Quick answer: Turnkey interior design Delhi firms handle the design, drawings, materials, civil work, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, painting and final handover under a single contract — so you deal with one team, one BOQ and one timeline instead of six separate vendors. In 2026, budget roughly ₹1,450 per sq ft for design-led work and up to ₹2,650 per sq ft for premium full turnkey execution. A typical 3BHK takes 10–14 weeks from drawing sign-off to handover.
What does “turnkey” mean in interior design?
The word comes from the idea that when the work is finished, you turn the key and walk into a completed space. In practice, turnkey interior design means one firm signs one contract covering both the design and the execution, and carries the responsibility for the result. If the carpenter’s wardrobe carcass does not line up with the electrician’s socket position, that is the contractor’s problem to solve — not yours.
This is different from a design-only engagement, where you receive drawings, a 3D view and a material list, and then have to appoint and manage contractors yourself. It is also different from traditional contracting, where a site contractor builds to someone else’s drawings and quotes each trade separately as the work progresses.
What a turnkey interior design package in Delhi includes
A genuine turnkey scope in Delhi NCR should cover all of the following under one quotation:
- Site measurement, space planning and layout drawings
- Concept design, material palette and 3D visualisation for every room
- An item-wise BOQ with brand names, board grades and quantities
- Civil work — demolition, wall changes, plastering, waterproofing, flooring
- False ceiling, cove detailing and acoustic treatment where required
- Electrical — rewiring, switchboards, DB shifting, network and AC points
- Plumbing — concealed piping, CP fittings and sanitaryware installation
- Modular and custom carpentry — kitchen, wardrobes, TV unit, storage, beds
- Painting, texture, wallpaper and polish finishes
- Lighting layout, fixtures and switching plan
- Styling, soft furnishings and decor as per the approved scope
- Site cleaning, snag-list closure, handover and post-handover warranty
What is usually excluded
Read the exclusions page of any quotation before you sign. Items commonly kept outside the turnkey scope include statutory approvals for structural changes, society or RWA NOC charges and refundable deposits, lift and debris-removal charges levied by the building, white goods and appliances, curtains and artwork beyond the listed scope, and GST if it has been quoted separately. None of these are unreasonable exclusions, but they need to sit in your own budget line so the final number does not surprise you.
Turnkey interior design Delhi cost in 2026
Rates in Delhi are quoted per square foot of carpet area. The band you fall into is driven far more by material specification and the volume of carpentry than by the size of the property.
| Level of finish | Rate per sq ft | What it typically covers |
|---|---|---|
| Design-led / essential fit-out | ₹1,450 – ₹1,750 | Commercial-grade ply and laminate, standard hardware, basic false ceiling, limited loose furniture |
| Mid-range full turnkey | ₹1,750 – ₹2,100 | BWP/HDHMR where it matters, branded hinges and channels, full modular kitchen, layered lighting |
| Premium turnkey | ₹2,100 – ₹2,650 | Veneer, acrylic and PU finishes, stone and Italian marble, custom joinery, automation-ready wiring |
As a rough guide, that puts a 900 sq ft 2BHK in the ₹13–19 lakh range, a 1,400 sq ft 3BHK at roughly ₹20–37 lakh, and a 3,000 sq ft office fit-out anywhere from ₹43 lakh upward depending on how much of the floor is meeting rooms and how much is open workstation. For a full breakdown of what sits behind those numbers, see our guide on what actually drives interior design cost per sq ft in Delhi.
What pushes a Delhi project to the top of the range
- Carpentry volume. Wardrobes, kitchens and storage are the single largest line item in almost every Indian home. Two extra wardrobes can move the per sq ft rate more than a marble upgrade.
- Old wiring and plumbing. Builder floors in South Delhi and older DDA flats often need full rewiring and new concealed plumbing, which is civil-heavy work.
- Stone and veneer. Imported marble, large-format tiles and veneer with PU polish carry both material cost and skilled-labour cost.
- Site access. No service lift, narrow staircases or restricted loading times all add labour hours that end up in the rate.
- Compressed timelines. Asking for a six-week handover on a ten-week scope means overtime and parallel crews, and it is priced accordingly.
The turnkey process, stage by stage
| Stage | What happens | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Site visit and brief | Measurements, structural check, discussion of how you actually use the space | 1–2 days |
| 2. Concept and layout | Space plan, zoning options, material direction | 5–7 days |
| 3. 3D visualisation | Photorealistic views of each room for sign-off before any work starts | 5–10 days |
| 4. BOQ and budget approval | Item-wise quotation with brands, grades and quantities | 3–5 days |
| 5. Working drawings | Electrical, plumbing, ceiling and carpentry drawings issued to site | 5–7 days |
| 6. Civil and services | Demolition, flooring, waterproofing, rewiring, concealed plumbing | 3–4 weeks |
| 7. Off-site manufacturing | Modular units built in the factory in parallel with site work | 3–4 weeks (parallel) |
| 8. Installation and finishes | Carpentry install, false ceiling, painting, lighting, fittings | 3–4 weeks |
| 9. Snagging | Joint walkthrough, defect list, rectification | 5–7 days |
| 10. Handover | Cleaning, warranty documents, maintenance guidance | 1–2 days |
The reason turnkey projects finish faster is stage 7. Because modular furniture is manufactured off-site while civil and electrical work continues on-site, two long workstreams run at the same time instead of one after the other. In a multi-vendor project, the carpenter usually will not start until the civil contractor has left.
