Sectors we design and build for
Offices & corporate
Workstation planning, cabins, meeting suites, reception and breakout — designed around headcount and work style.
→Retail & showrooms
Customer flow, sightlines, fixture planning and lighting that makes product look right.
Restaurants & cafés
Covers per sq ft, kitchen-to-floor logistics, acoustics and service circulation.
Clinics & healthcare
Patient flow, privacy, hygienic finishes and compliance-led layouts.
Coworking
Desk density, acoustic zoning and shared-amenity planning.
Hospitality
Guest-facing finishes with back-of-house durability.
Where commercial money actually goes
Clients are usually surprised that the visible parts of a fit-out — furniture, finishes, branding — are rarely the biggest line. In a typical office, services and civil work dominate, which is why a 'cheap' quote almost always means someone has under-scoped the MEP.
| Cost head | Share of fit-out | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Civil & partitions | 18 – 24% | Blockwork, gypsum partitions, glass partitions, flooring base |
| MEP services | 25 – 32% | HVAC distribution, electrical, lighting, fire detection & suppression, data |
| Joinery & furniture | 20 – 28% | Workstations, storage, reception, pantry, loose furniture |
| Finishes | 12 – 18% | Flooring, ceilings, paint, wall treatments, glazing film |
| AV & IT | 5 – 10% | Displays, VC rooms, cabling, access control |
| Contingency | 5 – 10% | Landlord conditions, discovered site issues, variations |
Indicative for an Indian office fit-out. Retail and F&B shift weight towards finishes and kitchen services respectively.
Design and build under one accountable roof
The landlord's fit-out manual runs your project
Every commercial building has a fit-out manual, and it governs far more than people expect: permitted working hours, which contractors may touch the fire system, how you tie into the base-build HVAC, what the ceiling void may contain, deposit amounts, and the drawing approvals you need before starting.
We read that document before we design. It is the cheapest risk reduction available on a commercial project, and it prevents the most expensive category of variation — redesigning something the landlord will not approve.
- Brief & feasibilityHeadcount, work style, growth plan, budget and programme. We test whether the space can actually hold what you need.
- Landlord compliance reviewWe read the fit-out manual, list approvals required, and design within them from day one.
- Design & 3DLayouts, services coordination, finishes and photoreal views for stakeholder sign-off.
- Tender-grade BOQA line-item bill your finance team can interrogate, with a fixed programme.
- Execution & phased handoverServices first, finishes last, with the option to occupy in phases.
On a fit-out, the design is the easy part. The programme is the product.
Greenbox commercial team
Working in occupied premises
Renovating around a working business is a scheduling discipline, not a design one. We routinely phase projects so that a team keeps operating: zoning the floor, running noisy work outside business hours, sealing dust barriers properly, and sequencing so that each phase hands back a fully functioning area rather than a half-finished one.
Selected work by Greenbox Design Studio. Tap any image to enlarge.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between commercial and residential interior design?+
Commercial work is governed by building codes and the landlord's fit-out manual, is driven by operational metrics like people per sq ft or covers per table, and runs to a hard deadline tied to rent. Residential work is driven by lifestyle and has far more flexible constraints.
How much does a commercial fit-out cost per sq ft?+
Greenbox builds a basic warm-shell office at ₹1,100–₹1,650 per sq ft, mid-specification at ₹1,920–₹2,880 and high-specification at ₹2,830–₹4,240, ex-GST — bands drawn from commercial fit-outs we have billed and completed, audited line by line and held at October 2026 prices. Published benchmarks are a separate measure and sit higher: Cushman & Wakefield's 2026 guide puts a collaborative hybrid workplace at ₹6,567 per sq ft in Mumbai, ₹6,207 in Delhi and ₹6,027 in Bengaluru.
Who obtains landlord and building approvals?+
We do, as part of project management. That includes submitting drawings for landlord approval, coordinating with the building's nominated fire and HVAC vendors where mandated, and complying with permitted working hours and material-movement rules.
Can you work while our office stays operational?+
Yes. We phase the floor into zones, run noisy or dusty activity outside business hours, install proper dust barriers, and hand back each zone fully functional before starting the next. It extends the programme somewhat but avoids relocation costs.
What is a bare shell versus a warm shell?+
A bare shell is an empty slab with basic structure — you build everything including HVAC, flooring, ceilings and washrooms. A warm shell already has base-build HVAC, common washrooms, flooring screed and often a ceiling grid, so your fit-out cost is meaningfully lower. Always confirm which you are leasing before budgeting.