Condo Interior Design in Malaysia, planned around your building
A condo is not a small house. It comes with a lift you have to book, a management office with its own rulebook, and a floor plan drawn before anyone knew who would live in it. The condos that feel most like home are designed with all three, not against them.
By Angelica Lee, founder · Updated 18 Sep 2026
- Time
Four to seven months from first meeting to move-in: one to two for design, three to five for building and furnishing.
- Cost
Two condos we designed came to about RM85,000 and about RM145,000, including furniture.
- Our fee
One clear fee per room, agreed before we begin: RM3,565 for interior design, RM5,485 for an open-plan living and dining space. Never a percentage of your build.
- Who builds
We design and manage the project. Contractors build it; we gather their quotes and compare them with you.
- Where
In person across Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Virtual Design for condos anywhere else.
On this page
What makes condo interior design different from designing a house?
Unlike a house, a condo comes with whatever the developer has already fitted, a management office with rules for renovating, and a floor plan drawn to fit as many units onto each floor as possible.
Most condo stories begin in the same place: a set of keys, an empty unit, and a folder of house rules you haven't read yet. Some units arrive bare, with only the plumbing and power points roughed in. Others come with a developer's kitchen, wardrobes and air-conditioning already fitted, and the first design decision is what is worth keeping. What you keep is one of the biggest decisions for the budget, and neither of the two homes further down this page replaced its kitchen.
The floor plan asks for its own kind of care. Rooms have to multitask: a study nook off the living room, a wardrobe wall standing in for a walk-in closet, a kitchen sized for the unit rather than for the family moving into it. And they are usually a size or two smaller than the furniture in the showroom was designed for.
The building sets the terms for everything else, so that is where we start.
Designing a house instead? Our page on landed home interior design covers terraces, semi-Ds and bungalows.
What can you change in a condo, and what needs management approval?
You can change most of what's inside your unit, within your building's rules on working hours, notice, the renovation deposit, lift bookings and what can be altered.
Each building keeps its own rulebook. After handover that is usually the developer's management office, and later a Joint Management Body or Management Corporation run by the owners. We ask for yours at the start and plan the project to fit inside it, rather than finding out the rules when a delivery is turned away at the loading bay. The application itself is made by you or your contractor, and we advise on what it needs.
| What your building decides | What it changes | How we plan for it |
|---|---|---|
| The lift | Deliveries run on the building's schedule, and a sofa that fits the room may not fit the lift car | The lift and service corridor measured at the site visit, deliveries booked into the building's slots, and modular or knock-down pieces where needed |
| Renovation hours and notice | How many working days the build really gets | The programme planned around them from the start |
| Renovation deposit | Paid to management before work begins | In the budget early; the amount varies by building |
| What can be altered | Structural walls, sometimes the flooring, sometimes finishes seen from the corridor | Your building's guidelines asked for at the start, and the design drawn inside them |
| Defects liability period, for new handovers | Your own works can affect what the developer will still repair | The defects inspection finished before built-in carpentry goes in |
Just collected your keys? Our page on designing a newly handed-over condo has more on the defects inspection and the order to do things in.
How does the size of your condo change the design?
The smaller the condo, the harder each piece has to work: under 500 sq ft most furniture does two jobs, while above 1,000 sq ft the design turns to storage and finishes that last.
| Size | Usually | Where the design effort goes |
|---|---|---|
| Studio or SOHO, under 500 sq ft | One open space | Pieces that do two jobs: a daybed that is also the sofa, a console that hides storage, dining that folds away. Sleeping, working and eating zoned without walls. |
| 500 to 800 sq ft | One or two bedrooms, a compact living and dining room | Made-to-fit joinery, and bedrooms a little tighter than showroom furniture assumes |
| 800 to 1,000 sq ft | Two or three bedrooms | A real dining area, a study nook, a main bedroom that isn't also the storeroom |
| Over 1,000 sq ft | Three or more bedrooms; families, sometimes three generations | Finishes and fabrics that hold up, and storage that grows with the household |
These are starting points, and the plan in front of us decides. For more on making a smaller unit work, see our guide to small condo layouts and what they cost.
How long does a condo renovation take in Malaysia?
Plan for four to seven months from first meeting to move-in: one to two months of design, then three to five months of renovation.
