Home Staging Certification – Interior Decorating Certification – Color Consultation Certification Courses
Decorative Art Study and Career Building for the Creatively Inspired
The Staging and Decorating Guild (formerly The Home Stagers Guild) is a comprehensive training school located in Atlanta, GA, which offers Home Staging Certification, Interior Decorating Certification, EXPRESS Decorating™ (Interior Redesign), and Color Consultant Certification courses. Founder and Instructor Melanie Serra and business partner Karla Urbizo, mentor and train the creative and the passionate in launching and establishing a successful career in home staging and interior decorating. (EXPRESS Decorating™)
Live Classes held in Atlanta, GA and Orlando, FL
4-DAY EXPRESS Decorating™
BASIC STAGING MASTERCLASS CERTIFICATION
This Home Staging Certification and Interior Decorating (EXPRESS Decorating™) Certification curriculum provides each student with the knowledge and training to learn how to become a home stager and an interior decorator. You will walk away with all the tools needed to own and operate a successful home staging and interior decorating business.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
- Design 101
- Placement Guidelines
- EXPRESS Decorating™
- Art of Accessorizing
- Power of Staging
- 8 Step SDG Staging Method
- Pre-Staging Process
- The Consultation
- Decorating to Sell
- Business of Staging
- Marketing Your Business
- Social Media and Your Business
2-DAY COLOR CONSULTANT
CERTIFICATION
The tools in this Color Consultant Certification Course will refresh basic color knowledge, with emphasis on color schemes, identifying undertones and selecting a paint color for unusual architectural or structural features. Join the many certified interior designers who now have color skills that add an edge to their decorating business.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
- Psychology of Color
- Color Theory
- Paint 101
- Working with Color
- Color Harmony
- Picking Paint Color
- Creating Mood with Color
- Developing a Color Scheme
- Developing a Color Palette
- Color for Staging
- The Color Consultation
- Working with Clients
Online classes held in the comfort of your home.
No travel required.
On-line EXPRESS Decorating™
CERTIFICATION
This Interior Decorating (EXPRESS Decorating™) Certification curriculum provides each student with the knowledge and training to learn how to become an interior decorator. You will walk away with all the tools needed to own and operate a successful interior decorating business.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
- Design 101
- Placement Guidelines
- EXPRESS Decorating™
- Art of Accessorizing
- 8 Step SDG Staging Method
On-line Marketing for Stagers & Decorators
Learn how to live your dream by laying the foundation for marketing your business. We know you’re driven by your passion and it’s our passion to give you all the tools you need to achieve your marketing goals.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
- How to set your business up for marketing success.
- How to research your competitors.
- Use Sensory Marketing to appeal to your clients.
- The 5 Faces of Marketing
OUR MISSION
The goal of the SDG™ training program is to provide a fun and comfortable classroom setting in which students learn the basic fundamentals of home staging, interior decorating, color, and everything related to those three areas. Our courses are designed to allow students to tap into their creativity and feel empowered to apply such learnings for personal growth or to own and operate a successful home staging and decorating business. Upon graduation, each student will receive a certificate of completion and will become a member of The Staging and Decorating Guild™. They will also be eligible to receive one year of free advertising on our website directory.
frequently asked questions
What sets The Staging & Decorating Guild™ training program apart from other training programs?
Founder, Melanie Serra has over 25 years’ experience and is a leader in the Home Staging and Decorating industry. In 2017, Melanie and her new business partner Karla Urbizo revised and updated the curriculum, taking it to a whole new level. The SDG program is unique and unlike any other in the industry. It incorporates all segments of the business to include the Elements and Principles of Design as well as business startup strategies. The interactive studies provide students with hands-on training in real homes to promote, stimulate and enhance creativity. The program provides each student with the knowledge and tools to own and operate a successful business so that they can confidently hit the ground running upon completion. In 2021, they launched an Online Program with the goal of providing an at-home learning environment.
What is the course fee?
The cost of the 4-day Staging & Decorating Guild Training is $2500 and $1295 for the 2-day Color Certification Course. The fee is nonrefundable but can be applied to a future class.
