Browse enough interior designer websites and the strongest ones start to fall into a few types. Each suits a different kind of practice. What they have in common is restraint: large, honest photography, very few words up front, a clear point of view and one obvious way to start a conversation.
Here are five types that work, and what you can borrow from each. For the basic pages every designer's site needs, see What should an interior designer's website include?
1. The editorial portfolio
This site reads like a magazine. The home page is almost all photography, often a single full-width room, with the firm's name and a quiet menu. Projects open as long, scrolling features with large images, short captions and plenty of white space.
What to borrow: confidence. One superb photograph says more than a grid of twelve. Watch for: slow loading. Large images must be sized and compressed properly, or the effect is lost on a phone. Google publishes image SEO best practices that are worth following.
2. The project-story site
Here each project is told as a story: the house, the brief, the problem, the decisions, the result. A paragraph about why the client wanted the kitchen moved does more to win the next client than another photograph of the finished kitchen.
What to borrow: a sentence or two of context with every project, and a before-and-after where you have one. Watch for: turning stories into essays. Keep the words short and let the rooms carry the weight.
3. The principal-led studio
Some practices are, at heart, one person's eye. Their best sites put the principal front and centre: a natural portrait, a short and personal account of how they work, and their voice in every caption. Clients who hire a named designer want to know who they will be sitting across from.
What to borrow: a real about page with a recent photograph, written in the first person. Watch for: making the site about you rather than about what you do for clients.
4. The studio with a shop
Larger studios sometimes pair the design practice with a shop of furniture, lighting or their own product line. Done well, the two support each other: the shop lets people who cannot yet afford a full commission buy into the look, and the portfolio shows what the pieces look like in a finished room.
What to borrow: a clear separation between "hire us" and "shop", so neither audience is confused. Watch for: letting the shop crowd out the design practice. A shop is a separate business with its own costs; most practices are better served by a beautiful portfolio than by a store.
5. The local specialist
Some of the most effective sites are unmistakably local: coastal houses in one county, period homes in one town, a particular kind of client in one city. The projects, the language and the photography all say "we know houses like yours".
What to borrow: name the places and kinds of houses you work on, plainly, on the home page and on each project. That specificity is also what search engines and AI assistants need when someone asks for a designer near them.
What every strong example shares
| Habit | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Photography first | Clients buy with their eyes |
| Few words on the home page | Restraint reads as confidence |
| Complete projects, not single images | Shows how you think, not just what you chose |
| A real person behind the firm | People hire people |
| One clear way to begin | A short enquiry form and a stated next step |
| Built to be accessible | Readable text, good contrast, works with a keyboard, as set out in WCAG 2.2 |
Where Bay House fits
We design websites for interior designers who want their site to feel like one of their rooms: bespoke layouts, large photography handled properly, project stories and an enquiry process that is easy to start. Our Signature Site starts from $12,500, and the Full Commission, from $25,000, adds an AI assistant that drafts a prompt, personal reply to every enquiry for your approval. Every project ends in a fixed-price proposal; see our pricing. Comparing a custom build with a template? Read How much does a custom website cost compared with Squarespace or Wix?
Common questions
What makes an interior design website look high-end?
Space, restraint and photography. Large images with room around them, a limited palette and typeface, few words and no clutter. The site should feel like one of your rooms.
Should an interior designer show prices on their website?
Some do and many do not. A middle path is to describe how fees work and give a starting point for a typical project, which filters out poor fits without publishing a price list.
How many projects should an interior designer show online?
Fewer than you think. Six to ten complete projects, each photographed well and told properly, usually make a stronger impression than dozens of single images.
