Designing Success

Why AI is making hourly billing dangerous for interior designers

Rhiannon Lee

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0:00 | 47:53

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Value pricing means charging for the outcome your client gets, not the hours it took you to deliver it. In 2026, that distinction matters more than ever — because AI is making designers faster, and if you're still billing by the hour, that efficiency is going quietly to your client's pocket, not yours. Rhiannon Lee, AI strategist for Australian interior designers, breaks down exactly how to calculate, set, and communicate value-based project fees.

→ Join the waitlist for the interior design pricing calculator: rhiannonlee.myflodesk.com/value

GET THE PROCESS MAPPED  OUT HERE

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CHAPTERS
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0:00 Why value pricing matters more in 2026 than ever before
2:45 What's wrong with hourly billing when you're using AI
6:10 What value pricing actually means — and what it doesn't
9:30 How to calculate the transformation your client receives
14:00 How to work out your floor and your ceiling
18:20 How to present your fee without defending your hours
22:45 How to handle "ChatGPT said this should cost $4,000"
26:10 How AI efficiency affects your pricing model — risk or opportunity?
30:00 What to do if you've been undercharging for years
35:15 How to transition existing clients to new pricing
38:40 The interior design pricing calculator — what it does and when it launches

──────────────────────────
RESOURCES MENTIONED
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→ Pricing calculator waitlist: rhiannonlee.myflodesk.com/value
→ Episode notes (full value pricing framework): [website link]
→ Studio Build — 6-week AI implementation intensive: [link]
→ Studio CEO — 12-week business coaching program: [link]
→ Studio Learn — free resources for interior designers: [link]

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ABOUT RHIANNON LEE
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AI strategist for Australian interior designers. Former Oleander & Finch. Creator of the Studio Suite — Studio Learn, Studio Build, and Studio CEO — operational AI implementation for design businesses, not productivity theatre.

→ Instagram: @the_rhiannonlee

Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business.

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For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub  on my website ; https://www.rhiannon-lee.com/

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