Approving a design with the client is the formal sign-off on a specific version of the work, which determines whether you move forward or go back to revisions. To run it without chaos: (1) collect all feedback in one place, on a specific visualization; (2) version everything — each iteration gets a number; (3) set the number of revision rounds in the contract; (4) close the stage with a clear, dated approval. Below you'll find the whole process step by step, a ready-made protocol, and a checklist.
 Comments pinned to a specific point on the visualization are unambiguous — it's clear which wall they refer to.
What is design approval and a revision round?
Feedback scattered across emails, texts, and meeting notes is the most common reason a project “doesn't close.” Before we get into the process, let's define two terms we'll be using.
Design approval is the client's written sign-off on a specific, numbered version of the work. From that moment on, this version becomes the reference point, and any further changes are treated as a separate scope.
Revision round is one closed cycle: the client gathers all comments at once, you implement them in a single iteration, and send back a new version for approval. Rounds are counted — because it's the rounds, not individual emails, that define the scope of work.
Distinguishing between these two concepts is practical. A client who knows they're in “round 2 of 3” gathers feedback differently than a client convinced revisions can go on forever. The same goes for you: without counted rounds, you don't know when a project has stopped being profitable.
→ We cover the actual mechanism of collecting comments separately in the article how to collect feedback on visualizations.
Why do approvals go off the rails? Three sources of chaos
Most approval problems don't come from a difficult client — they come from a lack of structure. The same three sources keep coming up in almost every studio.
1. Comments in five different channels. Some arrive by email, some by text, the rest are said out loud in a meeting. Nothing ties them together, so two weeks later no one remembers whether “that lamp over the island” was supposed to change or stay.
2. No clear version. Files named `final_v2_NEW_definitive` are a sign that no one actually knows what was approved. Without a version number, every conversation starts with figuring out what you're even talking about.
3. No defined scope. If it's never written down how many revisions are included in the price, the client will keep sending feedback for as long as they're allowed to. A lack of clear boundaries leads straight to endless revisions (Przedsiębiorczy Architekt).
The good news: all three can be eliminated through process, not personality. The rest of this guide is that process.
What does the approval process look like step by step?
A well-run approval process is a repeatable rhythm, not improvisation on every project. In practice, interior design studios close out this stage in five steps.
 Five steps of approval: brief → one version → comments in one place → revision round → dated approval.
- Approve the brief in writing before you start designing. A brief broken down into points instantly becomes a checklist you can later use to verify compliance with the guidelines. Without it, every stage starts from a different assumption, and the client only “remembers” their expectations once they see the visualization.
- Show one version, not three at once. Showing several parallel concepts blurs the decision and multiplies the feedback. Present one well-thought-out proposal and collect feedback on that alone.
- Collect all comments in one place. Comments pinned to a specific point on the visualization are unambiguous — you know exactly what “this is too dark” refers to, because you can see where.
- Implement revisions as a single round and send back a new, numbered version. Don't make changes “on the fly” after every email — that's exactly how rounds turn into dozens of micro-revisions.
- Close the stage with a clear, dated approval. This is your approval protocol — we come back to it in a separate section below.
A real studio example: a firm running six apartments at once stopped collecting feedback by email and started pinning it to visualizations instead. The result wasn't a “nicer tool” — the questions about “which wall did they mean” simply disappeared, because every comment had its place on the layout, and the team could see which comments had already been addressed.
What do we approve at each stage of the project?
Approval isn't a single event at the end — it's a series of gates along the way. You close each stage separately before moving forward, because a correction that has to be walked back from the execution stage to the concept stage costs far more than the same comment raised on time.
| Etap | Co klient akceptuje | Forma zatwierdzenia |
|---|---|---|
| Brief / functional program | A list of guidelines and needs | Written approval of the brief in bullet points |
| Concept / functional layout | Room layout and zones | Approval of the chosen layout variant |
| Visualizations | Color scheme, materials, furniture, mood | Approval of the visualization or comments for one round |
| Executive design | Technical documentation and drawings | Approval of final execution versions |
The sequence matters: only after the brief is approved do you move on to the concept, and only after the visualizations are approved do you move on to the execution documentation. This isn't bureaucracy — it's a way to make sure the client makes decisions one at a time, not all at once at the very end.
