She came to Design School to study interiors. She found a career behind the camera.

Kryssia Agius | Founder + Photographer, Hunting Utopia
Design School Graduate 2020 - Melbourne

Six years ago, Kryssia Agius was a graphic designer, mum of three and a Design School student trying to work out what the next version of her creative career might look like.

Interior photography wasn’t part of the plan.

Today, she’s the founder and photographer behind Hunting Utopia, photographing beautifully considered spaces for designers, stylists, architects, builders and creatives across Melbourne.

And in a full-circle turn we particularly love, some of the spaces now appearing in front of Kryssia’s camera belong to, or have been designed by, fellow Design School graduates.

But Kryssia’s path from graphic designer to interior photographer wasn’t mapped out. In fact, it began with a decision that felt pretty daunting at the time: going back to study with three young children at home.

Quick Facts...

How Design School helped photographer Romina Sgro expand her creative skill set and grow Studio Romina into a business spanning interiors, architecture, photography and styling. 

Romina Sgro | Founder, Photographer + Editorial Stylist, Studio Romina
Design School Graduate | Group 28 | Melbourne

Sometimes a career change isn’t really a change at all. 

Sometimes it’s about adding another layer to something you already love.

For Design School graduate Romina Sgro, photography had already placed her firmly within the world of beautiful homes.She had already built a career behind the camera as a real estate photographer before taking the leap to launch her own interior and architectural photography business, Studio Romina.

But as clients increasingly asked whether she could style the spaces she was photographing too, Romina began to see an opportunity.

What if she could do both?

That question eventually brought her to Design School and opened up a whole new creative side to her caree...

How renovating her own home sparked something bigger- leading Jess to retrain in interiors, discover her love of colour and build a creative career of her own.

Jess Beasley | Colour Consultant + Founder, @JESSA _Interiors
Mid-North Coast, NSW

Sometimes a career change starts with a big plan. Other times, it begins much closer to home.

For Jess Beasley, renovating her own family home sparked a thought: Could I actually do this as a career?

At the time, Jess was a stay-at-home mum to her two young boys, Mack and Kye, who are just 14 months apart. Before having children, she'd built a career in PR and marketing, so creativity had always been part of her working life, but interiors represented an entirely new direction.

When the time came to think about returning to work, Jess knew she wanted to try something different.

She took the leap, enrolled in Design School and, not long after graduating, stepped straight into the interiors industry.

Today, she works three days a week as a C...

For more than 15 years, Carolyn McGookin dreamed of a career in interiors. Today, she’s an Interior Stylist at Cooper Robinson Interiors. Discover how one decision to stop wondering “what if?” led to a complete career change — and why she believes it’s never too late to back yourself.

“By my early 40s, I realised that if I didn’t give it a go, I’d always wonder… what if?”.

Get To Know Caro

🎓 Graduating Group: 29, 2025
👩‍🏫 Trainer: Petrina Turner
📱 Instagram: @elwoodandgreeninteriors
📍 Location: Melbourne, Victoria
♉︎  Star Sign: Taurus
💃🏽 Current Role: Interior Stylist, Cooper Robinson Interiors
💛 Current Colour Obsession: Dulux Bongo Drum
😍 Favourite Designer: Arent & Pyke
💭 Fav. Quote: “Clarity comes from action.”

She admired beautifully designed homes. Followed designers whose work inspired her. Saved ideas for “one day.” She could picture a different future.

But like so many people considering a creative career change, life got in the way.

She built a successful career in a...

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...

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...