How Trisha Ruiz transformed her family home, found her creative voice and built a growing online community along the way.

 “They were building my dream home using my designs and drawings, which is absolutely crazy to me!”

Trisha Ruiz didn’t enrol in Design School because she had a perfectly mapped-out plan to change careers.

She enrolled because she wanted to learn how to bring her vision to life.

At the time, Trisha was working as a heart transplant clinical nurse consultant, parenting a toddler and preparing to take on a full renovation of her family’s 1920s Victorian weatherboard cottage in Melbourne.

She knew exactly how she wanted her home to feel: rich with colour, personality, texture and pieces collected over time. What she didn’t yet know was how to translate that instinct into a clear concept, practical drawings and confident design decisions.

“I had a vision and knew how I wanted the space to feel, but I had no idea how to get there.” 

Today, Trisha is still worki...

From Design School student to Surf Coast studio founder

Bec Leijer | Founder + Interior Designer, Leÿer Design Studio

There are some graduate stories that feel especially close to our hearts - and Bec Leijer’s is one of them. 

From one of Design School’s earliest students to the founder of a thriving Surf Coast design studio, Bec’s story is a beautiful reminder that creative careers are not always perfectly planned. Sometimes they begin with a home, a course, a gut instinct and the decision to back yourself before you feel completely ready.

Quick Facts

🎓 Design School Graduate: Group 2, 2017 with Trainers Jenna Densten + Mel Heard
📍 Location: Torquay, Victoria 
♉︎   Star Sign: Taurus
🩵 Current Colour Obsession: Powder Blue
🖥️ Most-Used Design Tools: Pinterest + SketchUp
✨ Favourite Designer Right Now: Ruby Shields
🪑 Favourite Brand / Store: Objects for Thought
💭 Best Advice: “How will you know when you get there, if you don’t know where you are going?”

^{Bec’s Surf Coast home...}

From Hairdresser to Interior Decorator

Alishia Misevski | Founder, Redrose Designs

Find out how Design School graduate Alishia Misevski launched Redrose Designs, has multiple residential and commercial projects on the go, works in publications, and is building a reputation for creating beautiful, accessible interiors that genuinely support the people who live in them.

Quick Facts

🎓 Graduated: November 2025 (Group 30)

📍 Location: Mornington Peninsula, VIC

🤎 Speciality: Colour, Accessible Commercial & Residential Design

⚖️ Starsign: Libra

🌈 Current Colour Obsession: Periwinkle Blue

📱 Most-Used Design Tool: Canva

✨ Favourite Designer: David Flack + Kelly Wearstler

🪑 Favourite Brands: Castorina + Tantri Mustika

👶🏼 Mum To: Attilio

💬 Best Advice: Trust the process. It will always get done.

^{Photography by Thomas Salomon - SpaceCraft}

Just over six months ago, Alishia Misevski graduated from the Certificate IV in Interior Decoration at Design School. 

Today, she’s the founde...

From Graduate to Mentor

The shift that inspired our next chapter at Design School 

^{Photography by Eve Wilson}

There are some designers who follow trends. And then there are designers who create spaces you feel before you see.

Alessandra Smith is firmly the latter.

A 2022 Design School Online graduate, Alessandra is now the Principal Designer of her own residential interior decoration studio, Alessandra Smith Design, known for immersive, layered and soulful interiors that feel collected over time.

Her work has been featured in leading interiors publications, reflecting the industry’s growing recognition of her refined and confident point of view. 

But her path into design wasn’t linear. 

It was courageous. 

It was considered. 

And it completely changed the course of her life.

 ^{Photography by Kryssia Agius of Hunting Utopia (DS Alumni)}

A Career That Looked “Perfect”, But Felt Misaligned

Before stepping into the world of interiors, Alessandra spent more than a decade in pha...

Building a Design Career Through Consistency

Showing up daily, building momentum, and growing Stylosaurus Studio

Group 25 | Online | Trainer @Mel Heard

Photography by Dijana Risteka

Design careers rarely begin with a single defining moment.

They’re built from consistency.

For Kate Collinson, founder of Stylosaurus Studio, momentum hasn’t come from one viral post or perfectly timed launch. It’s come from steady, daily visibility- in her work, her voice and her evolving studio practice.

When you look at Kate’s confident colour palettes, layered material selectionsand calm yet personality-filled interiors, it’s easy to focus on the finished result. But behind the scenes, the real driver has been something far less glamorous:

Consistency.

