Graduate Feature: Amanda Iacobellis

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

My name is Amanda, and I was born and raised in Vancouver, BC where I still reside. I have always had a knack for interior decorating—it’s something that I have always loved. When I was in high school, I wanted to become an interior designer. But I convinced myself that because I wasn’t good at math, I would never succeed. Fast forward ten years, and I’ve found myself still loving interior design so much that I decided to look for some online decorating courses I could take. When I found QC Design School, I knew it was the perfect fit!

Why did you decide to start a professional interior decorating career?

Interior decorating comes naturally to me, and I love every aspect of it. I want to help others accomplish their decorating goals. After many family and friends told me to take a course and earn my interior decorator certification, I finally decided I wanted to do it. I figured that since my family and friends always came to me for advice on decorating their homes, why wouldn’t others?

How would you describe your decorating style?

I always find this question so interesting because I always say my style is actually a mash-up of decorating styles. My decorating style has evolved since I first enrolled in the Interior Decorating course. A few years ago, I was strictly decorating my home in the farmhouse decorating style. Today, I would say my interior decorating style falls somewhere in-between Scandinavian and modern with an eclectic, farmhouse twist. If I could build my own home from scratch, I would definitely categorize it as a “Modern Scandinavian Farmhouse”.

You’re also enrolled in QC’s Home Staging and Color Consultant courses. How do you keep yourself motivated to in your studies?

I had to take a break from my home staging and color consultant courses when I started my interior decorating business. There is a lot of work that comes into starting your own business. Now that I’ve registered my business, O.H.D Interiors, and have gotten it off the ground, I am ready to finish my courses! I only have one unit left to complete for the Home Staging course. I am aiming to complete it by the end of the month.

What’s one thing you wish you knew before starting your interior decorating certificate course?

One thing I wish I knew before starting the interior decorating certificate course would be that it is not easy! Juggling full-time work and online courses is tough. Since it is an online program, that is a go-at-your-own-pace style, you really must have the drive to complete the course. If you don’t want it bad enough, you won’t do it.

One thing I would tell someone who’s considering taking interior decorating classes online would be to set goals for yourself. Make sure you have a timeline of when you want to complete the course by and make it happen.

Are there any career highlights you’d like to share?

The super rewarding moment I had was when I completed the One Room Challenge this past spring. For those who don’t know, it’s a six week “challenge” where you start and complete a one room re-design project.

For this challenge, I re-decorated my grandmother’s office/sewing room. It wasn’t until I completed it and saw the reactions from everyone that I realized this can and will be my career.

Why did you decide to enroll in an interior decorating course online?

I decided to take my education online because it was convenient for my lifestyle. I was 27 at the time and working a full-time job. I didn’t have time to go to school and sit in a classroom.

I chose QC Design School over others because I really liked that their courses are self-paced. I knew that if something came up and I couldn’t complete certain assignments by a specific time, it wasn’t a big deal—as long as I did them eventually.

How do you think QC’s interior decorating course has prepared you to work in the field?

QC’s Interior Decorating course prepared me to the work field in the best way because it has actual business modules tied into the course. The business part of the program wasn’t mandatory; however, I decided to take them because I knew how beneficial they would be. Without the business part, I don’t think I would have been confident enough to dive right into starting my own decorating business.

I highly recommend anyone taking these courses to complete the business modules as well!

What’s on the horizon for your interior decorating business in 2019 and beyond?

I love this question because I have so many dreams for 2019 and beyond. By the end of 2019, I would love for O.H.D Interiors to be a known company within my community. My hopes for the years to come would be to see myself running my business full-time instead of part-time. I really want to help others decorate and give them the home of their dreams.

What else can you learn in the Interior Decorating Course? Check out these 7 important lessons!