Before you open a wall in Lucerne's old town
In short
An interior designer Lucerne plans and coordinates the layout of a space — floor plan, light, materials, ergonomics — well beyond decoration. Budget 15 to 22 % of the construction cost for a renovation, or 120 to 300 francs an hour. In Lucerne the old town's site-protection zone, the two-tier heritage oversight of city and canton, and the share of second homes around Lake Lucerne decide what is actually possible inside.
An apartment in a nineteenth-century building on the Reuss, a flat with a view over Lake Lucerne, a half-timbered old-town house behind a painted facade: in Lucerne you rarely buy plain square metres, almost always a history too — and its rules. The most expensive decisions are not made on site but before, on the plan and in conversation with the heritage office. Anyone who first gathers the quotes and only then asks what is allowed usually starts over.
Interior designer, decorator, architect: who does what
The three roles are regularly confused, yet they do not step in at the same moment or with the same responsibility. The interior decorator works on the appearance of an existing space — colours, furniture, textiles — without changing its structure, and needs no recognised diploma. The interior designer shapes the space itself: floor plan, circulation, light, ergonomics, and coordinates the trades. The architect in the strict sense (ETH-trained, SIA member) deals with the envelope, the load-bearing structure and the shell. For an apartment renovation in Lucerne, it is usually the interior designer who leads.
- Rethinks the plan: walls, openings, circulation, integrated storage
- Draws up the plans and the specification and coordinates the firms
- Trained at a university of applied sciences (HES-SO, ECAL, HEAD); may be a VSI.ASAI member
- Worth it as soon as the layout is touched or the renovation is deep
- Works on the existing: colours, furniture, textiles, lighting, styling
- Advises without changing structure or plan
- No diploma required to practise
- Worth it to refresh a space whose plan already works
- Responsible for the envelope, structure and shell
- Signs the larger building applications
- Essential for touching a load-bearing wall or the facade
- Fee usually calculated on a broader scope
What an interior designer Lucerne actually delivers
A commission is not just a handsome 3D render. It unfolds in stages, and the essentials are settled long before the choice of materials. Knowing this sequence helps you see where you stand — and not pay a deposit for a phase you thought was already done.
Precise measurement of the existing space, mapping the constraints (load-bearing walls, ducts, ceiling heights) and what the building's heritage status allows.
Several plan scenarios, roughly costed, before any choice of materials — this is where most of the budget is decided.
Final plans, material choices and a precise schedule serving as the basis for genuinely comparable quotes.
Firms are put in competition on the same specification, offers analysed, a recommendation given with reasons.
Coordinating the trades, controlling schedule and budget, checking quality through to handover of the site.
What an interior designer costs in the Canton of Lucerne
Since 2020 the SIA fee scale is no longer binding: fees are negotiated. In practice, for a full renovation commission, they most often fall between 15 and 22 % of the construction cost. By the hour, budget 120 to 300 francs, depending on the firm's profile and the complexity of the project. A one-off advisory brief — a few sessions to validate a plan — is almost always billed by the hour.
Interior design fees — orders of magnitude
- By percentage: the fee tracks the construction cost — transparent, but worth capping so it does not grow with the budget
- By the hour (120 to 300 francs): suited to advisory briefs or small scopes
- Fixed fee: possible on a clearly defined scope, sets the amount in advance
- Always check what the brief covers — whether site management is included or not changes everything
An order of magnitude only holds once it is measured against your flat, your building and its heritage status. Compare architects in your canton
The Lucerne factor: old town and heritage protection
This is the particularity that surprises owners in Lucerne most. The remarkably well-preserved medieval old town, with its painted facades, belongs to the site of national importance; the zoning plan and building regulations overlay site-protection zones on it — the strictest for the old town. Whether you can freely reorganise the inside depends less on your wishes than on the property's protection status.
Usually listed in the cantonal heritage register; every change goes through the cantonal heritage office — these are the strictest requirements, often inside as well.
Listed in the municipal building inventory; here the city heritage office is responsible. Alterations remain possible, but supervised and with somewhat looser requirements.
