Why are interior designers paid more than architects?

While researching architects’ salaries and their trends over time, I discovered an interesting fact about the architecture and design market in the UK: interior designers are increasingly earning more than architects. 

According to salary guidance, interior designers earn, on average, 10-20 per cent more than architects when comparing median values. This aligns with conversations I’ve had with colleagues who moved into interior design and now cannot afford to return to architecture. 

While this state of affairs may concern architects, it also presents an opportunity for reflection.

One reason for the disparity in salaries is that interior designers can develop a deeper understanding of clients’ needs and preferences, emphasise current trends and conduct in-depth research to anticipate the future needs of occupants.

Possibly more importantly, clients can easily see the direct correlation between effective interior design and increased rental or sale values and, therefore, are willing to pay more for it. A well-designed interior can significantly enhance a property’s desirability and marketability, leading to higher revenue for property developers and landlords, contributing to enhancement of the client’s brand. Clients can directly see the benefits they will receive, because interior designers can clearly communicate the added value they deliver.

In contrast, architects often struggle to demonstrate a direct link between their designs for buildings and places and the value this creates. 

At first glance, this seems odd. We all know that good architectural design does provide significant benefits to both clients and the wider community. A design anchored in extensive urban and historical analysis and community conversations can stimulate local development, attracting cafés, restaurants and shops that raise the area’s profile and significantly increase rents and property values. 

This vibrancy was cited as a major priority for businesses by Paul Williams, chair of the Westminster Property Association, and recognised as a 2025 Design Trend by property consultancy JLL. 

Similarly, a well-designed building fosters a strong sense of identity and community among occupants, making it a more desirable space in which to live or work. By designing buildings that respond to their surrounding context, architects can create more cohesive streetscapes that benefit the entire community. 

Yet showcasing this increased value and its links to the role of the architect can be challenging. So how can architects enhance their perceived value in the market?

One of the best ways to demonstrate such benefits is via carefully targeted post-occupancy evaluation (PoE). PoE surveys can show how building design has led to higher rents, increased property values and created positive changes in the neighbourhood, such as an increase in ground floor amenities, improved local traffic or pedestrian movement, reduced bills and decreased crime rates. 

Maintaining communication with clients, building management teams and agents, or conducting interviews with local residents after a building is constructed can aid in collecting this valuable data. When presenting to clients, architects can then draw on this data to demonstrate how they have increased value for clients in the past in a tangible way. 

But data is only part of the story that design professionals could be telling. Architects should, like interior designers, communicate the emotions, stories and possibilities that their designs offer. They should highlight what will make their design unique, how it responds to the needs of future users, how it has positively transformed neighbourhoods, and how this has impacted client profits and brand perception.

And what about explaining the strategic advice architects can offer? This includes defining project briefs, serving as translators for clients seeking insights from specialist consultants and adding value to sites and neighbourhoods beyond traditional methods such as meanwhile use strategies that engage the local community and industries such as film, advertising, theatre and entertainment.

The key to any good communication is, of course, understanding exactly who you are talking to. Well before trying to justify their fees, architects need to start with a clear understanding of a client’s goals and priorities, which in many cases, will involve long and short-term profits. 

In response, they must be comfortable with this dialogue and confident in demonstrating the connections that exist between good architecture and financial benefits. 

Aga Szedzianis is an associate at DSDHA