The EXPRESS Decorating™ online course is $550, Decorating to Sell: Home Staging course is $450, Marketing for Stagers and Decorators and Business Fundamentals for Stagers and Decorators are $175 each.
Do I need to have a degree in interior design?
Will I receive a certificate of training?
Do I need to have previous marketing or business experience?
How can adding home staging/express decorating services benefit my existing decorating business?
The SDG training provides students with the knowledge and training to become more confident and successful. Clients love the process of EXPRESS Decorating™ (Interior Redesign) and Home Staging, because they see instant results in one day or less. Express decorating also validates their personal taste and style without breaking the bank! By learning how to “use what the homeowner already has,” both you and your client will experience a quicker turnaround time from conception to completion on each project. The benefits are instant gratification along with instant income! No more waiting for weeks or months to receive payment and commissions on lengthy projects.
Is this a lucrative career?
Yes, this career can be VERY lucrative! As in everything in life, it all depends on your talent and most of all on how much time you devote to your new craft. We cover all areas related to your new career. If you apply all of the principles of Decorating, Staging, Business, and Marketing, you will set yourself up for success!
Your home staging fees can range from a few hundred dollars, for an initial consultation to thousands of dollars for full occupied staging or vacant staging (furnishing an entire home.)
Can I work at this part-time and still make money?
What is the dress code during the training?
What do I need to bring to class?
Where are the courses held?
In-person classes are held in Atlanta, GA, and Orlando, FL - Exact class location TBD. For the convenience of those looking to learn at their own pace or from the comfort of their own home, we also offer online classes.
Is this course a good fit for me if I am only looking to decorate my home?
Absolutely it is! We will teach you a step by step process to ensure the most amazing and rewarding results and the best part is that you will be able to incorporate what you already own in a whole different way! You will be able to confidently select color schemes, rearrange your furniture, create a shopping list of the items you will need to complete your look, accessorize beautifully, etc. By using our Express Decorating system, you will ensure a well-balanced and optimal aesthetic!
Are home stagers in demand?
Now more than ever, there is a strong and high demand for home stages. The demand is growing steadily which makes it a good, solid career choice for the future, whether that future is a hot or cold real estate market. Home staging works in both! In the past few months, buyers are even putting offers on homes they haven't even seen, just by looking at pictures of homes that are posted online, which makes staging all the more essential.
How important is the Marketing class?
Customer engagement is essential to the success of your new decorating and staging business. Learning how to set your business up for marketing from the beginning is essential to convey your message and attract potential customers. This course will walk you through the 8 Building Blocks of Marketing and help you uncover the 5 Faces of Marketing to keep your customers busy beyond store hours. It will also touch on the importance of building a brand and then nurturing the customer relationship for years to come.
Rave Reviews
ARE YOU SERIOUS ABOUT LAUNCHING A NEW HOME STAGING AND INTERIOR DECORATING CAREER?
Upon completion, you will have learned…
- How to tap into your creativity to make money doing what you love.
- Everything you need to start up your staging and decorating business. We provide you with sample tools and templates.
- How to market, promote and grow your business.
- Fundamentals of Interior Decorating, as it pertains to Home Staging and EXPRESS Decorating™ (Interior Redesign).
- Essential business fundamentals to keep you going.
- How we work with interactive classroom studies along with field projects in which we work and train in real homes with real clients.
- Systems you can incorporate to handle growth and keep you at the top of your game.
Students receive both classroom and hands-on-training.
- Principles of interior decorating
- Elements of redesign – EXPRESS Decorating™
- How to select color
- How to read a room and create themes
- Accessory and art placement
- Merchandising and much more!
Business Fundamentals Including
- Marketing strategies
- Advertising
- Social media
- Public relations
- Public speaking and other marketing tips to operate a successful home staging and interior decorating business.
Do you have what it takes to be a home stager?
Watch the video below.
Find out if you have what it takes to enter an exciting career as a Home Stager and Interior Decorator.
Sign up for a FREE Membership to the SDG to take the quiz.
All we need is a name and an email to let you in.