Recently I’ve been getting a lot of questions asking how I got where I am today and what advice I would give to someone wanting to get into interior design and styling too. So I thought I would share a little of my journey so far and some of the insights I’ve learnt along the way here on the blog. I’ve by no means taken a traditional route or a smooth, seamless path, but hopefully it will show that if you find your confidence and commit to something you enjoy everyday, you can build a career doing something you truly love.
And if you’re thinking about going freelance, don’t forget to read my post 10 things I’ve learnt since going freelance six months ago.
So my story briefly – I set up my blog back in 2011 – at first I shared everything and anything, and I didn’t have a particular focus. I just wanted a corner of the internet that was completely my own. It took time to hone in on what I love – simple interior design for everyday living. Over the years I began sharing my own decoration projects and makeover stories at home – soon friends and family were asking for advice, and before long readers were requesting my help professionally too. Now, I help like-minded clients bring their ideas, hopes and visions to life with simple solutions that are easy to achieve and don’t cost the earth. I also work with brands like IKEA, Sony and Fredericia, on styling projects and photo shoots, coming up with creative ways to tell their story and create digital content.
I initially studied architecture at The Bartlett, UCL, before working in practice on mainly residential projects for two years. Following a Masters in architectural history, also at The Bartlett, I carved out a career as a design journalist, writing about architecture projects and new buildings for Building Design and Blueprint magazine. But my passion has always been for interiors – I’m fascinated by the ways in which people make a house a home; how their possessions can tell a story and how space, light and texture can create a certain mood or feeling.
Now, I combine my spatial planning skills from working in practice, with my design knowledge gained from working as a writer in the industry for the past six years – it means I can easily visualise a scheme and know exactly where to look to find the best pieces of design for it.
But enough about me, onwards with my tips – everything from finding your confidence and building a brand, to developing a portfolio and learning by doing.
1. Find your confidence
If you doubt yourself and don’t take your skills and abilities seriously enough, how are other people, and hopefully in the end, potential clients, supposed to?
When I first started offering interior design advice and doing styling work it took me a while to put a label on it and give it a deserving name and call it what it is – a business. I had serious imposter syndrome – I felt I couldn’t say I was a designer or stylist because it somehow sounded super professional and what qualifications did I really have (only a degree in architecture, two years experience in an architecture practice, a masters degree and six years writing about design by the way…) – ‘oh, I just help people with redecoration projects every now and then’ or ‘oh, I just take pretty pictures.’ Examples – I faff with objects instead of saying I style, I put together ideas instead of saying I curate mood boards and design concepts, I pick out furnishings and finishes instead of saying I design. Once I began to focus in on my plus points, my strengths over my weaknesses, I grew in confidence and could sell myself better because I believed in what I was doing.
It’s about knowing your value and finding your confidence. Sometimes this just takes time and experience to quieten that niggling voice telling you that you can’t do something or that you’re not good enough. Feel the fear and do it anyway, as they say. Self belief will take you a long way, as will exuding passion and enthusiasm for what you do. Own your style and show up.
2. Immerse yourself in design
Do your research and immerse your world with all things design. Get a subscription to an interiors magazine, read blogs, listen to podcasts for creatives, get inspired on Pinterest, follow design brands on Instagram, sign up to newsletters, get out and about, go to design talks, attend exhibitions and design fairs like London Design Festival, design junction and 100% Design, or further afield, to events such as Stockholm Furniture Fair – build up a sourcebook of inspiration and ideas that you can tap into each time you do a project, share a blog post or use simply as a conversation starter when you’re networking.
3. Pick your style and stick to it
Once you’ve started to do number 2, above, you can begin to work out what you like and what you don’t like. Figure out what makes you tick, hone in on that style and its key values. Instead of copying or imitating what other people are already doing, carve out a niche for yourself. Own it. When design brands hire me for shoots or sponsored content often they’re looking to recreate something similar to what I’ve done before because they’ve seen that it works and gets results.
Likewise, when I was developing my imagery for my blog and Instagram, in the back of my mind was always the thought, if someone was scrolling through an endless feed of images, would they recognise my shot as mine? Would they stop and say, ah that’s got to be Cate’s image or design. Now I try to make sure that everything I do has the same ethos and feeling, whether it’s curating my Instagram feed to look clean and consistent, deciding what to blog about or maintaining the same level of quality on each and every client project. I say no to a lot of things – collaborations, gifts, projects – if it doesn’t feel right, if it doesn’t feel ‘me’. It helps to have a set of brand values that you can return to and check in on yourself, even if it’s just a couple of key words that sum up your style and what you do.
