If you’ve ever asked yourself “how do I become an interior stylist?”, you’re not alone. I get this question all the time. With 20+ years’ experience as a London interior stylist, Brighton stylist, and props stylist, I’m sharing everything you need to know to kickstart your career.
If you get a little thrill from fluffing cushions, can spot the perfect paint colour at 20 paces, or can’t help but rearrange your friend’s shelves when you pop over for a cuppa… then becoming an interior stylist might just be your calling.
I’m Maxine Brady, an magazine interior stylist and creative director with over 25 years industry experience. I get asked all the time: ‘How do I become an interior stylist?’ It’s a brilliant question, because styling is one of those dream jobs that looks glossy from the outside (and it is glamorous at times!) but the reality is a mix of creativity, graft, and a lot of bubble wrap.
Let me give you the low down!
Frequently Asked Questions about becoming an interior stylist
ABOUT INTERIOR STYLIST MAXINE BRADY: Maxine is an award-winning stylist and creative director working in London & Brighton. Follow on Instagram 53K and Tik Tok for more interior tips. Contact here for your next interior design or styling project.
What does an interior stylist do?
Let’s clear this up first: interior stylists aren’t interior designers. We don’t knock down walls or deal with trades. Our role is all about creating and capturing the look. That might be for a magazine shoot, a brand’s campaign, a product catalogue, a TV show, or a homeowner who wants their space to sing.
Over my own career I’ve worked as a style editor for House Beautiful, Home magazine, and freelanced interiors editor on Ideal Home, HomeStyle and 25 Beautiful Homes, as well as working with brands like Earthborn Paints, Ian Mankin, Debenhams. The White Company etc. I’ve styled show homes, press launches and even the Dream Home at the Ideal Home Show and Grand Design Show.
Whether I’m working as a Brighton stylist for a small business, a London interior stylist on a big campaign, or as a Sussex stylist helping homeowners inject personality into their space, the job is always about making rooms feel inviting, aspirational and full of character.
If you want a deeper dive into what the role actually involves, you might like my post What is an interior stylist and how to become one.
What person is best suited to be an interior stylist?
Not everyone’s cut out for it, but if these sound like you, you’re already halfway there:
- You can’t leave cushions unsymmetrical
- You love nothing more than browsing antique shops or scrolling interiors accounts for inspiration
- Your own home is a constantly changing experiment
- You get a buzz from putting colours, textures and patterns together
- Your friends are always asking you for décor advice.
Tick a few of these and you could definitely have the stylist streak. If you’re still not sure, then why don’t you take my quizze – check out this blog post: 10 signs you’re meant to be an interior stylist.
Where to begin Your Interior Styling Career?
The best place to begin is at home. Style your own coffee table, rearrange your bookshelves, play with a new wall colour. Don’t be afraid to experiment—your home is the perfect practice ground. That’s how I began, before moving into magazines and then building my freelance career as a props stylist, location scout and shoot producer.
Once you’ve built confidence, start documenting it. Snap photos of your rooms, create mood boards, post this on an interiors dedicated Instagram account, blog or on Pinterest.
This not only sharpens your eye, it also gives you the beginnings of a portfolio. If you want to see my instagram account look here: Follow on Instagram
What qualifications do you need to be an interior stylist?
The good news is you don’t need a degree to become a stylist. What you do need is a great eye and practical experience. Courses and workshops can help build confidence and give you structure, but the real learning happens on shoots, assisting other stylists and saying yes to opportunities.
My background, I did an English Degree, then I trained as a NTCJ Journalist, then I got work experience on local newspapers and and then national magazines. But I know other stylists who have come in from the textile route, from arts back ground, florists…you name it. It’s more about your organisational skill and flair, and ability to work under pressure, rather than any course you can do.
Where should I start if I want to be an interior stylist?
Every stylist I know started by assisting. Reach out to stylists you admire. Yes, a friendly DM can work wonders. Offer to help on shoots, even if it’s lugging props or steaming curtains. You’ll learn what really happens behind the glossy magazine pages. That’s certainly how I started, assisting in London before moving on to bigger shoots where I managed teams, sourced props, and created looks for national campaigns.
Styling isn’t just about choosing cushions. It’s sourcing products, dealing with couriers, managing budgets, creating spreadsheets, and sometimes spending hours hunting down the right candleholder. It’s part artist, part organiser, part treasure-hunter, and that creative hustle is what makes the job so exciting.
My career has taken me from tiny shoots in Brighton to major brand collaborations in London, and every single one has taught me something new about how to bring a room to life.
Why not try my FREE interior styling course: Join This Free 4 Part Home Styling for Beginners E-Course With Interior Stylist Maxine Brady
Read these posts
What Is An Interior Stylist And How To Become One
How To Become an Interior Stylist
Look Inside The Home Of An Interior Stylist – With House Beautiful Magazine
10 Signs You’re Meant To Be A Interior Stylist – Find Out Now!
Everything You Need To Know About London Interior Stylist Maxine Brady
The reality of freelance Interior Stylist’s life!
From the outside, interior styling looks like lots of creative fun. Days spent making mood boards, sourcing flowers and and tracking down colour swatches but the freelance reality is a little more complex.
You’ll be juggling multiple clients at once, managing deadlines, budgets and expectations, while also making time to chase new work.
One week you might be on set in London styling a shoot for a national brand, the next you could be in Brighton sourcing props for a small business campaign, and then dashing back to Sussex to prep your own home for a magazine feature. It’s exciting, but it can also be exhausting. There’s a lot of admin behind the scenes: negotiating fees, raising invoices, tracking expenses and making sure you don’t burn out.
Being a successful stylist means being as sharp with your spreadsheets as you are with your creative ideas. The juggle is real—but it’s also what keeps the job so dynamic.
Do you need a portfolio to become an interior stylist?
The short answer is YES! But don’t wait for a big magazine to come calling. Practice styling your friend’s flat, create mock shoots at home, or collaborate with photographers who need content for their portfolio. Every styled shot is a chance to hone your eye and build your own body of work. That’s exactly how I built my career—by saying yes to opportunities, working my socks off on set, and slowly carving out my reputation as a London stylist and Brighton stylist with a strong, colourful signature look.
Offer to help a friend makeover their room, then take photos of it. Don’t forget to document everything you do so that you can show it to your next potential client.
If you want to see what shoots I have worked on check out my Portfolio
How much experience do I need to be an Interior Stylist?
Becoming an interior stylist is a mix of passion, persistence and play. If you’ve got the itch to style, start small and build from there. Nobody begins perfect (I certainly didn’t), but your style will grow as you do. So, if you’re dreaming of working in interiors, my advice is simple: trust your eye, get stuck in, and keep saying yes. You never know where a perfectly fluffed cushion might lead you.
Build up your experience will take time. Even if you are workign weekends in a fabric shop, or helping your mates style their rooms, or creating content for instagram, there are lots of ways you can build up that experience. And all you need is one lucky break.
So whats next?
Over to you—are you thinking of becoming an interior stylist? Or maybe you’re already dabbling and want to take the next step? Drop me a comment below, I’d love to hear your story.
Please note – I am not offering an work experience placements.
READ MORE
What Is An Interior Stylist And How To Become One Right Now
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