You have just signed a lease
And you need to know what the empty space can actually become before you commit a budget.
Design Consultation
Service 01 · Design Consultation
Interior design consultation for commercial spaces in Abu Dhabi.
We plan your space before anyone spends money on building it. You see the layout, the materials and a 3D view of the finished room, and you approve all of it before work begins.
- Free first visit
- Fixed fee agreed up front
- You own the drawings
- In Abu Dhabi since 2012
Service 01
DCV Hameem Offices
In plain terms
What this service is.
A design consultation is the planning stage. We measure your space, work out the best layout for it, choose the materials and lighting, and draw everything the builder will need. You see it all and approve it before a single wall goes up.
This is the cheapest stage to change your mind. Moving a wall on a drawing costs nothing. Moving it after it is built costs money and time. That is the whole reason this stage exists.
We design around how your space has to work: how many people, how many customers, how they move through it, where the daylight falls, and which pipes and columns cannot be moved. The look comes after that, not before.
And because our designers work in the same office as the team who build the job, what we draw can actually be built here, at the price we told you, with materials available in the UAE.
Who this is for
You are moving or growing
And need to know if the new floor really fits your team.
You are opening a restaurant, café or clinic
Where the layout has to satisfy the authorities as well as your customers.
You already have a builder
And need proper drawings to give them so the price is fair and the work is clear.
Your space feels wrong
And you cannot work out why. Usually it is the layout, not the decoration.
When you do not need us
If you only need a quick refresh (paint, a few new pieces of furniture, a bit of styling) you do not need a full design consultation. Tell us and we will point you to the right, smaller service instead of selling you something larger.
Our work
Design Consultation, in real projects.
What is included
Everything inside Design Consultation.
Everything below is part of the service. We have grouped it so you can see what happens at each stage rather than reading a long list.
Planning the space
- Space planning
- We work out how many desks, seats, tables or treatment rooms your space genuinely holds, with comfortable circulation, not a squeeze.
- Layout optimization
- We rework the plan to win usable floor area, better daylight or a shorter walk between the places people go most.
- Site design consultation
- Decisions made on site when the real building does not match the drawings. It rarely does.
The look and the materials
- Design direction
- The overall style, and how it stays consistent from the entrance to the back office.
- Concept development
- Mood boards and reference images so you can see and react to the idea early.
- Material selection
- Surfaces chosen to survive daily commercial use and UAE humidity, not just to look good in a showroom.
- Finish selection
- Paint, laminate, veneer, stone and solid surface, shown to you as real samples you can hold.
- Colour consultation
- Colours tested against the actual lighting in your space, and against your brand.
- Flooring selection
- The floor finish plus everything underneath it that decides how long it lasts.
- Ceiling design guidance
- Ceiling type, bulkheads and how the air conditioning and sprinklers fit above it.
Light, furniture and joinery
- Lighting consultation
- Brightness levels, light colour, fittings and switching, so the space works in the morning and at night.
- Furniture selection
- Desks, chairs, tables and loose pieces chosen to fit the layout we planned.
- Joinery consultation
- Where a custom-made unit is worth it, and where a bought one does the same job for less.
Brand, technical and budget
- Brand and space integration
- Your identity built into the materials and colours, with signage positions planned early.
- Technical design review
- We check another designer’s drawings for problems before you take them to tender.
- BOQ and budget guidance
- Costs given early, while the design can still be adjusted cheaply.
- Vendor coordination
- We line up kitchen consultants, AV suppliers and specialists with the interior drawings.
How it works, step by step
Six steps, approved one by one.
You approve each one before we move to the next, so there are no surprises and nothing is built on an assumption.
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Step 01
Free site visit
We come and see the space, listen to what you need, and tell you honestly whether we are the right fit. No charge, no obligation.
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Step 02
Measured survey
We measure the space properly and produce an accurate drawing of what is actually there.
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Step 03
Layout options
Two or three ways the space could work, with the pros and cons of each explained in plain language.
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Step 04
Look and materials
Mood boards and a physical sample board. You touch the materials before choosing them.
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Step 05
3D views
Realistic images of your finished space: same ceiling height, same windows, same columns as the real room.
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Step 06
Construction drawings
The full set of drawings a builder needs, plus a costed bill of quantities.
How long it takes
Three to six weeks from the first visit to a complete drawing package for a normal commercial space. A layout test on its own can be done in about a week. Restaurants and clinics take a little longer because the authorities have extra requirements.
Deliverables
What you receive at the end.
- Accurate measured drawings of your existing space.
- Layout options with the headcount or seat count each one supports.
