Is Instagram enough? The question designers actually ask
No — but not for the reason web designers usually claim. Instagram is a discovery channel, and it’s good at it. What it can’t do: present a project as a story (brief → rooms → materials → result), explain your process and fees to a nervous first-time client, or appear when someone searches “interior designer in [your city]”. A client about to spend a five-figure sum on their home does the same thing you would — they look for the professional’s website, and judge what they find. The site is where a follower becomes a client; without one, that judgement happens on a grid of squares with no story attached.
The five pages, and the job each one does
- Home. One hero project image, one line saying who you design for, and a route to the projects. Not a slideshow of everything you’ve ever done.
- Project case studies. The pages that win the job. Each project on its own page: the client’s brief, six to twelve photos by room, the materials story, the outcome. Three strong projects beat twelve thin ones.
- Services & process. Most residential clients have never hired a designer. Walk them through it — consultation, concept, sourcing, install — and say how fees work (hourly, flat, or percentage of budget) even if you don’t publish numbers. Pages that explain fees get more enquiries, not fewer.
- About. A photo of you, why you design, credentials. Interiors is a trust purchase; people hire people.
- Contact. One form, few fields, visible from every page — with a line under it saying what happens after someone enquires.
How to build it on Squarespace, step by step
- Start a Squarespace trial. Start a free Squarespace trial — no card required — so you’re building in the real tool from day one.
- Choose your starting template. A free Squarespace template like Selene or Colton, or a premium interiors template with the five pages already designed — we compared the options honestly in the best Squarespace templates for interior designers. Free means building the structure yourself; premium (roughly $225–$349, or £299 for Basalt) means the decisions arrive made.
- Add your three best projects. Write each as a case study — brief, rooms, materials, outcome — with six to twelve photos on its own page.
- Write the services page around your real process. This page, not the portfolio, is where enquiries stall — give it the same care as the photography.
- Connect your domain and set page titles. “Interior Designer in [City] — [Studio Name]” on the home page, project names on project pages. Then submit the site to Google Search Console.
- Point everything at it. Instagram bio, email signature, directory profiles. The site converts the attention those channels create.
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What it costs
Doing it yourself: the Squarespace subscription plus £0–£300 for a template. Having it designed for you: professional Squarespace builds typically start around £1,495–£3,000 — that’s what our custom Squarespace design service exists for, and we’ll tell you plainly if a template would serve you just as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do interior designers need a website, or is Instagram enough?
Instagram is a discovery channel and good at it, but it can't present a project as a story, explain your process and fees to a first-time client, or rank when someone searches for a designer in your city. The website is where a follower becomes a client — designers hiring for five-figure budgets are vetted on it.
How many projects does an interior designer need before launching a website?
Three, told properly — brief, rooms, materials, outcome. Three strong case studies beat twelve thin galleries, and launching now beats waiting for a fuller portfolio; you add projects as pages later.
Should interior designers show pricing on their website?
Explain your fee structure — hourly, flat fee or percentage of budget — even if you don't publish numbers. Pages that explain how fees work get more enquiries, not fewer, because they remove the awkwardness that stops people asking. Publish actual numbers only if you want them to pre-filter for budget.
Is Squarespace or WordPress better for an interior design website?
Squarespace, for most studios: stronger image handling out of the box, better templates for portfolio businesses, and near-zero maintenance. WordPress earns its complexity only if you need heavy custom functionality or content at a scale interiors studios rarely reach.
Where to go next
If you now know what the site needs, the next decision is the starting point — our honest comparison of the best Squarespace templates for interior designers covers premium and free options side by side, with live demos. Or skip straight to Basalt, the template we built for exactly this structure. Unsure which route fits? Ask us — straight answer, no pitch.