The Secret To Becoming A Successful Interior Stylist

This post is presented in partnership with inSTUDIO.

“Stylists and designers have the ability to create mood and atmosphere. That’s an amazing gift; to be able to make people feel happy in a space. That’s an incredible experience to give."

As an Interior Stylist who has worked on many major projects, this is just one reason Lisa Koehler's career in interior design excites her to this day.

Lisa’s creative streak drove her to seek out work experience and jobs in floristry and visual merchandising when she was starting out, but it was interior styling which allowed her to “pool her experience into one.”

Her vast experience in interiors and other creative industries have not only lead her to become an educator at inSTUDIO but also an expert featured in popular design bible, Inside Out.

Lisa’s work at Inside Out magazine, alongside an architect and a builder, to redesign homes has revealed exactly how challenging interior design can be.

While interior styling tends to be driven by trends, interior design takes a deeper interest in the client’s needs and a designer has to “learn the art of striking a balance between function and aesthetic,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how aesthetically beautiful a space is if it’s not functional.”

The time spent understanding the client’s needs while embracing the brief could help the designer better position themselves to push the client’s boundaries and to accept more forward-thinking designs and trends.

While inSTUDIO students get to learn about the art of trend-spotting, Lisa believes anyone wishing to become a trend-spotter or trend-setter could benefit from these three tips:

1. Keep your eyes open.

Pay attention to the world and what they’re doing.

“There are websites who provide trend forecasting but generally you can start to pick up on trends via social media,” she said.

It offers an instantaneous platform to "take a pulse" into what is grasping the attention of a global community. Even scrolling through a few Instagram accounts can help you see what people are interested in – whether it be colour, styles or themes.

“Trends can also be a reaction to things we’ve been saturated with, and from there comes an opportunity to do something different,” she noted.

2. Embrace your individual style.

While trends are mostly about everyone else, style is more individual – and it plays a massive part in trendsetting.

“What’s really lovely about the design world is it’s about making your space personal. It’s about embracing what you personally like,” she said.

While our personal style can be "subconsciously affected by what we see, this can be is a great thing as it allows us to infuse different trends to create our own individual style.”

3. Confidence is contagious.

“If you believe in something and wear it with confidence – I think people will appreciate it,” Lisa said.

People are naturally drawn to a confident person, so use this to sell yourself and your look.

You can find out more about Interior Styling at the FREE Student Edge stylingID workshop at inSTUDIO. inSTUDIO students get the opportunity to hone their styling abilities, learn more about understanding trends and styles in creative industries, and gain work experience in the Interior Design industry.