The Decorating and Staging Academy offers the services and talents of some of the best home staging professionals in the industry by offering a broad range of classes and training. Consisting of Master Professional Trainers who offer core and certification training and Specialty Trainers who focus on a variety of decorating and staging niches that will enhance a business and build profits plus credibility. Most classes are available both live and online, so you can participate no matter where you’re located! Don’t see a class near you? Contact the trainer you prefer and ask how to bring a class to your area!
Professional Trainers
Sandra Racz, Executive Director at Signature Redesign, LLC
Sandra offers training in Park City, Utah, and Tampa, Florida, as well as other areas by request. She organizes the annual “The Deco-Zone” at Atlanta’s AmericasMart for the established and aspiring decorator. The event offers 2 days of education as well as the chance to explore and shop AmericasMart, a wealth of all that is new and exciting in the home decor industry.
Sandra welcomes the opportunity to help homeowners and businesses create beautiful spaces through her business Signature Redesign, which respects clients’ lifestyles and budgets. Sandra offers decorating workshops for fun and education while supporting local charities including Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Autism Speaks, The Peace House, and People’s Health Clinic.
JoAnne Lenart-Weary, The JLW Company
JoAnne’s residential design and staging business tarted in the 1970s, which led to the founding of The Decorating and Staging Academy (originally One Day Decorating). In addition to online courses, JoAnne offers certification classes in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, New York, Utah, and Texas.
She is the author of “The Decorator’s Reference and Resource Guide” and is the creator of many of the DSA’s systems and tools including the Confident Consultation System, Comfort Zone Budget System, Confident Color System, Decorating in the Zone, and the ACTION Scoring System, which is used by staging professionals around the country. JoAnne recently launched the DIY – Decorate Interiors Yourself and The Decorating Coach System for the amateur decorator.
Carol Bass – The Practical Decorator
Carol started her entrepreneur career in 1982 when she launched The Practical Decorator and understands the challenges of self-employment. She offers training in Nashville; Cherry Hill, New Jersey; Richmond, Virginia; and other areas by request. She is the host and creator of Nashville’s popular DIY seminars, “Addicted to Decorating.” She’s also the creator of The DSA’s A.C.T.I.O.N. Scoring System, which is used by hundreds of staging professionals across the country. You can often find her speaking and emceeing for The Deco-Zone at Atlanta’s AmericasMart.
Cheryl Cousins – Interior Transformation
Cheryl Cousins is the principal owner of Interior Transformations in Atlanta and has been in the industry for more than 10 years. She believes that every room in a home should be a “living” room – an authentic space where love and life happen with soul and style. Cheryl loves sharing her design knowledge and expertise with students while teaching them to decorating beautiful spaces. She offers decorating/redesign and staging classes in Georgia, South Carolina, and New York.
Kristine Porter – Styling and Staging
Kristine Porter has reinvented herself several times, earning the nickname Renaissance Woman. She’s appeared on several HGTV shows, Chicago’s local television, and several episodes of The Oprah Winfrey Show as a decorating professional. Kris has trained hundreds of students to help them launch their own home styling and staging businesses. She offers training in the Chicago suburbs and the Dallas area.
Diane Agricola – Agricola Redesign
Diane Agricola started her career in home redesigning and staging at the age of 38. She’s also the owner of a retail gift shop in Glendale, Ohio. Diane knows what it takes to start a business: education, hard work, and passion. She teaches certification classes and assists clients while also hosting DIY workshops. Diane wants every home to tell the owner’s story and does much of her designing using what clients already own.
Sylvia Dunn – Home Staging Works
Sylvia Dunn started home home staging business in 2008 – Home Staging Works. With credentials as an International Staging and Redesign Professional, Sylvia has devoted herself and her gift in the art of transformation to her clients. She considers her home a “refuge” and finds it to be a source of inspiration and comfort.
Carnela Renee Hill – Interiors by Renee & Associates
Carnela Renee is the owner of Interiors by Renee and Associates and aims to provide extraordinary services with style and creativity. She is a solution-oriented professional providing staging and interior design services for residential and commercial customers. She also works as an interior design instructor at Durham Technical Community College and Ambassador for the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Carnela Renee has won several awards including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Awards of Excellence in Design, National Association of Women Business Owners “Rising Star” Award, and was named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the 111 Most Promising Business Leaders.
Patsy Overton – Patsy Overton Interiors
Patsy is the color guru. She has a special gift when it comes to deciphering and specifying the right color choices for her clients. Pasty also prides herself on making the best use of what her clients already own and adds key furniture pieces and accessories to give a home that “wow” factor. She became a certified Color Consultant in 2010 and continues to provide color consultations, decorating, redesign, staging and training services.
Margaret Innis – Decorate To Sell
Margaret is the President and Founder of Decorate To Sell, helping residential and commercial clients. Margaret also has more than 14 years experience as a Realtor, which she gave up to become a staging and decorating professional. She has trained and instructed real estate and design professionals across the country and Canada, and her expertise has been sought out and recognized by numerous organizations and corporations including Harvey Industries, CBS Radio, National Association of Realtors, Benjamin Moore Paint Company, the Los Angeles Times, Active Rain/Stage It Forward, and This Old House Magazine.
Sandra Wick – Wick Design Works
Sandra opened her staging business in 2009 and her design business, Wick Design Works, in 2010. She is one of the most successful stagers in the South Bay area of California. Sandra was awarded the national “Best in Design” in 2012 and is dedicated to making every client’s home show at its best. She has been featured on Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing for Manhattan Beach and Beverly Hills staging transformations.
