Don’t Mention the Budget — Renovation TV Shows Might Be Obsessed With It, but Interior Designers Say Talking Finance Is Much More Secretive in Real Life
"We don't talk about money in this country. We find it very, very difficult. It's not seen to be the thing to do."
Even in a media landscape that would have been unimaginable 15 years ago, the renovation TV show remains one of the last-standing fixtures of the pre-streaming era. Some of the most popular iterations of these shows, like Grand Designs, have been on our televisions for nearly three decades now, and while most of our entertainment programs have gone through drastic transformations in recent years, there is a comforting familiarity to the unchanging formula of them.
We're hardly the first ones to say it; over the years, the British people have taken great pleasure in poking fun at the genre's predictability, with one viral tweet reading: "The real grand design is getting the nation to watch two attractive people slowly go bankrupt in a beautiful place while Kevin murmurs about thermal bridging. It's the most British thing on telly. We don't want them to succeed. We want them in a caravan, arguing about hemp installation." But as entertaining as this stereotype has become, it does reveal something about the way design is presented in popular culture. The budget, or lack of budget, and the attempts to avoid going over the renovation budget are a key focus of these shows, but for many designers, it's the last thing they really want to talk about.
In fact, much of how interiors are presented on these shows can feel miles away from the reality of the industry. This was something Alex Dauley encountered firsthand, having served as a resident interior designer for Channel 4's The Great Home Transformation in 2022. With years of experience as an interior designer, Alex has seen both sides of the industry, and can see just how 'false', or 'flattened', the version of interior design that we see on television actually is. It's something she's said directly to many of the executives behind these shows: "I've said to them often, 'Why will you not make a show that is really representative of our industry?' And they said, 'We just don't think people will find it interesting'."
It's an intriguing paradox of British culture: the hush-hush conservatism around money talk amongst the industry professionals, versus the finance-focused approach we see on the telly, but what has landed us in this position?
An interior designer, presenter, creative director, and more, Alex Dauley has cemented herself as one of the leading voices in design today. She has been recognized as a 2024 House and Garden Top 100 Designer and Country and Town House Top 50 Designer; she is a Fellow of West Dean College and KLC School of Design, and the co-founder of WOW!house’s 2025 charity partner, United in Design.
TV shows like Interior Design Masters often focus on tiny-budget projects so that their contestants have to flex their creative DIY muscles to make their schemes come to life. "They're set up to fail," Alexandra says. "No one works like that in the real world."
Alex isn't alone in her disappointment with how these shows present her industry. Kate Guinness, another one of London's top interior designers, agrees that these shows are "overall, quite unrepresentative of reality."
Contrary to what they may lead you to believe, Kate says, "It is simply not the case that the costs on every single project spiral to nigh-unmanageable levels."
Of course, there is always a risk of unexpected costs, and Kate agrees that "It is true to say that an unexpected event almost always occurs in the course of a project and, in many cases, this has an impact on cost, though not always dramatic." But when we see this on our televisions, drama is practically the essential ingredient. "And that is perhaps the point… these shows are essentially reality TV and, thus, necessarily skewed towards portraying drama in order to garner viewers."
Although these shows may present themselves as a realistic view of the nitty-gritty of designing a forever home, it's impossible to ignore that their primary goal is to entertain. These shows run on viewership, and to keep people engaged, you need the drama, even if it means the reality of it all can get blurred along the way.
"I think renovation programmes tend to make the budget a central part of the story," agrees designer Millie Turner, who has worked on projects in some of London's most desirable areas, as well as country homes in the Cotswolds and beyond. "There's always that question of whether the homeowners will achieve what they've set out to do within their budget, and inevitably the unexpected costs and overspending make for good television!"
But, as far removed as these shows may be from the reality of these designers' day-to-day lives, that is not to say they are wholly negative in impact. "These programmes have been brilliant in making renovation and design more accessible," says Millie, "but I do think they can create slightly unrealistic expectations around what things actually cost."
Since opening her own design studio in 2016, Kate has spent the past decade honing her own distinctive style, often working with antique pieces and fabrics to bring a sense of history and character to the projects she works on. Featured on House & Garden's Top 100 Designers and Architects, as well as Country & Townhouse's 50 Finest Interior Designers lists, Kate has established herself as one of the leading names in the city's design circle.
"Many of these programmes are also filmed well before they're broadcast, so the figures viewers are seeing aren't necessarily reflective of today's costs. I think that's an important distinction, particularly for people watching them as inspiration for their own renovations," says Millie.
In these shows, the budget serves as a kind of narrative device, providing a point of comparison for the audience, so that they can better relate to what they are watching. After all, a budget is one of the only things that unites all design projects: "Regardless of the size or value of someone's home, there's usually a limit to what they can spend, and the challenge of making everything work within that figure is universally interesting," says Millie.
Plus, Millie adds, the drama and anxiety of a financial struggle is, in a perverse way, often one of the most engaging aspects of these shows: "Watching someone choose between their dream modern kitchen and the reality of what they can afford is perhaps more engaging television than watching a renovation where everything runs smoothly and comes in on budget."
One of the most revealing aspects of how we watch these shows is how much of the appeal comes from the anticipation of failure. Whether it's going over the budget or not finishing in time, there seems to be an overwhelming desire to see these people teeter along the edge of disaster, so we can anxiously wait to see whether they sink or swim. It's a theme Alex has seen across the genre: "If you think of the interior design shows that we have here, like, Interior Design Masters, which is horrific because, first of all, they're not masters. How can you call them masters? And again, they are set up to fail."