How much time does the client have to approve the visualizations?
No deadline is a silent killer of the schedule — the project sits on hold, and you have no idea whether the client is still thinking it over or simply forgot. That's why the approval deadline is written into the contract.
In Polish studios, a typical clause is 7 days to submit comments or approve the visualizations (ESSA Architektura contract template). After that time, either you have a complete set of comments for one round, or the version is considered approved — depending on the specific wording.
The deadline works both ways: it keeps the client disciplined, but it also obliges you to stick to your own dates. It's a fair arrangement, not a trap — the client knows in advance how much time they have, and you know when you can move forward.
How many revisions are included in the price of an interior design project?
This is a question the client asks too late — already in the middle of the fourth round. Settle the answer in the contract before you even start.
In Polish interior design contracts, the standard is 1–2 layout variants plus one round of revisions included in the price, and it's also common to see 2–3 rounds (pracowniainspiracja.pl). Anything beyond that limit is usually priced separately — for example, as 2–4 hours of work or a flat fee for revising the entire apartment.
| Co zwykle wchodzi w cenę | Co bywa płatne osobno |
|---|---|
| 1–2 layout variants | Another layout variant after approval |
| 1 round of layout revisions | Each additional round (e.g. 2–4 h of work) |
| 1 round of visualization changes | Concept change after approval |
| Shopping list and coordination | Returning to a stage closed with a protocol |
Record it as a number of rounds, not "revisions" — because "revision" is a vague concept, while a round has a clear beginning and end. This keeps the work from "swelling" with extra emails, calls, and short consultations.
→ We cover how revision rounds affect profitability in the guide how to keep a studio project's budget under control.
Are changes made after approval charged extra?
Yes — and that's exactly why the moment of approval must be unambiguous. Once a version is formally approved, changes to the project are usually billed separately, because they roll work back to a stage that had already been closed (kavalerkastudio.pl).
This clause protects both parties only if there's solid proof: which version, when, and by whom it was approved. If the approval was verbal, given "at a meeting," you have nothing to point to — and the revision quietly comes back as free.
Hence the rule: no work on the next stage without a dated approval of the previous one. The approval protocol isn't a formality for its own sake — it's your evidence when discussing additional charges.
How to document approval? The approval protocol
An approval protocol is a short, dated record confirming that the client has approved a specific version of the work. It doesn't have to be a formal legal document — it just needs to be clear and reproducible months later.
A good protocol includes:
- What was approved — the stage name and version number (e.g. "Living room visualizations, version 3").
- When — the approval date.
- Who — the name of the client giving the approval.
- Scope — what the approval covers and what remains outside of it.
- Consistency — information that further changes to this version are quoted separately.
The form is secondary to the trail. It can be a signed attachment to the contract, an email confirmation with a version number, or an approval in an approval system that itself records who clicked "I approve" and when. One thing matters: that in six months you can unambiguously reconstruct what the client agreed to.
How to collect client feedback in one place?
Most of the time in approvals is lost not on the actual revisions, but on reconstructing what the client actually wanted. The solution is one feedback channel, not five.
The rule is simple: all comments on a given version go to one place and are addressed on an ongoing basis. Email, SMS, and meeting notes diverge instantly; it's worth collecting feedback in one document where you respond in real time (Przedsiębiorczy Architekt).
Practical minimum for a good feedback channel:
- Context — the comment points to a specific spot on the visualization or floor plan, not "somewhere in the living room."
- History — you can see who wrote what, when, and for which version.
- Status — it's clear which comment has been implemented and which is still pending.
