Turnkey vs design-only: which is right for your project?
Should you hire a studio to design your home, build it, or both? A straight answer to one of the most common questions we get.
When you engage an interior studio you usually have two routes: design-only, where you receive a build-ready design and hire your own contractor, or turnkey, where the same studio designs and builds everything. Here is how to choose.
Choose design-only if…
- You already have a contractor you trust and want to keep.
- You enjoy managing trades and have time to coordinate them.
- Your budget is tight and you can project-manage to save the build margin.
Choose turnkey if…
- You want one point of accountability — no “designer vs contractor” blame.
- You are time-poor and would rather hand over a single timeline.
- Finish quality matters more to you than squeezing the last rupee.
Most of our clients pick turnkey for one reason: when one team draws it and builds it, nothing gets lost in translation.
There is no universally right answer — only the one that fits how involved you want to be. Either way, insist on a written scope and a fixed estimate before anyone lifts a tool.