The building work itself is the shorter part. Across 110 condo renovation records published by other firms about their own Klang Valley projects, work on site took a median of 12 weeks, and most finished within 14. The rest of the renovation window is procurement lead times, delivery slots and the final fixes, which is why that phase runs longer than the build.
| Phase | Typical length | What's happening |
|---|---|---|
| Design | 1 to 2 months | Drawings, selections and sign-off. Nothing on site yet. |
| Renovation | 3 to 5 months | Building work, a median of 12 weeks on site in the published records, plus procurement, deliveries and the final fixes |
| First meeting to move-in | 4 to 7 months | Start about six months before you'd like to be living there |
Bigger units do tend to take longer, but size doesn't set the schedule. In those same records, two condos of 1,500 sq ft took 4 weeks and 16 weeks on site. In our experience, what moves a timeline most is how much has to come out before anything goes in, how much is custom carpentry, and your building's rules on working hours and lift bookings.
What did two condos we designed cost to renovate and furnish?
Two condos we designed came to about RM85,000 for a two-bedroom and about RM145,000 for a three-bedroom, including furniture.
About RM85,000Including furniture
The air-conditioning and the developer's kitchen came with the unit and stayed, so the budget went into the rooms rather than into replacing things that were working.
See Wei Shern's bedroom
About RM145,000Including furniture
They cook, so the developer's kitchen was reworked and extended rather than replaced. The rest went into built-in carpentry, joinery and furniture.
See Justin's living roomBoth sit toward the lower end of the published records, largely because both kept what the developer left. Both are totals including furniture, so read them as two real homes rather than a price list. For the wider picture: across 110 condo renovation records that other firms have published about their own projects, in more than 70 Klang Valley buildings, budgets ran from RM53 to RM343 per square foot. Size doesn't settle it. Two 1,500 sq ft condos in those records came to RM130,000 and RM370,000.
Two things move a condo budget most: what the unit came with, and the finish level you choose. Our guide to what condo interior design costs in Malaysia sets the published figures out area by area, and the KLCC records run building by building.
Should you hire an interior designer or a design-and-build firm for your condo?
Choose a design-and-build firm if you want one contract and one price; choose an interior designer who manages the build if you want the design advice kept separate from the building work.
We are the second kind. An ID, as most people here call us, plans the rooms, chooses what goes in them and runs the project; a contractor builds it. Our fee is set by the rooms we design, not by what is spent in them.
| Interior designer | Design-and-build firm | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | A design fee per room, agreed first; the building work priced separately by contractors | One price for design and construction together |
| Contractor prices | Quotes gathered and compared with you, and you choose | Set within the firm's own price |
| During the build | We manage the contractor against the drawings | The same firm designs, builds and checks |
| If the build goes wrong | The contractor answers for its workmanship under its own warranty; we hold the work to the drawings and help you take it up with them | One firm answers for both design and build |
| Scope | Room by room: design two rooms, style the rest, keep the developer's kitchen | Often one package for the whole unit |
It isn't the right model for everyone. If you would rather have one contract and a single package price, a design-and-build firm is the simpler route, and we'll tell you so on the call. For what each route tends to cost, see designer and contractor costs compared.
How much does a condo interior designer charge in Malaysia?
We charge one clear fee per room, agreed before we begin: RM3,565 for interior design, or RM5,485 for an open-plan living and dining space, and never a percentage of your build.
| Room | Interior design | Interior styling |
|---|---|---|
| Any single roomBedroom, living, dining, kitchen, bathroom, study or balcony | RM3,565 | RM1,715 |
| Open-plan living and diningWith or without an open kitchen | RM5,485 | RM2,635 |
Interior styling is for rooms whose layout already works: the furniture, lighting, art and textiles, with no building work, at RM1,715 a room or RM2,635 open plan.
Why per room, and never a percentage? A percentage fee pays a designer more when you spend more, which puts their interest against yours at exactly the moment you're deciding how much to spend. And a bigger bedroom shouldn't cost more to design when it should feel just as personal.
A worked example. In a two-bedroom condo where the kitchen and bathrooms stay as the developer left them, designing both bedrooms and the open-plan living and dining room comes to RM12,615. If the second bedroom only needs styling, it comes to RM10,765.
The rest, in brief. The discovery call is free. A site visit is RM200, arranged after the call and waived if you go ahead with us. Renovation and furniture are paid separately. With interior design, sourcing, ordering and delivery are part of the service; on its own, for rooms we haven't designed, Procurement Concierge is quoted per project after a call and never priced from the value of what you buy.
Every fee, room by room, is set out on each service’s own page. Add up your own rooms in the fee calculator, or, for a condo outside the Klang Valley, see Virtual Design, which works from your floor plan and video calls.
How does a condo project work, from first call to move-in?
Six steps, usually over four to seven months, take you from a free discovery call to the day you move in.
- Discovery call FreeTell us the size of the unit, whether it's a new handover or a resale, what's already there, and any building rules you know about.
- Site visit RM200, waived if you go ahead with usWe measure the rooms, the lift and the service corridor, and note what your building allows.
- Your fee, agreed per room Before anything is drawnDesign some rooms, style others, and leave the ones that already work.