- A design concept presentation and a physical materials sample board.
- 3D views of the main areas, with a walkthrough video on request.
- Furniture layout plans.
- Ceiling and lighting plans.
- Wall elevations showing every side of every room.
- Joinery drawings for anything custom-made.
- Schedules for finishes, doors and bathroom fittings.
- Coordination drawings so the air conditioning, sprinklers and lights do not clash.
- A costed bill of quantities you can hand to any contractor.
Costs, and how we quote
Clear prices, agreed in writing.
Design is a fixed fee, not an hourly rate. We quote it after the free site visit, once we have seen the space and understood what you need. The number does not change unless you ask for something that was not in the agreed scope, and if that happens, we tell you the cost before we do the work.
The fee depends on the size of the space and how complex it is. A straightforward office costs less than a clinic with licensing requirements. We will tell you the figure in writing before you commit to anything.
If you go on to appoint AGC to build the project, the design fee is credited against the construction contract. You are not paying twice for the same thing.
What is never in our quotes
- No charge for the first site visit or the first conversation.
- No hourly billing that grows while you think about a decision.
- No fee for reasonable revisions within the agreed scope.
- No obligation to use us for construction. The drawings are yours.
Why clients choose AGC
Why AGC for design.
We build what we draw
Most design studios hand over a drawing and disappear. We stay accountable, because our own site team has to build it.
In Abu Dhabi since 2012
We know the landlord rules, the authority requirements and which suppliers actually deliver on time here.
You own the drawings
Take them to any contractor you like. We will quote too, but there is no penalty for going elsewhere.
Honest 3D views
Our visuals are built from the real surveyed space. We would rather show you an accurate room than a flattering one.
Costs given early
You find out what the design costs to build while it is still cheap to change.
The worries clients tell us about
Honest answers to real concerns.
Will the finished space actually look like the 3D?
Yes, and that is deliberate. We build the 3D from the measured survey using the exact materials you approved, so the ceiling height, windows and columns match the real room. If something cannot be built as drawn, we tell you at the drawing stage, not after.
Will the design cost more than I can afford to build?
This is the most common fear, and the reason we give cost guidance early. You will know the approximate build cost while the design can still be adjusted. We would rather design to your budget than show you something beautiful you cannot afford.
Am I locked into using you for the construction?
No. You pay for the design, you own the drawings, and you are free to tender them to any contractor. Plenty of clients do exactly that.
I do not understand technical drawings.
You do not need to. We present in plain language and in 3D. The technical set is for the builder, not for you, but it is yours, and we will walk you through anything you want to understand.
Frequently asked questions
Design Consultation: your questions.
Type a word to filter the answers, or call +971 56 343 7346.
Interior design in Abu Dhabi is usually charged as a fixed fee based on the size and complexity of the space, not an hourly rate. AGC quotes the full fee in writing after a free site visit, and credits it against the construction contract if you also appoint us to build.
For a normal commercial space, three to six weeks from the first site visit to a complete set of construction drawings. A layout test alone takes about a week. Restaurants and clinics take longer because of licensing and authority requirements.
For anything above a single room it usually pays for itself. A designer finds usable floor area, prevents costly layout mistakes and produces drawings that let contractors quote accurately. For a simple repaint or new furniture, you probably do not need one.
A designer plans the space and produces the drawings. A fit-out contractor builds it. AGC does both, which means the drawings are buildable and one company stays responsible from first sketch to handover.
Yes. 3D views are part of the design consultation and come before any construction. You approve the layout, materials and finished look first. Nothing gets built until you have seen it and said yes.
Yes. You can appoint AGC for design alone, own the drawings and tender them to any contractor you choose. There is no obligation to use us for the build and no penalty for going elsewhere.
Yes, and it is common. We produce a full construction drawing set plus a bill of quantities that any contractor can price accurately, which usually gets you fairer and more comparable tender prices.
Yes. Our office and workshop are in Abu Dhabi, and we design and deliver projects across all seven emirates, including Dubai, Sharjah and Al Ain. Projects outside Abu Dhabi get a team based at the site.
A floor plan if you have one, or just the building name, floor and approximate size. We will do the rest, including measuring the space ourselves. If you have a target opening date, tell us that too.
Yes. The first conversation and the first site visit cost nothing and carry no obligation. We use them to understand the space and tell you honestly whether we are the right firm for your project.
No questions match that search. Ask us directly and we will answer within a working day.
Book a free site visit
Start with a free visit to your space.
Send a floor plan, or just the building name and floor. We will visit, listen, and come back with a clear scope, a fixed fee and a timeline within three working days.