Design Education Courses from The-DSA

Earn your certification in home staging with classes from DSA trainers, including Diane Agricola of Agricola Redesign who transformed this client’s living room.

Did you know that The-DSA offers classes that will help you to launch your own home staging business? We do! And we LOVE teaching these classes! We have designers located all across the country who are willing to help you learn the basics of home decor and design, and will help you jump start your new career.

Here are just a few reasons why you should join the classes offered by The-DSA:

Classes are geared to established and beginning decorating and staging professionals and enthusiasts.

We’re endorsed and/or recognized by more industry associations than any other training program, including RESA, ADE, WCAA, WFCP, IDS, Decorating Den, Decor and More, Showhomes, CHF Academy, and others.

We use a systematic approach to our courses that include no-fail formulas, tools, forms, and resources.

Annual curriculum updates are done to ensure that training materials are fresh and on-trend.

There are multiple learning formats to suit your learning style including live classroom, online, and on-demand classes as well as free or economical ongoing educational opportunities including webinars, E-books, and our online learning.

5-day Redesign/One-day Decorating & Staging

Designations earned in this course include certifications in One Day Decorating, Redesign, Staging from The-DSA, ADE and RESA

Tuition Includes: Free iPad Air 2 loaded with Manuals and Workbook, Forms, Learning Aids and Apps. Pro­fes­sional Color Deck,  Affil­i­ate Dis­counts, Hands-On Experiences in Real Homes, Tes­ti­mo­ni­als, Port­folio, Before and After Pho­tos, and Trans­porta­tion to Client Homes, plus meals while on the project.

Class Agenda:

  • Dec­o­rat­ing Ele­ments and Principles
  • 12 Steps to Per­fect Redesign
  • Creating a Concept Board
  • Con­fi­dent Consultation System
  • Power of Placement
  • Dec­o­rat­ing in the Zone™
  • Room Shapes, Focal Points, Ceil­ing Heights
  • Accessorizing Walls, Tabletops and Book­cases
  • Color Con­fi­dence
  • The Right Tools
  • Build­ing a Port­fo­lio & Pho­tog­ra­phy Tips
  • Budget Setting and Hands On Shop­ping Experience with the Confident Shopping System
  • Whole­sale vs. Retail Shopping

Busi­ness and Marketing

  • Busi­ness Start Up Guide
  • Nam­ing Your Business and Domain Name
  • Iden­tify your Legal Structure
  • Tar­get Mar­ket Analysis
  • Pric­ing Your Services
  • Addi­tional Rev­enue Streams
  • Show­cas­ing your Certifications
  • Mar­ket­ing and Advertising
  • Brand­ing: Logo, Press, Blogs, etc.
  • Social Media Integration
  • Additional Revenue Streams
  • Kindred Spirit Marketing

5-day Confident Color System/One-day Decorating

Class overview: Begins with 2 days devoted to the Confident Color System which then segues into the One Day Decorating/Redesign class blending classroom and hands-on training.

  • The Confident Color System Class
  • Redesign 101-Redesign –Decorating -Staging– differences and similarities
  • The Power of Placement
  • Decorating in the Zone™
  • Room Shapes, Focal Points, Ceiling Heights
  • Eight Elements of Good Design
  • Problem Solving with Placement
  • Decorating Principles that Rock
  • Tablescapes, Bookshelves, and Rugs
  • The Art of Accessorizing
  • Decorating Ideas-“I never would have thought of that!”
  • Tools to make your Job Easier and Safer
  • Building a Portfolio-Photography Tips
  • Business Start-up Guide- licenses, tax id, insurance
  • Naming your Business
  • Identifying your Target market
  • Pricing your Services
  • Fitting your Business to your Lifestyle
  • Additional Revenue Streams
  • Credentials and Certifications
  • Marketing through Credibility versus Visibility
  • Press Releases, Blogs, Websites, Branding
  • Kindred Spirit Marketing
  • Presentations that Rock and Attract Clients
  • Advertising-Free, How to Attract Media Exposure – Print Advertising

5-day Home Staging and Advanced Staging

Class Agenda: 

  • ACTION™ System –The DSA Numerical Scoring System
  • The What, How, and Why of Staging
  • Staging with a Decorator’s Eye
  • Ten Steps to a Perfect Staging
  • Selling Point versus Focal Point
  • Selling Wall, Floors, Windows, and Doors
  • Perception versus Reality
  • Color and Staging
  • Client, Realtor, and FSBO Relationships
  • Writing Staging Proposals
  • Contracts and Pricing
  • Benefits of Realtor.com, Zillow AND Redfin
  • Staging in the Zone™
  • Overcoming Objections with Placement
  • Tablescapes, Bookshelves, and Rugs
  • The Art of Smart Accessorizing
  • Tools to make your Job Easier and Safer
  • Building a Portfolio-Photography Tips
  • Hands-on in homes
  • How to Build an Inventory
  • Implementing the Shopping List Form
  • Creating the Perfect Shopping List
  • Pros and Cons of Wholesale and Retail Shopping
  • Staging a vacant home with multiple floorplans, inventory, and budgets
  • Virtual staging for the absent homeowners and the virtual home