- Design 1 to 2 monthsLayouts and drawings, starting in 2D, then materials, lighting and furniture, all signed off by you before anything is ordered.
- Contractors and the build 3 to 5 monthsWe gather contractor quotes and compare them with you. Once you've chosen, we manage the work against the drawings, with deliveries booked into your building's lift slots.
- Furniture and handover Before you move inFurniture placed and every room checked, so the home is ready to live in. If you'd like us to style it too, design clients pay half our usual styling rate.
The first call is free. It's where we work out which rooms need design, which need styling, and which can stay just as they are.
Book a free discovery callCondo interior design in KL and Selangor, by neighbourhood
We design condos in person across Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, and publish renovation costs for eight Klang Valley areas; for a condo anywhere else, Virtual Design works from your floor plan and video calls.
| Area | Pages |
|---|---|
| Bangsar and Bukit Bandaraya | Condo design in Bangsar · Bangsar renovation costs |
| Mont Kiara and Sri Hartamas | Condo design in Mont Kiara · Mont Kiara renovation costs |
| Damansara Heights and Bukit Damansara | Condo design in Damansara · Bukit Tunku and Bukit Damansara renovation costs |
| Petaling Jaya, Damansara Utama and SS2 | Condo design in Petaling Jaya · Petaling Jaya renovation costs |
| KLCC and the city centre | KLCC renovation costs |
| Desa ParkCity | Desa ParkCity renovation costs |
| Seputeh and Taman Desa | Seputeh renovation costs |
| TTDI and Bandar Utama | TTDI and Bandar Utama renovation costs |
Don't just take our word for it, take theirs
Every ringgit well spent
Working with mysundaysinbed has genuinely been one of the best decisions I’ve made for my home. If you’re looking for one of the best interior designers in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, I cannot recommend Angelica and her team enough. Angelica completely transformed my space into a home that looks and feels designer-quality and luxurious, while still being incredibly mindful of my budget. From the beginning, they were transparent about costs and helped me understand where it was worth spending and where we could save. The value for money was exceptional — every ringgit went such a long way with them.
View on Google →Our dream home is now a reality
The biggest compliment I can give is that Angelica and her team were our partners, rather than just our designers, in our journey to creating our home. A partnership requires mutual understanding, patience and chemistry. Angelica not only took the time to carefully learn our tastes and requirements, but really sought to understand us as people as well. Along the way, iterations and last minute changes were handled with grace and positivity which made the whole design and construction process actually enjoyable. In the end, the final product was just as we had desired it to be… and within budget as well! Kudos to us for choosing the absolutely right people to design our new home and we would highly recommend Angelica and her team to help make your dream home a reality.
View on Google →Turned my condo into a home
Angelica has made my condo unit into a home. She is professional, decisive, and yet she truly listens to our wishes and needs. She's not just another ID who is trying too hard, but she has real style and has great eye in design and colour. So glad that I've trusted her with our home. Would totally recommend her to anyone who's looking to design or refurbish their units!!
View on Google →Truly grateful
Really thankful to have had such a smooth experience with Sundays In Bed from start to completion. Angelica & her team are professional, sincere & easy to work with. Their communication always clear & efficient. They were patient with all our questions & always responsive whenever clarification was needed. They were very proactive in sourcing suitable materials & making recommendations that aligned well with our requirements while still being mindful of our budget. They also very attentive in follow-up, ensured all matters were progressing according to plan. What we appreciated most was their ability to deliver the final outcome aligned with what we had been envisioned from the beginning. And even after completion, Angelica has remained helpful whenever we had questions or needed support. Truly grateful for their dedication & would definitely recommend them.
View on Google →Committed to even the tiniest detail
I had the pleasure of working with Angelica and I gotta say, she's not just awesome at what she does, but she's committed to perfecting even the most tiny detail. She took the time to understand what I was going for and gave recommendations as best she could to fit my requirements. Over the next couple of months were multiple Zoom calls which went on for hours just so she could be sure to deliver them. And the outcome? It was simply amazing and exceeded expectations. Working with Angelica was pleasant because she always met me halfway to understand what I was looking for and it made our conversations pleasant because we exchanged ideas rather than she insisting we did things a certain way. And this is truly what I enjoyed most about working with her. Even after months of completing the job, I continued to reach out to her for ideas along my renovation journey and she was always happy to help. Sundays in Bed will definitely be my go to ID should I ever require such services again in the near future.
