Commercial interior design in Nairobi & Kenya

Commercial interior design applies interior design to spaces used by staff and customers. It's the business-facing half of what Hauzisha Interiors does, alongside residential interior design.

Design that earns its keep

Good commercial design isn't decoration, it changes how people behave in your space. Better office layouts lift focus and collaboration; the right restaurant atmosphere raises dwell time and spend; a well-planned shop guides customers to the till. We design for those outcomes first, then make it look the part.

What commercial interior design costs in Kenya

Commercial fit-outs are quoted per square metre, not as one round number, because a 500 m² office and a 60 m² café need very different things. As a working range across Nairobi, most commercial interiors land between KES 25,000 and 90,000 per square metre once design, finishes, joinery and furniture are in. Where a project sits in that band depends on the trade: a restaurant carries kitchen extraction and grease traps; a salon carries wash-bay plumbing; a plain open-plan office carries almost none of that. Below is a rough guide. We always replace these with an itemised quote in Kenyan shillings before you pay a deposit. The full breakdown lives on the interior design cost in Kenya page.

Two lines move the price more than anything else: partitioning and services. Aluminium-and-glass partitioning alone runs about KES 4,000–8,000 per square metre of partition. Bringing in new plumbing, three-phase power or kitchen extraction can add seven figures on its own. We flag those costs early so the quote holds, instead of surprising you mid-build.

Designed for Kenyan businesses

Offices

From lean startup spaces in Westlands and Kilimani to corporate floors, we plan desks, meeting rooms, breakout and circulation around how your team actually works, then add glass and gypsum partitioning, branding and acoustics. See our dedicated office interior design page.

Salons, barbershops & spas

Station counts and spacing, wash-bay plumbing, mirror lighting that flatters, and a mood that keeps clients rebooking. We balance a strong look against surfaces that survive colour, water and daily traffic.

Shops & showrooms

Retail is choreography. We plan the path customers take, the display hierarchy, sightlines to the counter and lighting that makes product look its best.

Restaurants & cafés

Seating mix and covers, kitchen-to-table flow, acoustics so diners can talk, and an atmosphere worth photographing, the free marketing that fills tables.

Hospitality & short-lets

Guesthouses, gyms and Airbnb interiors designed to photograph beautifully and earn bookings. Short-let styling is one of the fastest-return projects in Nairobi right now.

Materials that survive commercial traffic

A home sofa sees one family. A reception sofa sees a hundred strangers a week. Commercial specification is mostly about choosing finishes that take that punishment and still look right in year three. In Nairobi projects we lean on a handful of workhorses:

• Floors: porcelain tile and SPC vinyl plank for high-traffic zones, commercial-grade carpet tile in quiet offices (easy to swap a stained tile, not the whole floor), polished concrete for industrial-look cafés and gyms.
• Partitions: aluminium-and-glass for light and a corporate look, gypsum for private rooms and acoustics, plus acoustic panels where calls and meetings clash.
• Surfaces: quartz and laminate worktops, wipeable wall finishes behind salon basins and café counters, and powder-coated metal for shelving and frames so humidity does not rust them.
• Lighting: LED throughout for the power bill, with warmer tones in hospitality and retail, and bright, even light over salon mirrors and workstations.

How a commercial fit-out runs, step by step

We run every commercial project in clear phases so you always know what happens next and what it costs. The same flow is on our process page, and starting figures are on our pricing page.

1. Brief and site visit. We measure, photograph and talk through how your business actually uses the space, plus your budget and trading hours.
2. Concept and quote (about 7 days). Layout options, a mood for the look, and an itemised cost in Kenyan shillings. No deposit until you are happy.
3. Detailed design. Final drawings, finish schedule and furniture selections signed off.
4. Fit-out on site. Partitioning, services, finishes, joinery and furniture, phased around your trading where possible.
5. Snag and handover. We walk the space with you, fix the snag list and hand over a working, branded interior.

Commercial vs residential interior design

People ask us where the line sits. Commercial design serves a business: it has to handle heavy use, meet accessibility and safety expectations, carry your brand and pay back through staff output or customer spend. Residential design serves a household and its taste, with softer, more personal finishes. The skills overlap, the standards and the materials do not. If you are doing a home rather than a business space, start on our residential interior design page instead.

Mistakes we see in Nairobi commercial spaces

• Designing for the photo, not the work. A reception that looks great but blocks the path staff walk forty times a day costs you every day.
• Skipping acoustics. Hard, trendy surfaces look sharp and sound terrible. Diners cannot talk; calls echo across the office.
• Under-powering services. Salons and kitchens that run out of sockets, water pressure or extraction within a month of opening.
• Cheap finishes in high-traffic zones. Domestic-grade flooring at an entrance looks worn out by month three and gets replaced anyway.
• No phasing plan. Closing for a full month when the same job could have been done in sections at night and over weekends.

One partner, minimal downtime

We plan, source and project-manage so you deal with one team, and we phase the work to keep your business running. Pricing is itemised in Kenyan shillings up front, see the cost guide and our process.

In scope: commercial interior design, decoration, sourcing and fit-out management. Out of scope: architecture, structural engineering, and exterior or landscaping work.