Turnkey vs design-only vs traditional contracting
| Design-only | Traditional contracting | Turnkey | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who manages the site | You | You, across trades | The firm’s project manager |
| Number of contracts | 1 (design) + many | 4–7 | 1 |
| Cost certainty | Low | Low to medium | High, against a fixed BOQ |
| Who owns a defect | Disputed | Disputed between trades | One firm |
| Best suited to | Hands-on owners with time | Small, isolated jobs | Full homes and offices, remote or busy owners |
The disadvantages of turnkey interior design
Turnkey is not automatically the right answer, and any firm that tells you otherwise is selling rather than advising. The honest drawbacks:
- Lump-sum quotes hide detail. A single headline number is easy to compare and impossible to verify. Insist on an item-wise BOQ.
- Less flexibility mid-project. Changing a layout after working drawings are issued triggers a variation cost, because material has already been cut.
- You are dependent on one firm. If the contractor is weak on one trade, you have limited ability to swap that trade out.
- Comparing bids is harder. Two turnkey quotes for the same flat can differ by 30% purely on board grade and hardware brand.
- Cheapest is often descoped. The low bid usually has fewer wardrobes, thinner ply or a smaller lighting scope, not better pricing.
Each of these is manageable with the right contract. Ask for the BOQ line by line, tie payments to completed milestones rather than calendar dates, get the variation rate agreed in writing before work starts, and have the name of the project manager who will be on your site written into the agreement.
How to choose a turnkey interior design company in Delhi
Nine questions that separate a capable turnkey contractor from a broker with a showroom:
- Can you show me three completed projects of my size, in my type of building, in Delhi?
- Is your BOQ item-wise, with board grade, hardware brand and quantity against every line?
- Who is the project manager on my site, and how many other sites do they run at the same time?
- Is the carpentry made in your own factory or outsourced, and can I visit it?
- What is your payment schedule, and is each stage tied to completed work?
- What is the written warranty on workmanship and on modular hardware?
- How are variations priced, and at what rate?
- Who handles the society NOC, work-timing permissions and debris removal?
- What happens to my timeline if construction is halted by a pollution-control order in winter?
If a firm cannot answer the ninth question, they have not run a Delhi project through a December.
Delhi-specific factors that affect your project
Interior work in Delhi carries constraints that do not exist in most other cities, and they belong in your plan from day one rather than as a mid-project surprise.
- Air-quality restrictions. When pollution-control measures escalate in winter, dust-generating construction can be suspended at short notice. Sequence demolition, grinding and stone cutting outside December and January where you can.
- Society and RWA rules. Most group housing societies restrict working hours, require an NOC and a refundable deposit, and prohibit material movement through passenger lifts.
- Approvals for structural change. Removing or altering any structural element, or touching the facade, can require municipal permission. Cosmetic interior work generally does not.
- Older builder floors. Properties across South Delhi, and older DDA stock in areas like Rohini and Dwarka, commonly need complete rewiring, new plumbing lines and floor levelling before any finish work begins.
- Hard water. It shortens the life of CP fittings and affects kitchen and bathroom material choices, so specify accordingly.
Where we work
IntExt Concepts delivers turnkey interior design and execution for homes, offices and retail spaces across South Delhi, Chhatarpur, Vasant Kunj, Saket, Greater Kailash, Dwarka, Rohini, Pitampura, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad and Ghaziabad. If your project is a workspace rather than a home, our guide to hiring the best office interior designer in Gurugram covers the commercial side in more detail.
Frequently asked questions
What does turnkey mean in interior design?
It means one company contracts for both the design and the physical execution of your interior, and hands over a finished, move-in-ready space. You sign one agreement and hold one firm accountable, instead of appointing a designer plus separate civil, carpentry, electrical, plumbing and painting vendors.
How much does turnkey interior design cost in Delhi?
In 2026, roughly ₹1,450 to ₹2,650 per sq ft of carpet area depending on finish level. A 900 sq ft 2BHK typically lands between ₹13 lakh and ₹19 lakh; a 1,400 sq ft 3BHK between ₹20 lakh and ₹37 lakh. Carpentry volume and material grade move the number far more than floor area alone.
How long does a turnkey interior project take in Delhi?
Around three to four weeks for design, 3D approval and BOQ sign-off, then eight to ten weeks on site for a standard apartment. A 3BHK usually completes in 10 to 14 weeks from drawing approval. Offices of 3,000 sq ft and above generally run 12 to 16 weeks.
What are the disadvantages of turnkey interior design?
Lump-sum quotations make it hard to verify what you are paying for, design changes after drawings are issued cost extra, and you depend on a single firm across every trade. All three are controlled by insisting on an item-wise BOQ, milestone-linked payments and pre-agreed variation rates.
Is turnkey cheaper than hiring separate contractors?
Line by line, a multi-vendor quote often looks lower because coordination is unpriced — you absorb it in time, and in the delay cost when one trade waits on another. On a full home or office, turnkey usually works out comparable or better on total cost, and considerably better on certainty.
Does a turnkey package include appliances and curtains?
Usually not by default. Chimneys, hobs, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, curtains and artwork are commonly quoted separately or excluded. Confirm exactly which of these sit inside your BOQ before you approve the budget.
Planning a turnkey interior project in Delhi?
We take on turnkey interior design Delhi projects of every size, from a single 2BHK to a full office floor. Bring your floor plan, a rough budget range and your target handover date, and we will tell you honestly whether that combination is achievable before any drawings are produced. Book a free consultation or call +91 87440 41617.
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