How to Submit a Proposal
A proposal is a complete design solution submitted for a design request. This guide explains how to fill in the proposal title, core design strategy, layout approach, circulation and storage, style and materials, budget strategy, risk reminders, and questions to clarify, making your proposal review-ready.
When to use this
Use this when you see a design request and believe you can provide a valuable design solution. A proposal should be a complete design approach, not just a few renders or a paragraph of text. Suitable scenarios: - You've carefully read the request's pain points, budget, and constraints, and have formed a targeted design strategy. - You have a clear layout approach and circulation plan. - You're willing to accept community reviews and subsequent improvements. Unsuitable scenarios: - You just want to post a reference image saying "refer to this". - You want to direct the client to add you on WeChat or get a private quote. - You haven't carefully read the request content.
What to prepare before you start
Before filling in the proposal form: 1. Read the entire design request page first: carefully review the request title, pain points list, budget range, home status, must-keep conditions, preferred style, and help needed. Don't submit after only reading the title. 2. Prepare your design approach: what's the core strategy (e.g. "storage-first", "open layout", "lighting redesign"), how will the layout be adjusted, how will circulation be optimized, how will the budget be allocated. 3. Prepare proposal images: floor plans, renders, or supporting images. Supports jpg, png, webp, pdf. 4. Honestly assess risks: every proposal involves trade-offs. Improving daylight may sacrifice some storage area; optimizing circulation may increase construction difficulty. Write these risks out rather than pretending the proposal is perfect. 5. List uncertain questions: if some information in the request is unclear (e.g. whether there are elderly family members wasn't specified), write it in "questions to clarify" rather than making assumptions.
How to fill in the key fields
The proposal page contains the following fields: - Title (required): e.g. "Storage-first three-bedroom renovation", "Open kitchen + flexible kids' zone". The title should reflect the core strategy. - Proposer: your name or team name. - Contact email: for platform review and communication only, not publicly displayed. - Direction: briefly summarize the core direction, e.g. "centered on storage systems, reorganizing the spatial relationships of entry, kitchen, and children's room". - Core design strategy (required): this is the soul of the proposal. Clearly describe your core approach to solving this design problem. E.g. "This proposal adopts a 'zoned storage + flexible space' strategy: dividing whole-home storage into four systems — entry, kitchen, bedroom, and children's zones — each operating independently yet interconnected; the children's room uses movable partitions, allowing spatial division to adjust as the child grows". Don't just write "storage-first". - Layout approach (required): describe spatial zoning, functional layout, and key dimensions. E.g. "removed the wall between original kitchen and dining, replaced with a 1.8m island counter serving prep, casual dining, and family interaction; added 600mm deep × 2.4m long storage cabinet on the right side of entry, integrating shoe cabinet, coat hanging, seating, and cleaning tool storage". - Circulation and storage approach: describe main circulation paths and storage system planning. - Style and material direction: e.g. "overall Japanese minimalist style, light oak laminate flooring, white and light gray walls, kitchen with white matte cabinet doors and light gray countertops". - Budget strategy: explain budget allocation, e.g. "hard finishes ~60%, prioritizing kitchen renovation and storage systems; soft furnishing ~30%, cost-effective furniture brands; 10% contingency". - Potential risks (required): honestly list risks the proposal may face. E.g. "after making the kitchen semi-open, cooking fumes need to be addressed with a powerful range hood and glass partition, potentially adding ~5000 CNY to the budget", "the movable partition track in the children's room requires high floor flatness; if the existing floor is uneven, additional leveling costs may apply". - Questions to clarify: list unclear information from the request, e.g. "the request didn't specify whether elderly family members live there, which affects whether bathroom grab bars and accessibility design are needed". - Proposal images: upload floor plans, renders, or supporting images. Three confirmation checkboxes at the bottom must be ticked: confirm the proposal content is original or authorized, confirm the proposal may be publicly displayed and reviewed, agree to Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Content License Agreement.
What to check after submission
After submission, the page shows a "Submitted for review" screen listing the proposal title, proposer, direction, core strategy, layout approach, and risk reminders. After submission, confirm the following: 1. Does the core strategy explain "how" and "why", not just "what"? 2. Does the layout approach include key dimensions and spatial relationships? 3. Are risk reminders honest, listing specific risks and potential costs? 4. Do the questions to clarify clearly state what information is uncertain? 5. Are all three confirmation checkboxes ticked? You can check your submission status on your account page (/zh/account or /en/account). Once approved, the proposal can be reviewed and further improved. Note: don't use the proposal as advertising. Don't write "add me on WeChat for details", "DM for quote", or "off-platform discount" in the proposal content. Such content will be rejected during review.
Common mistakes
Here are the most common mistakes when submitting a proposal: 1. Not reading the request carefully: the submitted proposal is completely unrelated to the request's pain points, budget, and constraints. E.g. the request clearly says "limited budget, prioritize hard finishes", but the proposal suggests "full custom solid wood furniture throughout". 2. Core strategy too vague: only writing "optimize spatial layout" or "improve storage" without explaining how. A good strategy should let readers mentally construct the proposal's general form. 3. Not writing risks: describing the proposal as flawless without mentioning any risks or trade-offs. In reality, every design decision involves trade-offs — honestly stating risks actually demonstrates professionalism. 4. Using the proposal as advertising: leaving WeChat IDs, phone numbers, company names, or directing off-platform transactions in the proposal content. 5. Making assumptions about uncertain information: the request didn't mention elderly residents, you assumed none and designed accordingly. Uncertain information should be written in "questions to clarify". 6. Images with privacy or copyright issues: uploading watermarked reference images, unauthorized photographs, or images containing others' private information.
Copyright and conduct guidelines
Submitting a proposal means you confirm the content is original or you have obtained necessary authorization. Do not upload unauthorized client drawings, photographs, renders, or content subject to third-party restrictions. The proposal must not contain: - WeChat IDs, phone numbers, QR codes, or other off-platform contact information. - Content directing private quoting, off-platform transactions, or private contracting. - Inappropriate comments about other proposers or request publishers. - Advertising or promotional content unrelated to the design request. If a proposal contains the above content, the platform will reject it. See Community Guidelines for detailed rules.