In the old town and adjoining zones, facade, windows, roof and structure are part of the protected image — touching them almost always becomes subject to permit.
A large share of homes outside the protected zones; wide freedom inside, few constraints of this kind.
A purely internal renovation that touches neither the structure, nor the facade, nor the use is often straightforward, sometimes not even subject to a building permit. But as soon as a load-bearing wall, the facade, the windows or a protected property is involved, the file goes through the responsible heritage office — municipal for buildings worthy of conservation, cantonal for those worthy of protection. Exact timelines vary by municipality and property; as a rough guide, contacting the heritage office early saves weeks. An interior designer who works regularly in Lucerne clarifies the protection status before the first line is drawn.
Lake, second homes and tourism: the Lucerne market
The second Lucerne factor is economic. Lake Lucerne draws second homes and international buyers, and around its shores the Second Homes Act applies, in force since 2016: in municipalities where the share of second homes exceeds 20 %, no new second homes may be built. On the lakeshore this affects, among others, Weggis (about 21 %) and Vitznau (about 34 %). In practice the existing stock is converted and upgraded rather than rebuilt — precisely the field of interior design. Anyone converting such a flat should clarify from the outset whether it counts as a primary or secondary residence, because that determines what is permissible.
When to hire one — the earlier the better
Open a kitchen, create a suite with a lake view, gain a room: as soon as walls move, it is their job.
Old-town house, painted facade, nineteenth-century building: constraints are steered upfront, not during the works.
A single specification and site management stop everyone from passing the responsibility around.
Integrated storage, furniture designed for the space: this is planned with the drawings, not afterwards.
A good interior project is recognised by what you do not see: the square metres gained, the smooth circulation, the storage you no longer notice because it simply fits.
How to choose: the questions before you sign
- Is the professional a member of VSI.ASAI (the Swiss association of interior designers) or a university-of-applied-sciences graduate?
- Can they show comparable projects completed in the Lucerne region — ideally in older buildings or a protected zone?
- How are fees set — percentage, hour or fixed sum — and what exactly do they cover?
- Is site management included, or does the brief end at handover of the drawings?
- Do they know the Lucerne procedures: city and cantonal heritage offices, the site-protection zone, an asbestos survey for any building predating 1991?
A project in Lucerne?
Describe your property and your intentions — you get a first read on feasibility, plan and order of magnitude, before any commitment.
Describe my projectFAQ
The interior designer shapes the space itself — floor plan, walls, circulation, light, ergonomics — and coordinates the firms; they are trained at a university of applied sciences (HES-SO, ECAL, HEAD). The decorator works on the appearance of an existing space (colours, furniture, textiles) without changing its structure, and needs no recognised diploma. For a renovation that touches the plan, you need the interior designer.
For a full renovation commission, fees usually range between 15 and 22 % of the construction cost. By the hour, budget 120 to 300 francs, depending on the firm and the complexity. Since the SIA scale stopped being binding in 2020, these amounts are negotiated and vary from project to project — all the more reason to have the scope of services spelled out.
A purely internal renovation that touches neither the structure, nor the facade, nor the use is often straightforward, sometimes not even subject to a permit. But as soon as a load-bearing wall, the facade, the windows or a protected property is involved, the heritage office must be brought in — municipal for buildings worthy of conservation, cantonal for those worthy of protection. In the old-town protection zone the strictest requirements apply.
The canton keeps a heritage register and municipalities a building inventory; properties are entered there as worthy of protection or worthy of conservation. If the flat lies in the old town or a site-protection zone, the site image is protected on top. Checking this status before purchase or before design avoids the late discovery that a planned intervention cannot be authorised.
Since 2016, in municipalities where the share of second homes exceeds 20 %, no new second homes may be built; on the lake this affects, for example, Weggis and Vitznau. Existing flats may still be converted, so conversion and upgrading of the interior are the main field here. Before works, it is worth clarifying whether the flat counts as a primary or secondary residence, since that governs what is permissible.