The verdict in three sentences
For an interior design studio in Geneva, the website is a portfolio that must load fast despite heavy imagery, protect the discretion of private clients and speak both to homeowners in Cologny and to the facilities team of an international organisation. A Geneva agency is worth it when you want art direction in person, brand identity work in your studio and regular conversations around materials and projects; a remote studio is enough when your photos exist or are commissioned from an architectural photographer and the scope fits a written brief. Kolonell's grid in CHF runs from CHF 2,700 (Starter) to CHF 4,500 (Growth) and CHF 8,200 (Premium, the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote), with native French or English copywriting and delivery in 3 to 4 weeks.
What do Geneva clients expect from an interior designer's website?
Geneva's clientele spans several worlds. Owners of prestige apartments in Champel, Eaux-Vives or the Old Town, and of villas in Cologny or on the left bank, look for a signature and a method. Trading houses and offices linked to international organisations, often on the right bank, want office fit-out references, a reliable contact and kept deadlines. If you run an English-speaking studio in Geneva, you meet the same buyers, and many of them will read your English pages first. Both groups read your portfolio before they call.
A typical brief includes:
- A portfolio by project type: apartments, villas, offices, hospitality or retail, with simple filters and one page per project (indicative surface, scope, materials, photos).
- Heavy but fast imagery: WebP or AVIF formats, lazy loading, 200 to 400 KB per displayed image, and a target of under 2.5 seconds for the main content on mobile.
- Discretion for private clients: never an address, neighbourhoods mentioned loosely, written client consent before publication, and an option for protected "on request" projects.
- Photo rights: the photographer usually keeps the copyright; plan a written licence covering web, social media and press use.
- A method and fees page: steps, usual timelines and fee models described in general terms.
- French and English: a large part of the international clientele reads English first.
On regulation, stay factual. The title of interior architect is not protected at federal level: if you are listed in the REG register or belong to a professional association, say so precisely; otherwise describe your training and experience. Works that require a permit follow cantonal rules, so point to the competent authority rather than stating what you can file. On data, the revised Federal Act on Data Protection (nLPD, in force since 1 September 2023) covers your contact form, cookies and analytics tools. This is not legal advice.
Geneva agency or remote studio: how do you compare them?
| Criterion | What you expect | Geneva agency | Remote studio (Kolonell) | Who wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art direction of photo shoots | An eye on styling and framing | Possible on site, often billed | Written brief to the photographer, third-party cost | Local agency |
| Brand identity | Logo, typography, tone | Workshops in your studio | Video calls, building on your existing identity | Local agency if the identity must be created |
| French and English copy | An editorial voice, not a translation | Often one native copywriter | Native French or English copywriting | Remote studio |
| Image performance | Fast pages despite 300 photos | Varies by team | Optimisation included in the build | Tie, verify with a test |
| Domain and code ownership | Everything in your name | Varies, read the contract | In the client's name, written in the contract | Tie if the contract is clear |
| Timeline | Launch before the trade fair season | 8 to 14 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks after content | Remote studio |
| Budget | Predictable | Ballpark CHF 15,000 to 45,000 | CHF 2,700 to 8,200 by tier | Remote studio |
Geneva and Kolonell work in the same Central European time zone, so day-to-day contact is not the issue. The real tipping point is photography and identity. Your architectural photographer will be local whichever web provider you pick; but if your brand itself still has to be invented, a Geneva agency that comes to see your samples and your studio adds value that is hard to reproduce on video.
What does each option cost over three years in Geneva?
2026 ballpark, based on typical Geneva agency quotes and public agency rate pages, for a French and English portfolio site of 12 to 20 pages with about 25 projects. Agency and freelancer maintenance figures are market assumptions; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote.
| Option | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | 3-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva agency, median quote: build CHF 28,000 and maintenance CHF 300 a month (market assumption) | CHF 31,600 | CHF 3,600 | CHF 3,600 | CHF 38,800 |
| Geneva freelancer: build CHF 10,000 and maintenance CHF 150 a month (market assumption) | CHF 11,800 | CHF 1,800 | CHF 1,800 | CHF 15,400 |
| Kolonell Premium, French and English | CHF 8,200 | On quote | On quote | CHF 8,200 before maintenance |
| Kolonell Growth, one language | CHF 4,500 | On quote | On quote | CHF 4,500 before maintenance |
| Architectural photographer, all options (third-party, 2 days then 1 day) | CHF 4,000 | CHF 0 | CHF 2,000 | CHF 6,000 |
Read this table with care: a talented Geneva freelancer can deliver an excellent portfolio, but rarely covers bilingual copy, image optimisation and mobile testing alone. And a high-end agency that also creates your identity is not comparable with a layout job. Each tier's scope is detailed on the international offer page.
When is a Geneva agency clearly the better choice?
To be frank, go local if:
- your brand identity has to be created from scratch and you want to build it around your materials, in the studio;
- you want the agency itself to direct photo shoots in apartments and villas;
- you plan virtual tours or regular videos filmed on your sites;
- an institutional client requires a Geneva-based supplier for its own procurement.
A remote studio is enough when your photos are good or commissioned, your identity exists, you want a fixed price and a launch in under a month, and your copy has to sound right in both French and English.
Need a professional website?
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Questions for both: are the domain and hosting in our name? Who holds the rights to the code and copy after final payment? How are images optimised, and what average page weight do you target? How do you protect private client projects? What does support cost after month three? What do we receive if we change provider?
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Camille runs a fictional three-person interior design studio in Eaux-Vives, with 25 projects to show, half of them for private clients who refuse any address. Her total web budget: CHF 15,000.
The median Geneva agency quote (CHF 28,000) exceeds the budget. Remote option: Kolonell Premium at CHF 8,200 for French and English, and two days with an architectural photographer at CHF 4,000 (third-party cost), so CHF 12,200. That leaves CHF 2,800, which she spends on an independent graphic designer to refine her logo and typography.
On performance, 25 projects with 12 photos each make 300 images. At 3 MB per raw image that would be 900 MB; optimised to about 300 KB, they weigh 90 MB in total, loaded progressively page by page. Private projects appear without addresses, with a line saying "detailed references on appointment".
FAQ
Can I call myself an interior architect in Geneva?
The title is not protected at federal level, but stay accurate: mention your REG listing or professional association only if it exists. For works requiring a permit, point to the cantonal authority; a 20-word line on the method page is enough.
Which Kolonell tier fits a French and English portfolio?
Premium at CHF 8,200, the multilingual tier, with languages set in the quote. Growth at CHF 4,500 suits a single-language site with a blog and analytics.
What does an architectural photographer cost in Geneva?
As a 2026 ballpark, often CHF 1,500 to 3,000 a day, a third-party cost to plan whatever web provider you choose. A written image licence is essential.
How do you keep a site fast with hundreds of photos?
Modern formats, lazy loading and 200 to 400 KB per displayed image are enough in most cases. Ask for a mobile test before delivery, with a target of under 2.5 seconds for the main content.
How soon can the site go live?
About 3 to 4 weeks remotely once photos and copy are approved, against 8 to 14 weeks for many Geneva agencies. Three months of support are included.
Let's scope your project. Send us the number of projects to show, your languages and your launch date, and we will reply with a fixed price from CHF 2,700 to CHF 8,200 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.