the founder and principal designer of ZuriSpace, leading every project from first conversation to final reveal across the UAE and India.
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