The verdict in three sentences
In Dublin, an interior design studio website built by a local agency costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, 8 000 to 35 000 EUR, and a local agency is the better choice when your portfolio still needs styled photo shoots, in-person mood board sessions and a brand built around a physical studio. A remote studio such as Kolonell fits when you already hold good images with a web licence and want a fixed price of 2 700 EUR, 4 500 EUR or 8 200 EUR, native copywriting and a project manager on Irish time. Settle the criteria first, then compare the three-year cost, including photo licences that both options will need.
Dublin agency or remote studio: which criteria decide?
The local ranges are cautious orders of magnitude, not official figures. They draw on public price pages of Dublin agencies, minimum project sizes on Clutch.co profiles, hourly rates published by Irish studios (often 80 to 150 EUR per hour) and rates visible on Upwork and Malt.
| Criterion | Dublin agency | Dublin freelancer | Remote studio (Kolonell) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build cost, 2026 order of magnitude | 8 000 to 35 000 EUR | 2 500 to 8 000 EUR | 2 700 EUR / 4 500 EUR / 8 200 EUR, fixed |
| Styled shoots of projects | Often arranged with a photographer and stylist | Sometimes | Not included: your images or a local interiors photographer |
| Meetings | At your studio in Ranelagh, Portobello or Dublin 8 | In person or by video | Google Meet calls at your hour |
| Time zone | Irish time | Irish time | Team on GMT: same hour in winter, one hour apart in summer |
| Timeline | 6 to 14 weeks | 3 to 8 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks, Premium usually 4 to 6 with a written plan |
| Copywriting | Often extra | Rarely included | Native English included |
| Ownership and support | Check the contract | Check the contract | Domain in your name, every access handed over; 3 months support, 6 in Premium |
A Dublin freelancer can come in below Kolonell's Starter plan, and for a five-page portfolio that may be enough. Kolonell's case rests on copywriting, a project manager, a written scope and full ownership. See the international offer page for each plan.
When is a Dublin agency the better choice?
Plainly: if your completed projects have only phone photos, a local agency that can book an interiors photographer and stylist, art-direct the shoot and design around the results will deliver more than any remote studio. The same applies if clients expect to visit a showroom and the website must mirror a physical brand experience, if you want frequent face-to-face reviews of mood boards, or if you plan to sell furniture and objects online, which is an e-commerce project with its own scope. A local partner who knows Irish design press and awards can also help with PR around launch.
When does a remote studio work well for Dublin designers?
A remote studio fits a studio that already has strong photography and needs it turned into a site that brings serious briefs: homeowners restoring a Georgian or Victorian house, developers fitting out show apartments, hospitality clients refurbishing a bar or boutique hotel. The team is based in Senegal on GMT, the same clock as Dublin in winter and one hour behind in summer, so calls sit inside your day and a written update arrives every week. French is included in a bilingual FR/EN site from Premium if you work with continental clients; other languages are supplied by you or quoted separately.
What does a Dublin interior design site need, and which rules apply?
Typical pages: portfolio by project type (residential, hospitality, workplace), project pages with before and after images where the owner agrees, services and the way fees work (fixed fee, hourly or percentage), process from consultation to installation, press and awards, about and team, a brief form asking for property type, location, rooms concerned, budget band and timing, privacy policy and legal notices. A journal is useful only if someone will feed it.
On rules, stay factual. Photos of completed projects belong to the photographer unless the licence says otherwise: get a written web licence and owner consent for private homes. In Ireland, the title architect is protected and the register is held by the RIAI, so an interior design studio should describe its services without implying architectural registration it does not hold. Personal data falls under the GDPR and the Irish Data Protection Act 2018, supervised by the Data Protection Commission. The European Accessibility Act applies since 28 June 2025 to certain products and services; whatever your exposure, WCAG 2.1 AA is the sensible technical reference. This is not legal advice.
What does each option cost over three years?
Photo licences, hosting and maintenance are hypotheses applied identically on both sides.
| Item over 3 years | Dublin agency (mid range) | Kolonell Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Build | 15 000 EUR | 4 500 EUR |
| Copywriting | 1 500 to 3 000 EUR | Included |
| Web licences for 4 project shoots (hypothesis) | 2 400 EUR | 2 400 EUR |
| Hosting and domain (hypothesis, 200 EUR per year) | 600 EUR | 600 EUR |
| Maintenance after support (hypothesis) | 1 500 EUR | 1 500 EUR |
| Indicative total | about 21 000 to 22 500 EUR | about 9 000 EUR |
Which questions should you ask before signing?
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- Who negotiates and stores the photo licences, and for how long are they valid?
- Can you add a new project yourself in under 30 minutes after launch?
- Is the copy written for the clients you want, or adapted from a template?
- Who owns the domain, hosting and analytics accounts?
- How many revision rounds are included, and what is the hourly rate afterwards?
Red flags: a portfolio template that crops every image to the same square, images reused from suppliers without permission, no privacy policy for the brief form, or a demand for 100 % upfront.
Mini case study
Exemple illustratif. Aoife M. runs a three-person interiors studio in Ranelagh working on period homes and small hospitality fit-outs, and has relied on Instagram until now. A Dublin agency quotes 16 000 EUR, including two styled shoots. She picks Kolonell Growth at 4 500 EUR and pays her usual photographer 600 EUR per project to extend web licences on four past shoots, so 2 400 EUR. Total: 6 900 EUR, about 9 100 EUR below the agency quote, with no new styled shoot at launch.
FAQ
Can a remote studio judge the quality of interior photography?
Yes, image selection, cropping and sequencing are part of the design work. What we cannot do is attend a shoot, so you or your photographer direct it.
Which plan suits a small Dublin studio?
Growth at 4 500 EUR suits most studios with 8 to 20 projects to show. Starter at 2 700 EUR fits a new studio with three or four projects.
Can clients book a consultation online?
Yes, by linking a booking tool you already use. A custom booking system with deposits and calendars for several designers is quoted separately.
How long until the site is live?
Usually 3 to 4 weeks once images and project facts are in. Premium at 8 200 EUR gets a written plan, usually 4 to 6 weeks.
How is payment made?
By bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kick-off and 50 % at delivery. The domain stays in your name and every access is handed over.
Let's scope your project. Send us your best ten projects, the clients you want more of and your current site or Instagram, and we will propose a fixed-price plan delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. Request your free quote or see the international offer.
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.