Staging your Business/Marketing your Business

  • Business start-up guide – licenses, tax ID, insurance
  • Naming your business
  • Identifying your target market
  • Pricing your services
  • Fitting your business to your lifestyle
  • Additional revenue streams
  • Credentials and certifications
  • Marketing through credibility versus visibility
  • Press releases, blogs, websites, branding
  • Kindred spirit marketing
  • Presentations that rock and attract clients
  • Advertising-free, how to attract media exposure – print advertising
  • How to work with subcontractors
  • Upselling and bundling your services and products
  • Numerous pricing strategies

3-day Redesign/One-day Decorating

Tuition Includes: Variety of learning materials and support materials sent to you in an e-format.  You will also receive a student kit in the mail with a variety of support  Learn­ing Aids, Pro­fes­sional Color Deck, Mag­netic Room Lay­out File Folder, Affil­i­ate Dis­counts, Hands On Exer­cises in Real Homes, Port­fo­lio Tes­ti­mo­ni­als, Port­fo­lio Before and After Pho­tos and Trans­porta­tion to Client Homes plus meals while on the project.

Class Agenda:

  • Decorating elements and principles
  • 12 steps to perfect redesign
  • Creating a concept board
  • Confident consultation system
  • Power of placement
  • Decorating in the Zone
  • Room shapes, focal points, ceiling heights
  • Accessorizing walls, tabletops, and bookcases
  • Color confidence
  • The right tools
  • Building a portfolio & photography tips
  • Budget setting and hands-on shopping experience with the Confident Shopping System
  • Wholesale vs. Retail shopping

Business and Marketing:

  • Business start-up guide
  • Naming your business and domain name
  • Identify your legal structure
  • Target market analysis
  • Pricing your services
  • Additional revenue streams
  • Showcasing your certifications
  • Marketing and advertising
  • Branding: logo, press, blogs, etc.
  • Social media integration
  • Additional revenue streams
  • Kindred Spirit Marketing

3-day Home Staging

Class Agenda: 

  • ACTION System – The DSA Numerical Scoring System
  • The what, how, and why of staging
  • Staging with a decorator’s eye
  • 10 steps to a perfect staging
  • Selling point vs. focal point
  • Selling walls, floors, windows, and doors
  • Perception vs. reality
  • Color and staging
  • Client, realtor, and FSBO relationships
  • Writing staging proposals
  • Contracts and pricing
  • Benefits of Realtor.com and Zillow.com
  • Staging in the Zone
  • Overcoming objections with placement
  • Tablescapes, bookshelves, and rugs
  • The art of smart accessorizing
  • Tools to make your job easier and safer
  • Building a portfolio – photography tips
  • Hands-on in homes
  • How to build an inventory
  • Implementing the shopping list form
  • Creating the perfect shopping list
  • Pros and cons of wholesale and retail shopping

Business and Marketing:

  • Business start-up guide – licenses, tax ID, insurance
  • Naming your business
  • Identifying your target market
  • Pricing your services
  • Fitting your business to your lifestyle
  • Additional revenue streams
  • Credentials and certifications
  • Marketing through credibility vs. visibility
  • Press releases, blogs, websites, branding
  • Kindred spirit marketing
  • Presentations that rock and attract clients
  • Advertising-free, how to attract media exposure – print advertising

2 Day Confident Color System

Class Agenda:

  • Color Theory, what matters and what doesn’t
  • Perfect palette vs. pleasing palette – which is best for your client
  • Color progression power
  • Never ask again “what is your favorite color?”
  • Role of the elements of color
  • Color is much more than paint
  • Real vs. perceived color recognition
  • The Confident Color consultation
  • Colorization Tools
  • Pricing your services
  • Colorful marketing
  • Sample class: For a courtesy look at this amazing approach to color, enjoy this 45-minute recording, Color Secrets, an excerpt of the Confident Color System. Be sure to use the password color to access the recording. Any questions, email [email protected].

2-day Staging for Realtors

Class Overview:

  • The new staging process
  • Selling the service
  • Identifying client willingness and budget – good, better, best
  • DIY vs PRO
  • Realtor’s role
  • Professional stager’s role
  • Staging Fab Five: space, placement, aesthetics, cleanliness, emotion
  • Staging with a decorator’s eye – if you don’t understand design fundamentals, you can’t identify the problem
  • Maximizing and minimizing selling features
  • Color It Sold – color tips and palettes for  interior and exterior that result in sales
  • Staging to the property value and target market
  • High powered vignettes
  • Building the team of resources, vendors, and tradespeople
  • Staging for the target market and enticing the buyer
  • Decorating tricks that dazzle

Learning at Any Level Anywhere!

  • Level 101: Classes are great for gathering information on a specific topic. It is considered a beginner level course and easy to grasp.
  • Level 201: Classes or intermediate classes take core topics deeper. Prerequisite may be required.
  • Level 301: Classes will take your knowledge to the next level. In-depth learning taught in classroom setting or in the privacy of your home. Prerequisite may be required.

Core Classes

  • Interior Redesign
  • One-day Decorating
  • Color
  • Home Staging
  • Marketing

You can find a schedule of our 2017 Design Education classes by clicking here. The list will be updated as more classes are scheduled!