By Ranjeet Mukherjee, Co-founder and Architect, Atelier Shreenu by The Vrindavan Project. Published October 2026.
Why does an architect charge for a first meeting?
Atelier Shreenu by The Vrindavan Project, an architecture and interior design practice in Gurugram, charges for first project discussions and site walkthroughs across India. Paid time gives the architect or designer full attention to your project, and the fee is credited against the project fee if you sign within 90 calendar days.
The studio is led by Shreenu Mukherjee, interior designer, and Ranjeet Mukherjee, architect. It is based in Palam Vihar, Gurugram, has practised since 2012 and operates as Shreenu and Ranjeet Design LLP. Our first conversation with a new client is a paid one, whether the project calls for architecture design consultancy, interior design consultancy or the two together. A ten minute discovery call before it is complimentary.
Many respected studios open with a free proposal, and that is a reasonable way to win work. We chose a different structure, and this post explains the reasoning for anyone comparing the two.
A first meeting is the first piece of design work, and we treat it that way.
What is a paid architect consultation?
A paid architect consultation is a first meeting, held on Google Meet or on site, that the client pays for before any design proposal is prepared. The architect applies their judgement to the client’s brief and site from the first hour, and the time is billed as design work instead of being absorbed as the cost of winning the project.
What does a free pitch do well?
A free pitch is an introduction. The studio invests its own time before the first meeting, usually on a concept drawn from the brief and from earlier projects, and the client uses it to compare studios. For a buyer who wants several proposals side by side before speaking to anyone, this is useful, and it is a fair trade because the studio carries the cost in the hope of winning the project.
The limit is one of timing. A proposal that arrives before anyone has stood on the plot is written without the plot. It cannot yet know where the afternoon sun lands, which tree is worth building around, or how the family moves through a day.
What happens in a paid project discussion or site walkthrough?
A project discussion is a 30 minute conversation on Google Meet. We read the brief with you and ask about the space, the years you expect to live or work there and what the place must hold. A site walkthrough takes place on the land or inside the building. We read its orientation, light, trees, slope, the approach from the road, the neighbours’ walls and whatever structure already exists.
Decisions made in this first hour shape everything after it. Where the sun enters a room, where the house meets the gate and which wall stays are fixed early, and they are easiest to get right while the drawings are still a conversation.
Is the first meeting different for architecture, interior design or both?
The first meeting works the same way for every kind of engagement we take on. Some clients come for architecture design consultancy, to design a new house, farmhouse or restoration from the ground up. Others come for interior design consultancy, for a home that is built or being built. A growing number choose a combined architecture and interior engagement, where Ranjeet and Shreenu work in tandem from the first line drawn.
Many clients do not know at the start which of the three suits them. The first meeting is where that becomes clear. We look at the site, the stage the project has reached and what the place needs, and then recommend the engagement that fits. The terms of the first meeting are identical in all three cases.
Why is a design consultant’s time worth paying for?
Starting a design conversation well takes more work than the hour on the calendar suggests. Before a meeting, the team reads what the client has shared and thinks through the site, the climate and the likely constraints. During it, we draw on years of practice to read a plot, a structure or a floor plan quickly, and to say what will work, what will not and why. Afterwards, we reflect on what we saw and heard, and decide what to recommend next.
That judgement is the product. It comes from fourteen years of practice, from buildings we have drawn and watched being built, and from mistakes corrected along the way. A paid first meeting recognises that time and expertise, and it gives you an architect or designer whose full attention is set aside for your project.
Does Atelier Shreenu make site visits outside Gurugram and across India?
Yes. Our practice extends across India, and so do our first meetings. A site walkthrough within the National Capital Region is a one hour appointment. For a plot or building outside the region, the walkthrough is a two hour appointment, because reaching a site in another city, reading it properly and travelling back takes a day of the team’s time. Travel and accommodation for outstation visits are arranged and charged at actuals.