View on Google →Beyond our wildest expectations
Our journey with Sundays in Bed has been absolutely remarkable. Upon acquiring three bare floors, we were armed only with basic concepts, unsure of how to proceed. However, with the invaluable guidance of Angelica and her team, our vision took shape into distinct themes for each floor, meticulously curated to perfection. From the cozy bedrooms to the inviting living room, functional kitchen, and serene patio, every corner of our unit was thoughtfully adorned. The transformation surpassed our wildest expectations, turning what seemed like mere potential into a breathtaking reality. We are immensely grateful to Sundays in Bed for their unwavering dedication and expertise, which breathed life into our space beyond imagination. To anyone seeking to redefine their environment, we wholeheartedly recommend Sundays in Bed. Their expertise and creativity are unparalleled, ensuring an outcome that exceeds every expectation. Trusting them with your space is a decision you won't regret.
View on Google →Great job styling our table
Thank you Angelica & Team for such a great job styling and jazzing up our table to welcome our special guests that day. Highly recommended ✨
View on Google →So much styling tips to share
Had such a great time working with Angelica, had learn so much styling tips as she has so much to share and is very knowledgeable and creative!! Really glad with the service and makeover ❤️
View on Google →A warm, cozy space for our Christmas makeover
Had a very good experience with Angelica on the recent Christmas makeover. She delivered new ideas and transformed the studio into a warm and cozy space for people to hangout. Love working with her
View on Google →An absolute superstar throughout
Just moved in 3 months ago, and I couldn't be happier! Sundays in Bed has been an absolute superstar throughout the entire process -- thank you for making the entire design experience so smooth and stress-free for me. If you're looking for a reliable and talented ID in KL or PJ, I highly recommend Angelica.
View on Google →Press & recognition
RMI 30 Under 30 · 2022
Best Design of the Year · 2022
Design Excellence Award · 2022Angelica Lee founded Sundays in Bed after a decade designing in London and Kuala Lumpur, including London venues the press wrote about.Read the sources
Condo interior design: your questions
What will my whole condo cost, including renovation and furniture?
Two condos we designed came to about RM85,000 and about RM145,000, including furniture. What moves a budget most is what the unit came with and the finish level you choose. Our design fee is fixed per room, RM3,565 or RM5,485 for an open-plan living and dining space, and renovation and furniture are paid separately. Across 110 condo renovation records published by other firms about their own projects, budgets ran from RM53 to RM343 per square foot.
Do you charge a percentage of the renovation cost?
No. Our fee is fixed per room and agreed before work begins: RM3,565 per room for full interior design, or RM5,485 for an open-plan living and dining space. A percentage fee pays a designer more when you spend more, which puts their interest against yours at exactly the moment you are deciding how much to spend. We compare the two models in how flat and percentage fees work.
Can you design just one or two rooms of my condo?
Yes. Because the fee is per room, a project can be as small as one room. A project can also mix: full design for the rooms that need building work, styling at RM1,715 a room for rooms whose layout already works, and nothing at all for the rooms you're happy with.
I've just collected my keys. Should I wait for the defects inspection?
Start the design, but hold the building work until the inspection is done. The first one to two months are drawings, selections and sign-off, with nothing on site. Hacking or built-in carpentry added during the defects liability period can affect what the developer will still repair, so it's worth having the inspection completed, and any issues fixed, before fixed installations go in. Our page on designing a newly handed-over condo has more on the handover.
Do I need my management office's approval to renovate my condo?
Usually, yes. Your building's management, whether the developer's office after handover or the owners' Joint Management Body or Management Corporation later, sets rules on working hours, notice before work starts, a renovation deposit, lift bookings, and what can be altered. The application itself is made by you or your contractor. We ask for the building's guidelines at the start, advise on what the application needs, and plan the project to fit inside the rules.
Can you design my condo if I live overseas, or if it's outside the Klang Valley?
Yes. For a condo in Kuala Lumpur or Selangor, full interior design works best if you, or someone you authorise, can be in the Klang Valley for key stages such as the site visit and the final handover; the rest can run by video call. For a condo anywhere else, Virtual Design is fully remote: USD 279 (RM1,143) a room, or USD 349 (RM1,430) for an open-plan space, delivered 10 to 14 days from the first video consultation.
Is it worth hiring an interior designer for a small condo or apartment?
Yes. In a small unit every piece has to earn its place, so made-to-fit joinery and furniture that does two jobs matter more than in a large home. Because the fee is per room, it scales with the unit: a one-bedroom with an open-plan living and dining room comes to RM9,050 for full interior design, or RM4,350 to style.
I'm furnishing a condo to rent out. Which service fits?
Usually Interior Styling, at RM1,715 per room, with Procurement Concierge to order and deliver everything around your building's lift bookings. If the unit needs building work first, full interior design at RM3,565 per room covers it.
Tell us about your condo.
The size, what's already there, how you live, and what your building allows. If we're the right studio for it, you'll have one clear fee per room, agreed before we begin.