- Shared access — the client and the team see the same thing, without sending attachments back and forth.
Dedicated tools (e.g. designer↔client approval systems) do exactly that: they keep comments and archived versions in one view, instead of in an email inbox.
 In Arkeeno, the client pins a comment to a point on the project, and the team sees the history and status of every comment.
In Arkeeno, this channel is the pinned comments on the visualization in the page builder: the client clicks a point on the project and writes a comment exactly where it belongs, and the team sees the full history and status of every comment — without digging through their inbox.
How to put an end to never-ending revisions?
Revisions "without end" almost never come from the client's ill will — they come from a lack of boundaries. Without clear boundaries, a client will keep raising comments for as long as they're allowed to.
Three boundaries that close the matter:
- Written approval of the brief at the start — you design according to approved guidelines, not shifting expectations.
- A set number of rounds in the contract — "2 rounds for the layout, 1 for the visualization; further rounds are billable." The client knows where they stand.
- One feedback channel with a history — you can't raise the same comment for the third time when it's clear it's already been implemented.
When the client still wants more — don't dismiss the comment outright. Ask for details (often "I don't like it" means "I'm missing one specific thing"), then check the contract's provisions on rounds. This is a conversation about scope and pricing, not about taste.
Checklist: before you send the project for approval
A quick review before sending each version to the client:
- [ ] The version has a number and a stage name (not "final_NEW").
- [ ] The client knows how many days they have for feedback and that it's one round.
- [ ] There is one channel for feedback — everyone knows where to write.
- [ ] You're showing one well-thought-out version, not several at once.
- [ ] The previous stage is closed with a dated approval.
- [ ] It's clear what's within the scope of this approval and what's already outside it.
The most common mistakes in approvals
- Verbal approval "at the meeting." No dated trail = no basis for a conversation about additional billing. Always close it in writing.
- Feedback in five channels. Email + SMS + phone call + notes = certain loss of some feedback and the topic resurfacing a week later.
- Showing three concepts at once. Multiplies feedback and delays the decision. One well-thought-out proposal gets approved faster.
- No deadline for approval. The project hangs in limbo, and you don't know whether it's your turn or the client's.
- No version numbering."Final_v2_NEW_final" is a sign that no one really knows what was actually approved.
- Starting the next stage before closing the previous one. A revision rolls back the work and wipes out the stage's profitability.
FAQ
What is project approval? Project approval is the client's written sign-off on a specific, numbered version of the work. From that point on, this version becomes the reference point, and any further changes are treated as a separate scope.
How many revisions are included in the price of an interior design project? Usually 1–2 layout options and 1 round of revisions, although 2–3 rounds are also common. Each additional round is typically priced separately — e.g. as 2–4 hours of work or a fixed fee. It's worth specifying the number of rounds in the contract.
How much time does the client have to approve visualizations? In Polish studios, the typical contractual deadline is 7 days to submit comments or give approval. After that, the version is often considered approved — depending on the contract wording.
Are changes made after project approval charged extra? Yes. Changes introduced after a version has been formally approved are usually billed separately, since they roll back work to a closed stage. The condition: there must be a dated record of which version was approved.
How can you collect client feedback in one place? The simplest way is through comments pinned to a specific point on the visualization, with visible history and status for each comment. One channel with full context replaces scattered emails, texts, and meeting notes.
What should a project approval record include? What was approved (stage + version number), when, who approved it, the scope of the approval, and a note that any further changes will be priced separately.
How do you put an end to never-ending revisions? Three safeguards: written approval of the brief at the start, a set number of revision rounds in the contract, and one feedback channel with a full history. Together, they leave no room for the same comment to be raised over and over.
Last updated: 2026-06-03. Author: [First Name Last Name, position] — [1-sentence bio establishing expertise, e.g. "X years running interior design projects and implementing approval tools"]. >Want to see how this works in practice? See how Arkeeno collects client feedback on visualizations and closes out approvals in one place.