The challenges and constraints these designers come up against bear no resemblance to the challenges designers face in the real world, says Alex. "They get given a couple of days. They get given like £500 or £1,500. I mean, no one works like that in the real world, so I think it's dreadful."
But while these shows may position the apparent transparency around the financial side of a renovation as a way of contextualizing the design, these figures may be less helpful than you may expect. As designer Anna Haines explains, "The costs of one project aren't necessarily a useful benchmark for another, however, given how much the scope, specification, and everyday happenings can vary."
And while the numbers you see on screen purport to be a realistic, behind-the-scenes view of the realities of a home renovation, according to Alex, there's plenty of context that gets lost behind these figures, with various gifted and expensed additions being brushed beneath the proverbial rug, leaving the viewers with an even less realistic understanding of how much the costs of a redesign should add up to.
Millie Turner's design approach blends timeless and contemporary elements, creating homes that feel warm, personal, and effortless. Her boutique studio offers full-service design for her clients, guiding them every step of the way and ensuring they are left with a space that perfectly fits their goals and lifestyle.
These shows have maintained a consistent structure for several years now, despite the way the industry has evolved.
But despite how focused these shows are on the financial side of interior design, the reality of the industry is quite the opposite. There's a general atmosphere of discomfort when it comes to public discussions of finances, and it's a discomfort that is notably and quintessentially British.
"Based on personal experience and what I'm seeing, we don't talk about money in this country," agrees Alex. "We find it very, very difficult. It's not seen to be the thing to do."
Even when researching for this article, while many designers were eager to discuss the interesting paradox between the interior design we see on TV and the world they work in, many other designers were reluctant to lend their name to any kind of discussion pertaining to budget or finances. Encapsulating just how sensitive this topic can be, one response read: "We are very careful not to discuss budgets or anything financial with regard to our projects as our clients are very private and have the same expectations of us — so we stay as under the radar as possible on anything financial."
And although it may seem like quite a hard line, it's not unreasonable. Interior design is a luxury service, and it attracts a luxury clientele. And there are few things people in these circles value more than privacy.
"People don't discuss budgets because you're working for clients. So obviously there's a privilege of information, and so you're not going to talk about how much your client has spent on a particular project because they wouldn't want you to," says Alex, adding, "And, quite frankly, it's no one's business."
"I think there's an important distinction between discussing costs openly with clients and disclosing individual project budgets publicly," says Anna.
The important distinction within the design world is the line between the private and the public.
In private discussions with their clients, much of this awkwardness around finances is swept aside. "It's fundamental to any project that clients have a clear picture from the outset of what the design fees, the FF&E, and the building costs might be," says Anna. "For me, transparency around costs is essential — not only to allow clients to budget realistically and make informed decisions, but also to establish trust between ourselves and the client, which is so important to a successful working relationship, especially when a project can take 1-2 years or more."
For most working designers, the budget and expenses will be an ongoing conversation between them and their clients. Here, a level of transparency and communication is essential for the project. But when it comes to publicly discussing these projects, the attitude is not quite so open.
"The difference is that those conversations are generally private," explains Millie. "We're working in people's homes, often managing significant sums of their money, and I think there's a level of discretion that naturally comes with that."
Once you share something publicly, whether on Instagram or in an article, you open the topic up for discussion. And no matter how little context or understanding there may be, people will always find something to say. This atmosphere makes it all the more uncomfortable to open up about how much money actually went into something.
"The budgets we work with reflect a particular type of project, often involving extensive renovations, bespoke craftsmanship, and a comprehensive professional design service," says Millie. "They're not necessarily representative of what someone needs to spend to create a beautiful modern home."
A true luxury design studio, Anna Haines only works with a select few clients at one time, making sure each project the studio takes on is given its full attention. She is known for her elegant, layered style with a focus on comfort and practicality as well as beauty. A mainstay on the House & Garden Top 100 list, Anna's work is frequently featured in print and online publications.
Finding the balance between respecting the privacy of your clients, and being as transparent as possible is the challenge many designers are facing today.
But this lack of open, unfiltered transparency in interior design has led to widespread financial illiteracy in the industry, argues Alex. With no industry standard to measure themselves against, designers are left to determine their own fees: "We undercharge because we think that we are lucky to be doing this, to be doing something that we're so passionate about."
This is especially prevalent amongst younger, emerging designers, who lack the conviction to quantify their skills. In fact, the most common question younger designers ask Alex is how much they should be charging for their services.
This is why some designers are beginning to embrace a slightly more open attitude around the costs attached to their work.
"I'm very happy to talk about renovation costs in general terms, and I think it's important that we do," says Millie. "There's so much beautiful imagery available online, but often very little indication of what it realistically costs to achieve those spaces."
But while budgets may vary, it's the priorities that really dictate a design. "People with large budgets do not lack a sense of value — although they could spend whatever they want on something, in the end what they do spend comes down to what they place value on," explains Kate.
It's this understanding that sets the real designers apart from the depictions we see on these renovation shows. "You cannot conjure something out of nothing — there is always investment cost required to achieve anything. What one invests in is one of the key preoccupations of an interior designer — to ensure that funds are spent wisely to maximum effect."
So much of the conversation around budgets and renovations comes down to setting expectations: while the TV shows may have you believing a home renovation is a road to inevitable bankruptcy, and your favorite designers may lead you to think beautiful homes are only for the few, but the truth is actually somewhere in the middle.
Plus, sometimes just the smallest changes can make the biggest difference, as these minor renovations that make your home feel more quietly luxurious prove.
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