About KDS London

KDS London is an independent guide to interior design in London. We write about what a designer actually costs, how the different fee models work, and the decisions that make a room feel resolved. It is for people renovating a home here, often a Victorian terrace or a period flat, who want plain numbers and a sense of what they are signing up for before they ring round studios.

We are reader-first and ad-free. Nobody pays us to be recommended or to be left out.

How we research

We start from primary sources. For fees and pricing, that means quotes and rate cards from working London designers, contractor and trade estimates, and the public price lists of suppliers, rather than secondhand round-ups. For standards and process, we use named authorities such as the British Institute of Interior Design, the RIBA Plan of Work stages, and current VAT and building control guidance from GOV.UK, and we link to them so you can check the source yourself.

We build and use our own tools, like the design fee and procurement markup calculators, against real project figures before we publish them. Every cost figure carries the date and the area it applies to, because London prices move and a number without a date is close to useless.

We do not invent named experts or fake credentials. Articles are written and edited by the KDS London editorial team. Where a real designer, supplier, or body is named, it is because we used or contacted that source, not to borrow authority.

Editorial standards

We aim to be accurate and specific, and to say plainly when something depends on your postcode, your property, or the scope of work. We write in clear British English, not filler. If we get a figure or fact wrong, we correct it and note what changed at the foot of the piece. You can reach us with a correction or a question through the contact page.

Some links to designers and suppliers may earn us a referral fee. That fee never changes who we recommend or what we tell you, and we will not feature anyone we would not point a friend toward.