Interior Designer Cost in Morocco: The 2026 Guide
How much does an interior architect cost in Casablanca or elsewhere in Morocco? It is the first question any project owner asks — clinic, hotel, villa, office, gym — before even contacting a studio. The honest answer is that there is no single rate: fees vary by billing model, studio tier, programme complexity and scope of engagement. This guide gathers Moroccan-market benchmarks observed in 2026, to help a project owner frame a realistic budget ahead of a first consultation.
This guide describes the market as a whole, not a fee schedule specific to any one studio. The ranges below are indicative observations, useful for orientation, not quotes.
The three billing models
Interior architects in Morocco bill their engagements under three logics, sometimes combined on a single project.
Per square metre designed. The studio applies a rate per square metre of surface handled, generally for the design phase. This model is easy to read for the client and common on residential projects and smaller commercial programmes. It varies significantly with the expected level of detail (full execution drawings vs. a mood concept).
Percentage of construction budget. Fees are calculated as a percentage of the works budget (and sometimes furniture/FF&E for hospitality). This is the dominant model on large-scale projects — hotels, clinics, headquarters — because it aligns the studio's compensation with the real scale of the build and eases the owner's budget tracking phase by phase.
Fixed fee. A fixed amount is agreed for a scope defined in advance (for example: design of a 400 m² office floor, without variation tied to the final works budget). This model suits well-bounded engagements where the programme is unlikely to shift significantly along the way.
| Model | Main advantage | Limitation | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per m² | Simple, comparable between studios | Doesn't reflect real complexity | Residential, small commercial |
| % of construction budget | Aligned with project scale | Requires an already-estimated works budget | Hotels, clinics, large projects |
| Fixed fee | Budget locked from the start | Rigid if the programme evolves | Short, well-scoped engagements |
What drives the price
Five factors explain most of the price gap between two interior architecture quotes in Morocco, at comparable surface area.
Project size. Cost per m² generally decreases with project size — the fixed costs of design (studies, coordination, project management) spread over a larger surface. A small commercial unit often costs more per m² than a 1,000 m² office floor.
Level of detail of the engagement. A design-only engagement (plans, moodboards, material selection) costs less than one that includes site supervision (OPC), and less still than a turnkey engagement that includes full procurement and coordination through to delivery.
Sector. A clinic or hotel mobilises specific technical skills (sanitary standards, coordination with MEP engineering, hospitality FF&E sourcing) that weigh on the fee level compared with a standard residential project. A gym adds technical constraints (ventilation, wet zones, sports flooring) that require reinforced coordination.
Condition of the existing building. A renovation on an occupied site, with phased works and continuity-of-activity constraints (a hotel that stays open, a clinic that keeps treating patients), requires more project management than new construction on a clean plan.
Studio tier and project positioning. An independent decorator, an established mid-size studio and a specialised high-end studio focused on exceptional projects do not operate in the same ranges — nor at the same level of technical documentation, site supervision, or network of artisans they can mobilise.
Price by project type: 2026 order-of-magnitude benchmarks
The tables below present indicative observations of the Moroccan market, for reference only. They do not replace a consultation, the only way to frame a real budget for a precise programme.
By provider tier (design, excluding site supervision)
| Provider profile | Indicative range | What it typically covers |
|---|---|---|
| Independent decorator | ~150–350 MAD/m² | Mood, furniture and material selection, little or no technical drawings |
| Established studio | ~350–700 MAD/m² | Layout plans, technical package, basic coordination |
| High-end studio | ~800–2,000+ MAD/m², or 10–15% of construction budget | Full design, detailed execution package, ongoing support, access to an exceptional artisan network |
By scope of engagement (as % of construction budget, large-scale projects)
| Engagement | Indicative range |
|---|---|
| Design only | ~10–15% |
| Design + site supervision (OPC) | +3–5% additional |
| Full engagement with OPC | ~4–6% additional depending on complexity, i.e. 15–22% total |
| Turnkey (design + procurement + execution coordination) | Generally billed combining design fees and a procurement margin, defined case by case |
These figures align with sector-specific benchmarks: healthcare and hospitality projects, which require the densest technical coordination, most often sit toward the top of these ranges; standard residential and commercial projects tend toward the middle.
