InStyle Academy

Learn the craft of interior styling.

From your first vignette to your first paid shoot — a styling education taught by working Sydney stylists. Two tiers. One craft.

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Who it's for

Two paths. The same craft.

Whether you want to style your own home with the confidence of a professional, or build a career as a working stylist with bylines, day rates and a published portfolio — our academy meets you where you are.

Every course is taught by working Sydney stylists, not theory teachers. You learn the way the industry actually works.

Choose your path

Two tiers, designed for different ambitions.

Tier One

The Home Styling Workshop

For homeowners, renovators, mums, Airbnb hosts and hobbyists who want to style their own space with the confidence of a professional.

From A$395
8 modules · lifetime access · private community
Explore Tier One
Tier Two

The Professional Career Track

A 16-week cohort program for those serious about working as a stylist. Editorial, commercial, property — with a graduation shoot that gets you hired.

From A$4,950
12 modules · 6 Sydney studio days · graduation shoot
Explore Tier Two
Workshop space photograph
Tier One — The Home Styling Workshop

Style a home you love.

Style a home that looks like the rooms you save on Instagram — instead of staring blankly at the homewares aisle at lunchtime.

What you walk away with:

  • A defined personal style direction — not a vibe, an actual point of view
  • A styled mood board for one room of your own home
  • Three finished vignettes (coffee table, shelf, bedside) photographed
  • A sourcing shortlist matched to your budget and aesthetic
The 8 modules

What you'll learn.

01

Finding Your Style

Personal style direction and mood boarding — your visual vocabulary.

02

Colour & Palette

Colour theory, paint cards, and palette building that works.

03

Layering & Texture

Soft furnishings, layout basics, the architecture of a layered room.

04

Vignettes

Coffee tables, shelves, mantels — the small spaces buyers photograph.

05

Art & Accessories

Building art walls, choosing accessories that hold the room together.

06

Photographing Your Space

Phone photography that does your styling justice — for Instagram or to keep.

07

Small-Space Styling

Apartment styling — making the tight spaces feel intentional, not cramped.

08

Sourcing on a Budget

High-low mixing, where the stylists actually shop, what's worth the splurge.

Tier One pricing

Choose your format.

Online
A$3958 modules, lifetime access
Includes ~6–8 hours of video, downloadable cheat sheets, private community, lifetime access, styling challenges. Optional A$79 Zoom critique add-on.
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In-person · 1 day
A$4506-hour Sydney intensive
Includes One-day in-person workshop, all materials, working session on a vignette, photographed take-home, refreshments throughout the day.
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Hybrid
A$595online + in-person day
Includes Full online course PLUS a 3-hour in-person implementation studio in Sydney. Bring your mood board and we'll work it through with you.
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Tier Two — The Professional Career Track

A career, not a hobby.

A 16-week cohort program for those serious about working as a stylist. You leave with a portfolio of original work, working relationships with Sydney prop houses and photographers, business templates ready to invoice with, and a credential that means something.

Two intakes per year — February and July. Cohort capped at 16 students.

16
Weeks of cohort programming
12
Online video modules
6
Sydney studio days
3
1:1 mentor sessions
The 12-module curriculum

Three parts. One profession.

Part A — Foundations

Module 01

The Styling Industry in 2026

The four markets — editorial, commercial, property, hospitality. Day rates, who hires whom, building your professional identity. Guest: a senior stylist working across editorial and commercial.

Module 02

Design Literacy for Stylists

Reading a space architecturally. Period and style fluency — Bauhaus, mid-century, Art Deco, Wabi-Sabi. Deliverable: a written room analysis.

Module 03

The Brief & The Mood Board

Decoding a client brief — real briefs from publications and brands. Adobe, Canva, InDesign for stylists. Deliverable: respond to a supplied brief with a mood board.

Module 04

Sourcing & The Prop Universe

The Sydney prop ecosystem. Trade accounts, wholesale buying, reimbursable costs. In-person Day 1: prop house tour.

Part B — Production

Module 05

Pre-Production

Storyboarding, shot lists, call sheets, run sheets. Working with photographers. Budgeting a shoot top to bottom. Deliverable: a complete pre-production pack.

Module 06

On Set

The hierarchy of a shoot day. Styling for the camera vs real life. Lens, light, camera height. In-person Day 2: shadow a real shoot.

Module 07

Property Styling for Sale

The Australian property styling market. Vacant vs occupied. Working with agents and vendors. In-person Day 3: style a real vacant property.

Module 08

Specialist Territories

Brand campaigns, hotels and short-term rentals, retail visual merchandising, e-commerce. Deliverable: pitch yourself to a client in one territory.

Part C — Business

Module 09

Pricing Yourself

Day rates, retainers, project fees. Reimbursables, kill fees, usage rights. Pricing editorial (low) vs commercial (high) vs property (volume). Deliverable: your published rate card.

Module 10

Contracts & The Legal Stuff

Service agreements, IP, insurance. ABN, GST, sole trader vs Pty Ltd. In-person Day 4: Q&A with a working stylist and an accountant.

Module 11

Marketing Yourself

Instagram for stylists. Portfolio websites that get you hired. Pitching publications. Networking that isn't gross. Deliverable: a polished portfolio website, live before graduation.

Module 12

The Graduation Shoot

A full-day real shoot styled by each student. Hired location, photographer, props. Each student leaves with one campaign-quality portfolio piece. In-person Days 5 & 6: shoot + showcase evening.

Tier Two pricing

Three ways in.

Full program
A$4,950cohort of 16 max
Includes 12 modules · 6 Sydney studio days · 3 mentor sessions · graduation shoot & showcase · business templates · industry directory · alumni community for life.
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Payment plan
A$1,250+ 5 × A$795 monthly
Same program Full Tier Two program spread over six payments. Adds approximately A$250 over the full-payment option.
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Online-only fast-track
A$2,495for interstate & international
Includes 12 video modules with lifetime access · weekly group call recordings · business templates · industry directory. (No in-person days, no mentoring sessions.)
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*Tier One graduates receive A$500 off Tier Two. Friends-bring-friends discount available — sign up together and both save A$100.

How it works

From application to graduation.

i

Apply

Submit an application with a short statement about why you want to work as a stylist.

ii

Interview

A 20-minute call to make sure the program is the right fit for your goals.

iii

Enrol

Cohort confirmation, welcome pack, pre-reading and access to the alumni network.

iv

Begin

16 weeks of online modules, studio days, mentor sessions, and your graduation shoot.

Apply for the next cohort

Your styling career starts here.

Next intakes: February and July. Apply now to secure your place — cohort sizes are capped at 16 for a reason.