After years of being a dedicated mum, and enjoying precious times with my children before they started school, it was time to follow my passion. I have always had a creative mind, which began with a want to become a Graphic Designer after I left school. Realising it was not my time to pursue this path, I deferred my course. Now 20 years on, the creative juices are flowing, this time in interior design.
What is so wonderful about The Interior Design Academy course is it’s self-paced and you take the assignments as far as you feel comfortable. You get constructive feedback from your tutor, a current working professional in the industry. Who else is there to give better advice!
The course touches on all key areas you need to know; colour selection, technical drawings, lighting, and fabrics through to setting up your own business, just to name a few.
The lists of websites and extra notes provided are invaluable sources to file away and always refer to. The assistance from the Academy is reassuring and it is never a problem for the staff to forward examples of completed assignments to guide you if you are stuck on any topic.
Halfway through the course, an opportunity fell in my lap. I launched my dream career and formed my business Red Chair Interiors. I was commissioned to fit out a display home for my first job! To look at an empty house and be told to “go forth and create” was amazing! All the skills and knowledge I had just acquired came into play, giving me the confidence to believe in my decisions and just go for it!
Now knocking on the door of 5 years in business, Red Chair Interiors has covered a lot of ground… and country! Life in my business is never dull or quiet. There is always a new opportunity appearing around the corner, just when I think there is a chance to come up for air. This is what this industry offers and the doors The Interior Design Academy can open!
Apart from my private client consultations, I am also contracted by many of the large building companies around town, who have included this service in their client contracts. The feedback from both builders and clients has been amazingly positive. It is about providing the client with an enjoyable building experience and for the builder to have a smooth construction, so it’s a winning situation all round and a good cash flow injection for my business!
The only advice I can give to anyone contemplating or embarking on this course is, to enjoy learning and stretch yourself with practical application as much as you can. This will give you the confidence and prepare you for a life of fun, creation, design and lots of beautiful things. You will have a ball doing it and won’t be disappointed!
I certainly wouldn’t have achieved any of this before completing the course. It just goes to show you how this course instils the confidence and enthusiasm in you to just go for it.