What each level of engagement includes (and doesn't)
Design only. The studio delivers a design package: layout plans, material and furniture choices, mood boards, sometimes 3D renders. The owner then manages contractor tendering, site supervision and purchasing independently. This suits owners who already have an execution team or a construction-management office.
Site supervision (OPC — scheduling, oversight, coordination). In addition to design, the studio coordinates the trades selected by the owner, manages the schedule, and controls execution quality on site. The owner remains the contracting party with the trades; the architect acts as guarantor that the build matches the drawn project.
Turnkey. The studio takes on, in addition to design and supervision, procurement (sourcing and purchasing of materials, furniture, equipment) and overall coordination through to delivery of an operational space. This is the most integrated formula, suited to owners who do not want to manage construction-site logistics themselves.
A frequent point of caution: a design-only quote that looks economical can hide a later overrun if the technical package delivered is too light to properly manage a construction site — see the next section.
The pitfalls of the lowest bidder
Price alone, isolated from every other factor, is a poor criterion for choosing an interior architect. Three pitfalls recur regularly on the Moroccan market.
An insufficient technical package. A low quote often comes with a lighter design package: sparse drawings, no technical sections, materials not validated with suppliers. On site, this shortfall translates into uncertainties that contractors resolve to their own advantage — change orders, rework, unanticipated decisions — whose cumulative cost often exceeds the initial saving on fees.
No real site supervision. A design fixed fee with no on-site support leaves the owner alone facing execution deviations. What was drawn and what gets built then diverge frequently, with no trusted third party to arbitrate in real time.
Undersized technical trades. On highly technical projects (clinic, hotel, gym), a design that neglects coordination with MEP engineering (ventilation, plumbing, low-current electrical) generates costly rework once technical trades are underway. The cost of this coordination, invisible in a low fee quote, resurfaces during the build.
A higher fee quote is not automatically a mark of quality, but an unusually low one systematically deserves questioning on the real scope of the package delivered.
How to budget your project
To frame a realistic interior architecture budget ahead of a first consultation, four steps help structure the thinking:
- Define the desired scope of engagement — design only, site supervision, or turnkey — as this is the factor that weighs most on the fee level, even before surface area.
- Estimate an overall works-budget envelope, even approximate, to let the studio propose a suitable billing model (m², %, or fixed fee).
- Identify the targeted finish level — standard, premium, or exceptional — as it determines both design cost and construction cost.
- Plan a budget safety margin, generally around 10–15% of the works budget, to absorb the site contingencies inherent to any renovation or construction project.
An initial consultation with a studio remains, in every case, the most reliable way to turn these market benchmarks into a concrete budget suited to a precise programme.
Casablanca concentrates most of the high-end studio offer and the most ambitious projects, which influences prevailing price levels. In other cities, the offer is more limited and rates can vary, notably due to travel costs and remote supervision.
No, the common practice in Morocco is staged payment by phase — often a deposit on signature, then instalments tied to validation of each stage (sketch, execution package, site-supervision progress).
Yes, in almost all engagements. Fees compensate the studio's intellectual work and project management; the works budget pays the contractors, artisans and suppliers who carry out the build. A percentage-based billing model links the two without conflating them.
Not necessarily, but a significant price gap between comparable engagements deserves questioning on the real content of the package delivered, the level of site supervision offered, and the studio's experience on similarly complex projects.
The scope of the engagement is negotiable — reducing or extending what's included — more than the hourly rate or percentage itself with an established studio. The best way to adjust a budget is to redefine the scope of the engagement rather than negotiate down an unchanged service.
The ranges in this guide help frame an initial budget discussion, but every project is assessed individually. A consultation with a studio produces a fee proposal suited to the real programme, surface area and finish level. The simplest way to start: describe your project in one minute and receive an initial range tailored to your programme.
Consultation
The benchmarks in this guide remain general: the real budget of a project depends on its programme, surface area and level of ambition. AMARGUS Group, a luxury interior architecture studio based in Casablanca, supports clinic, hotel, villa, office and gym projects from design through to turnkey delivery. Book a consultation and get a fee proposal suited to your project.
Contact: [email protected] — Km 9.1, Route de Rabat, Les Jardins d'Aïn Sebaâ N°1, Casablanca, Morocco
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