STUDIO SPECK
ACADEMY
A seat at the table. Time to ask, try, and understand.
STUDIO SPECK ACADEMY • IN PERSON • TWO WEEKS • NOVEMBER 2026 • CARDIFF, UK
Learn interior design by doing it.
Ten immersive days in the studio with Gail Speck. Learn to see a space, solve its challenges, draw your ideas and present a scheme you can explain with confidence.
Stop collecting ideas. Start designing.
10 full days
In-person learning
SketchUp + Canva + AI
Practical tools
With Gail
Expert guidance
£1,295
Course fee
MORE THAN AN SHORT COURSE
Two weeks can change how you see and understand space.
There is a moment when inspiration becomes understanding: when you can look at a room, see why it is not working, and know how to begin improving it.
That is what these ten days are for. You’ll spend focused time learning the process with me, then put it straight into practice. We’ll work through a brief, test layouts, develop a design direction, learn to draw and use digital tools to communicate the result.
When you have a question, you can ask it there and then. When a plan is almost right, we can look at it together and work out what needs to change. The learning happens around a table, with plans, materials and your own work in front of you.
Come with ideas. Leave understanding how to turn them into a considered design.
Inspiration is easy to collect. Turning it into a room that works for real people takes a different set of skills.
THE IN-PERSON DIFFERENCE
You learn faster when you can see, try and discuss. Your ten days will feel like
01
See the thinking
Watch Gail take a brief apart, test a layout and explain what she looks for before committing to a direction.
02
Work with real materials
Handle samples, compare colour and texture, draw at scale and learn what a screen cannot show you.
03
Get guidance in the moment
Talk through a problem while your drawing is open. Apply the feedback and see the difference immediately.
04
Practise with others
Hear different questions and approaches, discuss ideas and discover more than one way to solve a space.
05
Build momentum
Ten consecutive working days let each skill connect to the next, from initial brief to presented design scheme.
06
Make it yours
Produce your own plans, boards and presentation work to take home and develop further and a process you can use again and again.
Focused teaching, live demonstration and time to practise. You are in the room with an experienced designer, not waiting for a recorded lesson to answer your question.
THE COURSE
From first brief to a design you can present to contractors, family, investors, clients.
We build the foundations first, then use them to develop and communicate a complete design direction that becomes the blueprint and shopping list for your home or project.
WEEK ONE • UNDERSTAND AND DEVELOP
Learn to think like a designer.
Read the brief
Understand the people, the space and what the design must achieve.
Plan the room
Measure, draw to scale and test circulation, furniture and proportion.
Find the direction
Explore colour, materials, lighting and the feeling of a space.
Develop your drawings
Build confidence with plans, elevations and clear design decisions.
WEEK TWO • MODEL AND COMMUNICATE
Make your ideas visible.
Work in SketchUp (free version)
Start creating accurate 2D and 3D representations of your ideas.
Present with Canva
Create moodboards, product boards, finishes schedules and presentations.
Check the practicalities
Consider budgets, timescales, implementation and decisions for a project team.
Bring it together
Refine and explain a design scheme using the skills you have practised.
WHAT YOU TAKE AWAY
Real skills. Your own work.
A clearer way forward.
The value is in what you understand and can do when the two weeks are over.
01 Evaluate a space and make informed choices about layout, scale, flow and furniture.
02 Translate a brief into a coherent direction for colour, lighting, materials and finishes.
03 Use drawing, SketchUp and Canva and AI to develop and communicate your ideas.
04 Communicate more clearly with a client, architect or contractor & ask better questions.
05 Take home your course work, a complimentary design kit and a certificate of completion.
“I want you to understand why a design works, and to see what you are capable of creating. This is the game changer”
Gail Speck · Studio Speck
LEARN WITH GAIL
Learn with Gail Speck
Design experience, shared openly.
" 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 love the moment someone stops asking whether they are capable and starts asking how to make an idea better. In this course, I’ll demonstrate the methods I use, explain the reasons behind the choices, and work beside you as you put them into practice.
"You can arrive without design experience. I’ll meet you where you are and help you build practical knowledge one decision at a time."
Gail Speck
Interior Designer & Owner
Studio Speck Ltd
Studio Speck Academy
WHO'S IT FOR?
For people ready to understand the how and why of designing spaces successfully.
Future designers
Explore the profession through its real process: briefing, planning, drawing, presenting and practical decisions.
Understand the process and what you'll need to produce and what you can charge.
Career changers
Test your interest in a supportive setting and build a foundation for your next step.
Learn the stages and communication techniques involved. Understand your earning potential.
Homeowners
Gain the knowledge to shape your renovation, self-build or forever home with more confidence.
Avoid costly planning mistakes and save on the right materials for your spaces.
Property developers
Utilise space effectively, develop a cohesive plan, and clearly convey your intentions to the project team. Well-designed spaces can reduce time and costs, facilitating the seamless execution of any project by minimising contractor hours spent on clarifying and estimating the design due to inadequate documentation.
YOUR PLACE AT THE TABLE
Give yourself ten days to learn what you have been trying to piece together alone.
Whether your goal is a new career or a better grasp of the project in front of you, this is time spent gaining practical skills with an experienced designer beside you.
TWO-WEEK INTERIOR DESIGN INTENSIVE
£1295
• Ten in-person course days
• Teaching, demonstrations and guided practice with Gail
• Interior planning, drawing and design development
• Introduction to SketchUp and Canva
• Complimentary design kit and certificate of completion
GOOD TO KNOW
Before you join us.
questions about the course
YOUR NEXT STEP
See what you can create when you have the time, tools and guidance.
Bring your curiosity. Spend two weeks learning, drawing, questioning and making. Leave knowing how to approach your next design decision.