Hair Union- Ascot Vale- Photography by Jelena Close @ByHer

The power of small daily visibility

Kate’s online presence isn’t built on staged announcements or occasional polished campaigns. It’s built on rhythm.

Project updates.

Site visits...

From Maternity Leave to Magazine Features 

Stephanie Astri  Interior Stylist, Decorator | Founder of Arlen Interiors 

Based in South Cronulla, Sydney 

Design School - Online - Group 25, 2023
Trainer: Melissa Heard

There’s a very specific kind of dream that tends to resurface when life slows down, often during maternity leave, in nap windows, late nights or quiet moments between feeds.

It’s the dream you shelved because it didn’t feel practical.

The one you loved deeply, but didn’t know how to make work.

For Steph Astri, becoming an Interior Stylist was that dream. 

Not loud.

Not urgent.

Just quietly persistent, waiting for the right moment. 

Today, Steph is a Design School Online graduate, working across residential and commercial interiors, with projects featured in Eat Live Escape, Living etc and Interiors Addict, milestones she once only dreamed of. But her path here wasn’t fast, linear, or effortless, and that’s exactly why her story resonates with so many women. H...

^{Ever wondered what it takes to turn a love of styling into a full-blown creative career?}

^{From Student to Stylist: Bea Lambos on Styling, Collaborations & Creative Confidence}

This week, we were thrilled to welcome back Design School alumni and acclaimed stylist Bea Lambos of Bea&Co Style as a guest speaker in our final class of the year. It was an extra special session for our Group 31 learners & trainer Holly Miskimmin — Bea's original desk buddy from our Abbotsford campus days. 

Warm, generous and refreshingly honest, Bea walked our students through her styling & decorating journey, from the pivotal moments, the unexpected challenges and serendipitous opportunities that shaped her creative career.

Bea’s Journey Into Styling

Bea shared how she first stepped into the world of styling- including her early shoots and collaborations with Melbourne-based Architectural photographer Dave Kulesza, for The Local Project.

 _{Photography by Dave Kulesza}

Throughout our chat, Bea highlighte...

Photography by Mindi Cooke

What an amazing couple of months we have had at Design School with such a talented group of guest speakers coming in to chat with our students.

Last month, our trainer Holly Miskimmin had the absolute pleasure of hosting Carlene Duffy for a conversation on colour, lighting and the lived-in art of interiors. Known for her layered and soulful approach, Carlene generously shared insights from her own projects and professional journey, offering our G31 learners (who were studying Module 8: Colour & Lighting), plus some of our recent grads, a masterclass in how to use colour and light with intention.

“It’s not colour people tire of - it’s high contrast!” 

Carlene opened with this gem, explaining that bold colour isn’t the problem, contrast is. When clients ask for “just neutrals”, she digs deeper. Neutrals can have depth and richness when layered tonally, with texture and materials doing the heavy lifting.

‘Commit, don’t dabble.’

Carlene’s advice: ...

Design School - Online - Group 20, 2022
Trainer: Melissa Heard

Samantha Onley - Designer & Coastal Creative | Phillip Island, VIC

From local government to coastal homes and colour filled spaces, Samantha Onley has carved out her own creative path as the designer behind airbnb, The Cali, Phillip Island- a warm, playful and beautifully balanced family retreat that celebrates thoughtful design and bold colour choices.

After spending more than 15 years working across state and local government, Samantha reached a turning point when her boys began kinder and school. With more time to explore her passions, she made the decision to finally study something that excited her, and Design School was the perfect fit!

What’s your current role and how did you carve your own path into the industry?

I chose to do this course (Cert IV in Interior Decoration) for me. I currently work for myself, completing my own projects of building and design. My most recent project being the The Cali, Phillip Isla...

Design School - Online - Group 27, 2024
Trainer: Melissa Bailey

Lydia Richardson- Interior Decorator & Midwife | Based in Regional Victoria 

 From delivering babies to delivering beautiful interiors, Lydia Richardson is the powerhouse behind @morsehuis_studio, an interior decoration studio she launched in late 2024, after graduating from Design School Online.

By day (and sometimes night), Lydia still works as a registered midwife. But her creative instincts and passion for design have propelled her into a second career, one built on colour, materials and meaningful spaces. Morsehuis Studio is already making its mark, offering full-service decoration with a particular flair for hard finishes in new builds and renovations. Her work blends contemporary calm with mid-century nods, all underscored by a deep respect for materials, colour and timeless appeal.

Before taking the leap into interiors, Lydia had long harboured a love for design. But it wasn’t until she stumbled across a stude...