THE FOUNDING COHORT · SEPTEMBER 2026 - SEPTEMBER 2027
Become the designer you know you could be.
A twelve-month professional interior design journey combining structured online learning, twelve real-world projects, personal feedback, business coaching and two immersive five-day château residentials in France.
12 months
Blended learning
12 Design Drops™
With personal feedback
10 days in France
Across two residences
MORE THAN AN ONLINE COURSE
Learn it. Practise it. Receive feedback.
Then bring it to life in France
This is for the person who has spent years wondering whether they could become an interior designer - and is ready for the structure, professional guidance and practical experience to finally make it real.
HOW THE YEAR UNFOLDS
Online depth. Real projects. Immersive learning.
01
SEPTEMBER 2026
Build your foundations
Timed monthly learning takes you through the professional design process, from briefs and spatial planning to drawings, lighting and communication.
02
EVERY MONTH
Go deeper, LIVE
Join two live, two-hour online sessions each month. Gail will expand on the current content, demonstrate professional practice and answer your questions.
03
MAY 2027
Cement the first half
Your first five-day château residential turns your online learning into hands-on confidence through intensive workshops, French sourcing inspiration and immersive business coaching with Lisa Mitchell.
04
SEPTEMBER 2027
Finish on a high
Return to France to consolidate SketchUp, costing and business skills, with a second immersive business-coaching experience led by Lisa Mitchell. Refine your portfolio, shape your next steps and celebrate how far you have come.
PRACTICE BECOMES CONFIDENCE
Twelve Design Drops™. Twelve opportunities to think like a designer.
Each Design Drop™ gives you a realistic client brief and project to work through at the right point in your learning. You will make decisions, communicate your ideas and build a body of work before doing it for a paying client.
Every submission includes professional feedback and coaching from Gail - so you understand not only what to improve, but why. Your projects become evidence of your progress and the beginnings of a confident portfolio.
REALISTIC CLIENT BRIEFS
TIMED PROJECT RELEASES
PROFESSIONAL FEEDBACK
PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT
TWO FIVE-DAY RESIDENTIALS
France is where your learning becomes lived experience.
Step away from everyday life and give your creative development the space it deserves. The château stays are working residentials: focused teaching, practical workshops, collaborative learning and immersive business coaching with Gail & Lisa - giving you the clarity and commercial confidence to turn your design skills into a viable business.
INCLUDED
Bed for both 5 day stays
INCLUDED
Breakfast and evening meal
INCLUDED
Teaching, workshops & group experiences
INCLUDED
Immersive business coaching with Lisa
INCLUDED
French furniture-market inspiration
Immersive coaching sessions will run throughout both residential stays, creating space to step back from the coursework and think seriously about the business you want to build. The coaching will be integrated into the rhythm of each stay, allowing ideas to develop through focused sessions, shared conversations and time for personal reflection.
YOUR OFFER & IDEAL CLIENT
VISIBILITY & POSITIONING
A PRACTICAL PLAN FORWARD
Travel to and from France, lunches, travel insurance, personal purchases and optional extras are not included.
DESIGN & BUSINESS COACHING WOVEN THROUGHOUT
Build the designer - and the business.
CONFIDENCE & MINDSET
THE CURRICULUM
Creative thinking, technical confidence and commercial reality.
The Studio Speck Diploma goes beyond beautiful schemes. You will learn how professional projects are structured, communicated, costed and delivered.
15
Costing & managing your project
16
Marketing for interior designers
17
Using AI in interior design
18
Your design portfolio and next steps
01
Introduction to interior design
03
The design cycle of a project
05
The design workflow
07
Measuring up your space
09
Building & fire regulations in interior design
11
Lighting & electrical plans
13
Communicating your designs
02
A brief history of interior design
04
The client brief
06
How and why rooms work
08
How to draw to scale
10
Colour & colour psychology
12
Using SketchUp
14
Charging for design services
Using AI responsibly in interior design
Business development and professional coaching including design contracts/AI guidance for clients
Inclusive design and disability regulations
DIPLOMA-ONLY DEPTH
Professional awareness that even degree courses often leave out.
Building and fire regulations in interior design - what you can and can't do in both residential and commercial design
DESIGNING ACROSS SECTORS
Residential and commercial design require different ways of thinking.
Students will learn where the two disciplines overlap - and where professional responsibilities, priorities and project processes begin to differ.
Once you design a small coffee shop or dentist waiting area, you're into the realms of commercial design.
01
Designing around an individual client’s lifestyle, emotional connection and daily routines, with close personal communication and a highly tailored response.
02
Balancing brand, user experience, operational performance and commercial objectives while working with wider stakeholder and consultant teams.
Residential Interior Design
Commercial Interior Design
PERSONAL BRIEFS AND FAMILY NEEDS
COMFORT, IDENTITY AND LIFESTYLE
DOMESTIC SCALE AND BUDGETS
ONE-TO-ONE CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS
BRAND AND BUSINESS OBJECTIVES
PUBLIC USE AND HIGHER OCCUPANCY
COMPLIANCE AND DUTY OF CARE
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION
ACROSS BOTH SECTORS
Good designers still begin with people: understanding the brief, solving spatial problems and creating thoughtful environments that function beautifully. That help people thrive in all environments.
YOUR DESIGNER, TUTOR & MENTOR
Learn with Gail Speck
" I don't just teach interior design. I teach possibility."
Gail brings more than thirty years of design and teaching experience to the programme. She understands both the professional realities of interior design and the personal leap involved in finally owning your creative ability. This is expert teaching delivered with honesty, encouragement and a genuine investment in your progress.
"I’m often asked whether I love designing or teaching more. The truth is, I can’t separate the two.
At the heart of both is one belief: people thrive in thoughtfully designed environments.
Whether I’m creating a home, shaping an inspiring workplace or mentoring someone taking their first steps into interior design, my purpose is the same - to create an environment where people can flourish.
That belief shapes how I teach. I don’t simply want you to complete assignments or learn design principles and software. I want you to grow in confidence, discover abilities you didn’t realise you had and finish the course believing that you truly belong in this profession.
You’ll learn in an environment where you feel supported, challenged and inspired. I’ll share my experience honestly, encourage you to think differently, and help you believe in your potential until you believe in it yourself.
Because great design is about more than creating beautiful spaces; it’s about helping people thrive - and that’s what inspires everything I do."
Gail Speck
Interior Designer & Owner
Studio Speck Ltd
Studio Speck Academy
FOUNDING COHORT INVESTMENT
One remarkable year. Only ten places.
The founding cohort receives the complete twelve-month programme and both French residentials at a special inaugural price. Places are offered by application so that every student receives the support and feedback the experience promises.
Both options include the same course, support and residential experience. Subject to application, availability and the full enrolment terms. All prices include VAT.
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Before you apply.