A good gauge is that you are likely to spend a minimum of 10% – 20% of the value of the home on furnishing, adding curtains and decorating an empty property from scratch depending on the scale of the property and the level of luxury you would like. Smaller homes will be closer to 20% and larger homes will be closer to 10%. If you already have base furniture pieces and are just adding rugs, artworks, carpet and accessories then the cost is obviously lower. Around 50% of the costs in a project go towards these smaller pieces however.
As of 2026 the cost to furnish a large property with 11 rooms from scratch (3 lounges, 2 patio’s, kitchen, dining, master bedroom, entrance and 2 guest rooms) cost R1 600 000 (without wallpapers but with new lighting and curtains). This includes design fees and deliveries bringing the per room cost to R150 000.
While I help clients to problem solve where they are at, I don’t recommend starting out trying to partially furnish with larger pieces on your own first and then getting a designer in later to bring the space together. You want to rather start off with every piece adding to the look and building on the vision rather than your accessories and smalls trying to problem solve and cover errors.
