Choosing interior design software as a European studio: what to check

Short answer: Before you compare features, check five things that most software built for the US gets wrong for a European studio. Can you price each item in the currency the supplier quotes? Does it handle your country's VAT rate, ex and inc VAT, and clients who don't pay VAT? Can you save products from shops in any EU country? Does it record when each price was captured? And can your client open a schedule without making an account?

Why European studios need a different checklist

A typical project in Amsterdam or Dublin might pull a sofa from an Italian maker priced in euros, lighting from a Danish brand quoting in kroner, and a rug from a London supplier in pounds. Each price comes with a different VAT treatment, and some are retail (inc VAT) while others are trade (ex VAT).

Much of the software in this category grew up in the US, where a project usually runs in one currency and sales tax works differently. It can look fine in a demo and still leave you fixing totals in a spreadsheet the night before a client meeting.

1. Currency per item, not per project

Check whether you can set the currency on each product line. If the tool forces one currency for the whole project, you end up converting prices by hand and losing the figure the supplier actually quoted.

If a tool says it converts currencies for you, ask which exchange rate it uses and when it updates. A rate from three weeks ago can move a large order by hundreds of euros.

2. VAT that matches your country

Each EU country sets its own VAT rates, and the standard rate can't be lower than 15%. It is 19% in Germany, 20% in France and 23% in Ireland. Look for:

• A default rate set to your country, which you can change.
• A choice between entering prices ex VAT or inc VAT, so retail and trade prices don't get mixed up.
• Custom, zero-rated and exempt rates on single items.
• A way to mark a client as VAT exempt, and to add a note such as "Reverse charge applies" for a VAT-registered business client in another EU country.
• Exports that keep the VAT columns, so your accountant sees the same figures you do.

The column layout is covered in How to show VAT on an FF&E schedule (EU). That page covers layout, not tax advice, and so does this one.

3. Saving products from any supplier site

Your suppliers are spread across countries and languages. Test the tool's browser extension or clipper on three of the sites you use most, ideally ones in different languages. Check that it brings across the name, price, image and supplier link, and the spec sheet where the page links one.

Watch the price it captures. Retail sites in the EU have to show prices inc VAT to consumers, while many trade portals show ex VAT. A good tool lets you say which one you've entered.

4. Knowing how old each price is

Supplier prices change between the day you save a product and the day your client signs off. Whatever tool you choose, you should be able to see when each price was captured and recheck it before you send a schedule. Be wary of any tool that promises prices that update themselves. Ask exactly how and how often it checks.

5. Sharing with clients who don't want another login

Most clients want to open a link, look at the products and see the total. Check whether the tool can share a read-only schedule or board that opens without an account, and whether the client sees inc VAT totals when they need to.

If you need client approvals, deposits and invoicing in the same place, you're looking at a full studio system rather than a product and schedule tool. Decide which you need before you book demos.

6. Data, privacy and leaving cleanly

Client names, addresses and project details are personal data under GDPR. Before you buy, ask any vendor:

• Can you export everything if you leave: the full product library and schedules, not only a PDF?
• Who can see client boards and schedules, and how is access revoked when someone leaves the studio?
• Is there a published privacy policy that covers EU clients?
• How long is your data kept after you cancel?

A "GDPR ready" line on a marketing page is not enough. Read the privacy policy and check the exit path yourself.

7. What you'll pay, in your currency

Prices in this category range widely. A few published examples, checked on 27 October 2026:

• thesheet has a free Solo plan, and its Studio plan is €35 a month including two seats, plus €19 per extra seat.
• Procurist starts from €189 a month.
• Techstyles, a UK tool, is £49 per user a month ex VAT for the first five users.

Check whether a price includes VAT, whether it is per user or per studio, and whether it is billed in euros. Some tools, including Aalto, bill in US dollars, so your card provider's exchange rate applies.

Doing this in Aalto

Aalto is a product library and FF&E schedule for interior designers. It covers the checklist above like this:

• Currency: you set the currency on each item, so a sofa stays in euros and a rug stays in pounds.
• VAT: in Settings > Workspace, set your tax region to European Union and pick your country. Aalto fills in that country's standard rate, which you can change. You choose ex VAT or inc VAT entry, and your schedule shows totals ex and inc VAT, with optional rate and amount columns. Items can be custom, zero-rated or exempt, and a project can be marked Client is VAT-exempt with a note on exports. VAT works on Free and Pro, and CSV exports include the VAT columns on any plan.
• Saving products: the Chrome extension saves the name, brand, price, image and supplier link from a supplier page in one click, and keeps the spec sheet when the page links one. You can also paste a link, or let AI product imports pull the details in.
• Price checks: Aalto records the price when you save it. You can refresh a price whenever you want, and Aalto rechecks shortlisted and ordered items weekly.
• Clients: share a project on a read-only link your client opens without logging in.
• AI apps: on Pro, you can connect Claude or ChatGPT to your workspace and ask it to search, save, organise or export products for you.
• Price: Free is US$0 with 100 products and one collection. Pro is US$19 per member a month, or US$180 a year, with Excel and PDF exports. Prices are in US dollars.

Aalto doesn't do client approvals, invoicing or purchase orders. If you need those today, a studio system such as Programa or Houzz Pro is the better fit.