If you're staring down a refurbishment or a new-build handover and "art" is still an empty line on the spec sheet, you're not alone. It's one of the last things procurement teams price properly, and one of the first things guests notice when it's missing or wrong.
The good news: sourcing art for hospitality and build-to-rent doesn't need to be complicated, and it doesn't need a six-week consultancy engagement to get a number you can actually put in a budget. Here's how to think about it before you ever pick up the phone.
What to budget per room
For a standard hotel room, a sensible starting point is £250 per room for art — typically covering two medium framed prints, which is what most standard-sized rooms need to feel finished without looking sparse or cluttered.
That figure scales with room count rather than complexity for most jobs — a 600-room property isn't six times harder to spec than a 100-room one, it's the same decisions made once and then repeated. For reference, a recent hospitality project we worked on covered 2,153 pieces across 615 rooms — roughly three to four pieces per room once you count corridors, lobby, and public spaces on top of the guest rooms themselves.
Rough ballpark by project size:
| Room count | Guest room art only | Typical total (incl. corridors/public areas) |
|---|---|---|
| 20–50 rooms | £5,000–£12,500 | £6,000–£15,000 |
| 100–150 rooms | £25,000–£37,500 | £30,000–£45,000 |
| 300+ rooms | £75,000+ | £90,000+ |
These are starting-point numbers, not quotes — final cost depends on frame spec, print size, and how much public-space art you want alongside the guest rooms. But it's enough to put a believable figure into an early-stage budget.
What actually goes into a brief
You don't need a finished design concept to start a conversation about art. At minimum, a workable brief needs:
- Photos of the space — guest rooms, corridors, and any public areas you want covered. Phone photos are fine at this stage.
- A sense of the brand or interior direction — even something as loose as "coastal, calm, blues and sand tones" or "a mood board from the interior designer" is enough to start with.
- Room count and any variation between room types — standard doubles, suites, and accessible rooms often need slightly different treatment.
- Any constraints — fire safety/wall-fixing rules for the building, existing furniture or colour schemes art needs to sit alongside, and your rough timeline for install.
That's genuinely the whole starting brief. Everything else — which artists, which sizes, which frames — is the part that gets worked out with you, not something you need to arrive having already decided.
What happens after you send that over
This is where it differs from the sourcing-only model a lot of art suppliers work to. Once we've got your photos and brief, the process runs:
- We turn your photos and brief into suggested schemes — pulling from our network of independent artists to put together options that match the brand direction, not just "art that fits the wall."
- We suggest sizes and frame options for each space, based on wall dimensions and sightlines from your photos.
- We plan the layout room by room and for any public spaces, so you're approving a plan rather than piece-by-piece guesswork.
- We manage delivery, and can handle installation too if you want it taken off your hands entirely rather than handed to an on-site team.
There's no minimum order — we're just as happy to do a single boutique property as a 600-room chain, and pricing per piece works the same either way.
Why this is worth sorting early, not last
Art usually gets left until the very end of a fit-out, after furniture, flooring, and lighting are locked in — which means it's often rushed, under-budgeted, or an afterthought bolted on days before opening. Sorting the art budget and brief at the same stage as everything else means it can actually support the brand and interior scheme, rather than being whatever's left over once the rest of the spend is committed.
It also tends to save money rather than cost more: a planned scheme bought in one go is almost always cheaper per piece than piecemeal purchases made under time pressure closer to opening.
FAQ
How much should I budget for art in a hotel refurbishment? A sensible starting point is £250 per standard guest room, covering two medium framed prints. Public spaces and corridors are typically budgeted separately and scale with the size and prominence of those areas.
Is there a minimum order size for hospitality or BTR art? No — we work with everything from small boutique properties to 600+ room developments, and the per-piece process is the same either way.
Do we need a finished design concept before getting a quote? No. Photos of the space, a rough sense of brand direction, and your room count is enough to start — the design suggestions come from us based on that brief.
Can you handle installation as well as sourcing? Yes — delivery and installation can both be managed for you if you'd rather not hand it to an on-site team.
How far in advance should art be briefed for a new build or refurb? As early as possible, ideally alongside the wider interior spec rather than after it — it gives more flexibility on artist selection and avoids rushed, under-budgeted decisions close to opening.
If you've got a project in mind — whether that's a single site or a portfolio-wide refurbishment — the easiest next step is a quick call with our team. Send over some photos and a rough brief and we'll come back with suggested schemes and a proper cost.