What should I look for in an interior styling course?
- lucygoughstylist
- Apr 17
- 5 min read
Updated: May 14
by Lucy Gough - Professional Interior Stylist, London and Sydney
Becoming a successful interior stylist isn’t about replicating aesthetic Pinterest home and lifestyle posts - mastering the profession requires attention to detail, natural creative flair, a significant amount of skill and a lot of confidence.
Confidence in your vision, your capabilities and your self in completing any task to fit any brief. But luckily, these are all attributes that can be acquired.
With the right knowledge, practice and guidance, anyone can maximise their creative potential as an interior stylist!
Whether you're looking to make the best of your home's potential or you're serious about pursuing a career in the interior industry, an interior styling course opens up a world of opportunity and learning.
But how do I choose the right one?
What should I look for in an interior styling course? In this guide, we’ll look at the 5 features you should consider to find the perfect option for you.
But first how do I know Interior Styling is for me?
Have a look at the spaces you own. If you love adding your personal touch to your home or workspace or rearranging spaces to fit an aesthetic, it’s likely you have a keen sense of colour and design fit for interior styling. You also should consider how you interact with other people - interior stylists have to spend a lot of time working with others, so your interpersonal skills are likely quite strong.
Other characteristics that might signify a career path in interior styling include an eye for detail, a creative flair and efficient problem solving skills - you like every day to feel a bit new!
If this sounds a bit like you or someone you know, an interior styling course seems like the right fit! I suggest you use these 5 criteria to find the perfect course for you.
#1 Flexibility
If the last two years of the pandemic have taught us anything, it’s the value of flexibility in navigating our crazy lives. You shouldn’t have to compromise following your passion projects because of the travel time to get there or miss an important lesson because your child gets the sniffles! I have always encouraged flexibility in my course instruction so you can get the most out of the course as it works for you, and only you!
An online course is a great way to ensure you have the freedom to follow your interests without interrupting your schedule. I’ve designed all of my Lucy Gough Stylist Courses to be incredibly valuable yet remote. You don’t need to spend all this extra money on an expensive degree, supplies, transportation and whatever else to learn the essentials of interior styling. Just you, your computer, a pen, some paper and the objects that you have around the house that you can utilise!
#2 Level of Difficulty
People come to interior styling and design from all different backgrounds and skill sets, often for very different reasons! Some experience a wake up call that their current job is no longer satisfying while others have wanted to pursue the career since they were kids. The crux of it is everyone has a different level of experience with interior styling and that’s okay!
When looking for your ideal interior styling course, make sure you choose a program that caters to a range of levels of experience, as this will allow you to refresh old skills or challenge yourself with new learning. For example, at Interior Styling School, I’ve built and am continuing to build courses that anyone can benefit from, from short masterclasses to longer in-depth courses. It’s important you find a course that is the right fit for your objectives, so you retain the most value.
#3 Customer Satisfaction
To find the right fit in a course, it’s always a good idea to check out the reviews. This will give you confidence in the course, the material and the instructor! So many people enrol in long, expensive interior styling courses or diplomas without looking at the satisfaction of previous students - and regret it!
A good instructor puts the student first - which is why I read each and every review from my course-takers. I love hearing how taking my courses has unlocked this passion for interior styling in a new student, as I share the same excitement as them!
#4 Length
When looking for the best interior design courses, length plays an important factor! You might be looking for a short skill-refreshing course to prepare for a dream project like this Christmas Styling Masterclass. Or maybe you want an in-depth program in turning your passion into a career like the How to Become a Professional Interior Stylist course.
Life is unpredictable and it can be hard to commit to a longer course if you’re not sure what the next few weeks or months look like. I recommend having a think about how many hours you want to spend on your passion a week in line with your other commitments.
If it’s 0.5 - 1 hr, look for a short course.
If it’s 1hr - 3 hrs, look for a medium course.
If it’s 3+, a longer course is a right fit for you.
Even better, an online, self-paced course of any length will allow you to put in as many or as little hours as you want. With all Lucy Gough Interior Styling School courses, you can stop, start and pause as many times as you like. You don't have to rush to complete it, as you have lifetime access!
#5 Hands-on Content
If you want to learn interior styling, you should keep an eye out for courses that value hands-on content that will not only keep you engaged, but equip you with the practical tools for real-life styling projects. Here is some examples of the types of hands-on content to look for in the course description:
Challenges and practical tasks
Building a portfolio
Facebook groups to share progress
Real-life case studies
PDF’s and keep-for-life resources!
I’ve tried to build as much interactive and practical content in my courses so it feels like you’re working with me! I take you through real life case studies and show you step-by-step how to submit creative concepts to clients. There are Q&A videos to watch, PDF's to download, creative tasks to complete, narrated slides to listen to and SO much interiors knowledge to digest! And the learning doesn’t have to end there - you can join our positive, supportive online community of interiors-lovers for continuous inspiration!
Always look for a course that is going to keep you interested and inspired, just as much as it will be practical for your goals.
So there you have it! I hope you found this guide helpful in identifying what to look for in your dream interior styling course, and if you couldn’t tell, these are the principles I’ve built my own programs on! Keen to start your journey with me? Check out my courses here.
Love
Lucy x
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