4. Do you
Social media is so saturated now with beautifully curated interiors and lifestyle blogs left, right and centre, that you need to try and stand out, even if you have a relatively quiet style like my own. It doesn’t need to be the loudest, just be true to yourself. Build your own brand and don’t be afraid to show who you are – people respond so well when they start to see a human voice or a friendly face behind a business. There’s so much distrust now with big corporations and companies that people are seeking out more personal stories that they can relate to. It’s that human connection. You have something totally unique that no other business has – that’s you! – so don’t hide behind your brand. Tell your story. Once I started showing my own home and renovation stories on my blog, things really started to pick up – readers became engaged and invested in what I was doing because it was real and relatable.
5. Be original
I cannot stress the importance of this one. Don’t rely on anyone else’s work to get where you want to go – create your own images, your own content, your own projects. Because otherwise it may come back to bite you. Respect other creatives and give credit where credit is due. I often see accounts using other people’s images on Instagram and while it’s OK to check with them whether you can use it and credit properly (remember Pinterest is not a source), what makes me feel more uncomfortable are those building accounts, and subsequently portfolios, solely based on other people’s images and not their own originality. Not only is it disrespectful to the person who worked hard to create that content in the first place, it projects an illusion to potential clients that you might not be able to keep up, leading to broken expectations and disappointment.
If you’re just starting out and don’t have any projects to showcase yet, why not do a mini-makeover in a corner of your home, style up some shelves or rope in a friend to do a simple decoration project at theirs, so you have an example of what you can do to show. I’ve used my own home to demonstrate what I can do in terms of designing and it’s honestly transformed my career, I don’t think I’d be where I am today if it wasn’t for that IKEA kitchen! Or if you’re renting and don’t have scope for redecorating, you could create some mood boards for a made-up project and share your process. Invest in a good camera and experiment, play around and have fun with it.
6. Build up a portfolio
Which leads me to my next tip, building up a portfolio of all your experiences, even if it’s just in the form of an Instagram account to begin with (using your own images of course, re. tip 5!). Give yourself a presence online. I initially started my blog to showcase my own talents when I wanted to move away from architecture and get into design journalism. Then I started getting into interiors and photographing corners of my own home, and it became a platform to share my design and styling skills. I built up a (relatively small but engaged) following and became respected for my eye for good quality, simple design and interiors. In terms of working with brands, I think once you work with one, others take notice and things evolve from there. You don’t have to have a super professional portfolio with lots of different projects, just pick one or two key bits of work which really sell you at your best.
7. Let people know what you do
Tell people what you do and shout about it! Self-promotion can feel a little gross and weird, but if you don’t let people know about the products and services you offer, how are they going to know to hire you? Print off some business cards or postcards and pin them up in your local post office, start up a newsletter, remind people of what you’re doing on social media, tweet about it. And keep reminding people you’re there. One of the best ways to grow a business is by word of mouth, someone recommends you to someone else, you network and find your right people. I haven’t had many proper job interviews in my life, before freelance life I got from one role to another by being recommended by colleagues or tutors. Now with an interior design business and full-time blog, good testimonials are like gold.
8. Reach out and seek advice
It can be daunting going it alone and trying to get into the business and make it. Network your arse off, build up some contacts and don’t be afraid to reach out to other like-minded creatives. Ask people for advice and share experiences, good and bad. You never know where it could lead – a collaboration, a friendship, a future project, a bit of extra confidence. When I was making the transition to freelance life, I had a couple of consultations with coach Jen Carrington, she was fantastic in helping give me focus, overcome my doubts and set realistic, achievable goals.
9. Work on your skillset
Keep learning and evolving your skills everyday. There’s loads of great courses out there to help improve your expertise and experience, it might be a short course in photography, learning how to use CAD software for drawings, a workshop on how to use colour or an Instameet around your city. Check out KLC School of Design for interiors courses, London Institute of Photography for photography, University of the Arts London for short courses, and the British Institute of Interior Design for events and CPD’s.
10. If you want it enough you’ll get there
Hard graft goes a long way and you get what you put into it. You won’t get where you want to go immediately, it takes time, but you learn on the job through experience, trial and error. One thing might lead to another or you might find a path branching off into a different direction. For years in my Twenties I was doing internship after internship, I tried my hand at all sorts of things – working at a weekly magazine, monthly magazines, researching and assisting exhibition curators, working at the British Council, stewarding at the Venice Biennale, even volunteering at the Freud museum because I have an interest in psychology and the way we arrange our interiors. Many while I was still studying. It was varied but it helped give me focus on what I really wanted to do. Ask to assist on shoots or shadow a stylist for a day, offer your services and research jobs on Dezeen jobs, the Guardian or the Arts Council. Trust yourself in what you do, word hard and persevere, and hopefully things will just click.
I hope this post has been helpful for anyone looking to get into interior design and styling. I think many of these points can also apply to any creative career really, whether it’s blogging, photography, designing or styling. What’s important is to believe in yourself and give yourself time. I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments below, are you hoping to get into interiors? Or have you got any tips of your own?
All images Cate St Hill unless otherwise specified.