For a client building in a hill town, on a coastal plot or on a family property in another state, the visit matters even more. Local climate, soil, material availability and building practice differ from place to place, and a design that has not been tested against the place itself is a guess. Standing on the site is how we avoid guessing.
How is the first meeting fee credited to the project?
Appointments are paid in advance, which confirms the booking. If you sign an agreement for the same project within 90 calendar days of paying for a project discussion or walkthrough, the amount you paid, excluding GST, is credited against the first invoice of the project fee. Travel and other actual expenses are not credited, and the credit lapses after 90 days. For a client who goes ahead, the first meeting becomes part of the design fee rather than an extra cost.
Our design consultancy fee itself is calculated on area, agreed in writing and shown to you before you commit. Our Pre-Signing Fee Schedule, which sets out every term of the first meeting, is sent to you before any payment. In many professions, from law to structural engineering, advice is billed from the first hour, because the advice is the work. We hold the same view of architecture.
When is a free proposal the better first step?
Our approach does not suit everyone. If you want three or four written proposals on your desk before you speak to any studio, a studio that pitches for free will serve you better, and we would encourage you to begin there. Our process starts with a conversation and a visit. It asks for an hour of your time and of ours before any drawing is made.
How do you choose between a paid meeting and a free pitch?
Choose a free pitch when you are surveying the field and want to compare approaches from a distance. Choose a paid meeting when you already have a plot, a building or a firm brief, and you want an architect’s judgement applied to it before you sign anything. The two also work together. Many clients speak to several studios, and a paid hour with one of them can show you what a stack of proposals cannot.
Appointments are available seven days a week. You can book a project discussion or site walkthrough with Atelier Shreenu, or begin with the complimentary ten minute discovery call.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Atelier Shreenu charge for a first meeting?
Atelier Shreenu by The Vrindavan Project charges for project discussions and site walkthroughs because they are the first hours of design work. Paid time lets the architect and designer give the meeting full attention, and the fee is credited against the project fee if you sign within 90 calendar days of payment.
Is the first meeting different for architecture, interior design or a combined engagement?
No. Atelier Shreenu by The Vrindavan Project holds the same project discussion or site walkthrough whether you are considering architecture design consultancy, interior design consultancy or a combined engagement. The meeting helps you decide which of the three suits your project, and the same terms apply to each.
Does Atelier Shreenu travel outside Gurugram and Delhi NCR?
Yes. Atelier Shreenu by The Vrindavan Project works across India and offers site walkthroughs outside the National Capital Region. An outstation walkthrough is a longer appointment, and travel and accommodation are arranged and charged at actuals. Our Pre-Signing Fee Schedule sets out every term and is sent before any payment is made.
Is the meeting fee deducted from the final design fee?
Yes, if you proceed within 90 days. When you sign an agreement with Atelier Shreenu by The Vrindavan Project for the same project within 90 calendar days of paying, the fee for your project discussion or walkthrough, excluding GST, is credited against the first invoice. Travel and other actual expenses are not credited.
Is there a free way to begin?
Yes. Atelier Shreenu by The Vrindavan Project offers a complimentary ten minute discovery call, where we hear what you plan to build or renovate and recommend the right next step, whether that is a project discussion on Google Meet, a site walkthrough, or both.
What happens if I need to cancel or reschedule?
Atelier Shreenu by The Vrindavan Project refunds the full fee when you cancel with more than 48 hours of notice, retains half for notice of 24 to 48 hours, and retains the full fee for shorter notice or a no show. If we cancel or reschedule, you may choose a new date or a full refund.
About Atelier Shreenu by The Vrindavan Project
Atelier Shreenu by The Vrindavan Project is an architecture and interior design practice, trading as Shreenu and Ranjeet Design LLP, led by Shreenu Mukherjee (interior designer) and Ranjeet Mukherjee (architect, Council of Architecture registration CA/2009/44099). The studio is at Celebrity Homes, Palam Vihar, Gurugram, Haryana 122017, India, and visits are by appointment only. Write to info@ateliershreenu.com or visit ateliershreenu.com.