The verdict in three sentences
A Dublin interior design studio usually needs a redesign when its portfolio is beautiful on a laptop and painful on a phone, when individual projects cannot be found in search, and when enquiries arrive without a budget, a timeline or a postcode. In 2026, typical Dublin agency quotes for a studio redesign run €12,000 to €40,000, while Kolonell's fixed grid is €2,700, €4,500 or €8,200, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. The main risks are heavy portfolio images, lost project URLs and enquiry forms that collect personal data without a clear purpose, all of which a short checklist controls.
Is your current site ready for a redesign? A quick readiness score
Studios in Ranelagh, Dublin 2 and 4 or Dún Laoghaire tend to win residential, hospitality and workplace projects through referrals, then lose a share of them on the website. A simple weighted score helps decide whether to patch or rebuild. Rate each criterion from 1 (poor) to 5 (strong); the example below is a typical studio site built around 2019.
| Criterion | Weight | Score (1 to 5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile speed of portfolio pages | 25% | 2 | 0.50 |
| Each project indexable on its own URL | 20% | 1 | 0.20 |
| Enquiry form qualifies budget, scope and timing | 20% | 3 | 0.60 |
| Team can edit projects without a developer | 15% | 2 | 0.30 |
| Privacy notice and cookie consent in place | 10% | 2 | 0.20 |
| Image rights documented for every project | 10% | 4 | 0.40 |
| Total | 100% | 2.20 / 5 |
Below 3 out of 5, a redesign generally costs less over three years than repeated fixes. Above 4, targeted improvements are usually enough.
What does a redesign cost in Dublin in 2026?
2026 ballparks from typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages in Dublin, shown as ranges rather than survey data.
| Option | Build budget | Third-party content costs to plan | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Established Dublin creative agency | €30,000 to €70,000 | Often bundled, or €3,000 to €8,000 for photography | 12 to 20 weeks |
| Smaller Dublin web studio | €12,000 to €30,000 | €2,000 to €6,000 photography | 8 to 14 weeks |
| Freelance designer | €3,500 to €10,000 | €2,000 to €6,000 photography | 6 to 12 weeks |
| Kolonell Starter | €2,700 | Existing licensed images | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Growth | €4,500 | Local photographer if new shoots are needed | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Premium | €8,200 | Local photographer, optional translator for extra languages | 3 to 4 weeks |
Each Kolonell tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English copywriting and 3 months of support. Premium is the multilingual tier, with languages set in the quote. Photography and any translation review are third-party costs paid to the photographer or translator, never Kolonell fees. Client portals, integrations with procurement or project tools, and search work are on quote, as is maintenance after the first 3 months. The full offer is described on the international offer page.
Timeline, risks and how to keep them small
A realistic Kolonell timeline once content is ready: days 1 to 3 for the URL inventory and Search Console export; week 1 for structure, project fields (location, sector, scope, year, photographer credit) and copy; weeks 2 and 3 for design and build on a staging site; week 3 for the redirect map and form tests; week 4 for the content review and launch, followed by 30 days of monitoring.
| Risk | Early warning sign | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio too heavy | Gallery pages above 10 MB | WebP or AVIF, hero images near 300 KB, lazy loading |
| Lost project URLs | Old project links return 404 | One-to-one 301 redirects for every indexed URL |
| Weak enquiries | Messages with no budget or timing | Form fields for project type, area in m², budget band, start date |
| Over-collected personal data | Forms asking for home address at first contact | Ask for an Eircode area only, state retention period |
| Misleading titles | Team bios using protected titles | Use designer titles unless a person is registered for another title |
| Unlicensed photos | Images from a photographer with no web licence | Written licence or reshoot before launch |
Two framework points, kept general. In Ireland, the title architect is protected and reserved for registered professionals, so an interior design studio should describe itself and its team as designers unless someone holds that registration. On data, the studio is subject to GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, with the Data Protection Commission as regulator: publish a privacy notice, obtain consent for non-essential cookies, and keep enquiry data only as long as needed. The European Accessibility Act targets certain products and services and has exemptions for microenterprises, so check whether it reaches your business; either way, WCAG 2.1 AA is a sensible target. This is not legal advice. Never list awards, press features or client names you cannot document.
When is a Dublin agency the better choice?
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If your redesign is really a rebrand, with naming, identity, print and signage for a new hospitality line, or if you want an art director at every shoot and regular sessions in person, a Dublin creative agency is the stronger option. If the identity is settled and the job is a faster portfolio, better enquiries and a clean migration, a remote studio with overlapping hours is enough.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Aoife runs a fictional five-person interior design studio in Ranelagh. Her site has 70 indexed URLs, 30 of them project pages, and a contact form with just name and email. A Dublin studio quoted €22,000. She chooses Kolonell Growth at €4,500 and books a local interiors photographer for three recent hospitality projects at €2,400, a third-party cost. Total: €6,900, which is €15,100 below the local quote. The new form adds project type, budget band and start date, so each enquiry can be answered in one reply.
FAQ
How long does a redesign take for a Dublin interior design studio?
Dublin agencies usually plan 8 to 20 weeks. Kolonell delivers in 3 to 4 weeks once texts and images are ready, and most studios need 1 to 2 weeks to gather them.
Will we lose search traffic on our project pages?
Not if 100% of indexed URLs are redirected to their new equivalents and Search Console is checked for 30 days. Expect a possible fluctuation of 2 to 6 weeks after launch.
Can we call ourselves interior architects on the site?
Be careful: architect is a protected title in Ireland, and using it without registration can be a problem. Interior designer or design studio is the safe wording for the 100% of pages that describe the team.
What should our enquiry form ask?
Project type, location area, approximate size, budget band and start date: 5 to 7 fields is usually right. Avoid asking for a full home address or floor plans before the first call.
What happens after the 3 months of support?
Updates, maintenance and search work are on quote. The domain and code remain in the studio's name from day one, so you can change provider at any time.
Let's scope your project. Send us your number of project pages, the photos you already hold and your launch date, and we will confirm the tier, the EUR budget and a 3 to 4 week plan. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
