Local agency or remote studio for an interior design studio website in Brussels: how to choose (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

For an interior design studio website in Brussels, a local agency is worth it mainly if you want someone on your sites for photography, in-person workshops and a long brand partnership; a remote studio is enough when your project images already exist and you want a fast portfolio, trilingual if needed, on a fixed budget. In 2026 a Brussels agency usually asks €6,000 to €25,000, against €2,700, €4,500 or €8,200 on the Kolonell grid, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. The right choice depends less on price than on three questions: who shoots the photos, who owns the rights, and how many languages you really need.

Which criteria actually matter for an interior design studio?

A studio based in Ixelles, Uccle, Saint-Gilles or Woluwe sells images first: renovated mansion flats, townhouses, restaurants, offices. The site must present projects by type (residential, hospitality, offices), load large images without slowing down, respect the discretion of private clients and qualify enquiries by budget and timeline.

Here is a weighted grid for a four person studio whose project photography is already partly done. Adjust the weights to your situation.

Calculation: agency (75 + 100 + 60 + 40 + 20 + 40 + 50) / 100 = 3.85; remote studio (30 + 40 + 60 + 100 + 50 + 40 + 40) / 100 = 3.60. If on-site photography gets a low weight because your images exist, the gap flips.

What does it cost over three years, for a comparable scope?

2026 ballpark, based on typical agency quotes and public rate pages of local agencies. Post-launch maintenance is shown as a market assumption; at Kolonell it is on quote beyond the 3 included months.

Every Kolonell tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support; Starter, at €2,700, covers up to 5 pages for a new studio. A Dutch review by an independent translator is a third-party cost. Details on the international offer.

When is the local agency clearly the better choice?

To be honest: a Brussels agency wins if you are launching a new brand identity, if you want an art director present at shoots in clients' homes, if your recent projects have never been photographed, or if you prefer regular meetings in your studio. It also wins when the site must be written natively in Dutch for a large Flemish clientele.

A remote studio is enough when your photos exist, the brand is set, you want a clean and fast portfolio and you are comfortable with video calls.

What should the site cover, legally and practically?

• Photo rights. The photographer usually keeps copyright; get the licence (website, social, press, duration) in writing. Also get private clients' consent before publishing their interiors, without address or identifying details.
• Personal data. The enquiry form (budget, timeline, property type) falls under the GDPR, supervised by the Data Protection Authority (APD/GBA). Ask only what is useful, state retention periods and publish a privacy notice.
• Cookies. Consent must come before trackers; Instagram and Pinterest stay simple links rather than embeds that set cookies.
• Accessibility. Target WCAG 2.1 AA: alt text describing each project, readable contrast, keyboard navigation in galleries.
• Ownership. Domain and hosting in your name, code and content transferred at delivery.

This is not legal advice.

Questions to ask both types of provider

• Are the domain name and hosting in our name?
• How are large images optimised (WebP or AVIF formats, lazy loading)?
• Who writes the Dutch, and is it a native speaker?
• Can we add a project ourselves in under 15 minutes?
• What does maintenance cost after the support period?

Mini case study

Illustrative example. Emma, an English designer who runs a fictional four person interior design studio in Uccle, has 14 projects already photographed. A Brussels agency quotes €16,000 and 12 weeks for a trilingual site. She chooses Premium at €8,200 (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote), plus about €600 for a Dutch review by an independent translator (third-party cost): €8,800. Build saving: €7,200, which she puts towards photographing three new projects at about €900 each (third-party cost), so €2,700.

FAQ

Can a remote studio handle a site in French, Dutch and English?

Yes, through Premium at €8,200, the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote. A review by a native Dutch speaker, often €400 to €800, is a third-party cost.

How many projects should go live at launch?

Between 8 and 15 well photographed projects is enough. Ten complete projects beat thirty half-filled galleries.

Will large photos slow the site down?

Not if they are served as WebP or AVIF with lazy loading: a 4 MB image can drop below 300 KB with no visible loss.

Who owns the site at the end?

With Kolonell, the domain and hosting are in your name and the code is transferred at delivery. With a local agency, put it in the contract, whether the budget is €6,000 or €25,000.

What timeline should we plan?

Kolonell delivers in 3 to 4 weeks once photos and copy are ready; a local agency usually plans 8 to 16 weeks.

Let's scope your project. Send us the number of projects to show, your languages and target date, and we will return a fixed EUR scope. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.