The Decorating and Staging Academy

What The Decorating and Staging Academy does

The Decorating and Staging Academy (The-DSA) is a US-based, founder-owned educational training company founded in 1999 as One Day Decorating by Sandra Racz and currently headquartered in Park City, Utah. The company delivers certification and continuing education courses for aspiring and practicing interior decorators, home stagers, redesign specialists, and color consultants, with graduates eligible for memberships in industry associations such as RESA, IAHSP, IDS, and WCAA. The product catalog is organized into four tiers: signature certifications (Interior Redesign, Interior Decorating, Confident Color System, Home Staging, Seasonal Decorating, Luxe Staging) priced at $295-$1,500; specialty courses ($245-$295); low-cost Design Labs mini-courses and digital products ($10-$15); and a set of $25 books plus free ebooks and a monthly Design Boardroom webinar. The platform combines self-paced online delivery with hands-on live training in small classes (4-6 students), supported by an annual National Directory listing service and an annual Distinguished Style Award contest.

The business model is one-time purchase rather than subscription-based, with revenue driven by direct-to-consumer sales through the company website (the-dsa.com) and occasional on-site live classes. Marketing is content-led, relying on free resources (ebooks, webinars, YouTube videos, a monthly newsletter), social media, and organic search to convert prospects into certification buyers. The competitive position rests on three proprietary methodologies developed over 25+ years — the Confident Color System, the Goldilocks Method for Staging, and the Decorating Zone Concept — together with integration of business and marketing training alongside creative instruction. Operations remain tightly held by the two founders with a headcount of 1-10, no external funding, and no public revenue disclosure; the company is RESA-accredited and self-positions as having helped create the original training foundations for the decorating and staging industry.

Name

The Decorating and Staging Academy

Legal name

The Decorating and Staging Academy

Website

https://the-dsa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Decorating and Staging Academy is a US-based, founder-owned training institution founded in 1999 that offers certification, specialty, and mini-courses in interior decorating, home staging, redesign, and color consulting to aspiring and practicing design professionals, primarily through direct online sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Park City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Certification Course Sales: One-time purchase certification courses ranging from $295 to $1500. Includes comprehensive student kits with manuals, workbooks, paint deck, and learning aids. Five-day certification courses include a preloaded iPad.
2. Digital Products and Mini-Courses: Design Lab mini-classes and videos priced at $10-$15. Confident Color Kits with workbook and video at $10 each. Digital courses and resources for continuing education.
3. Books and Publications: Physical and digital books on decorating, staging, and business topics priced at $25 each.
4. Specialty Courses: Advanced courses like Luxe Home Staging ($295) and Color & Design Principles ($245) for continuing education and specialization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Decorating and Staging Academy (The-DSA) is a private educational institution that sells professional certification courses, specialty courses, and digital learning resources in interior decorating, home staging, redesign, and color consulting. It also sells physical books and ready-to-use color palette kits. Courses are delivered both as online self-paced programs and as in-person live training with small class sizes, and include proprietary methodologies such as the Confident Color System, Goldilocks Method for Staging, and Decorating Zone Concept.

Product overview

The Decorating and Staging Academy (The-DSA) is an educational training platform offering professional certifications, specialty courses, and mini-classes for aspiring and established decorators and home stagers. The core offering consists of six certification courses: Interior Redesign, Interior Decorating, Confident Color System, Home Staging, Seasonal Decorating, and Luxe Staging. These are supplemented by specialty courses such as Color & Design Principles for Stagers, Design Labs mini-courses covering tools like Canva and AI assistants, Confident Color Kits for ready-to-use palettes, free Design Boardroom webinars, books and resources, a professional directory listing service, and an annual national award contest. The platform provides both online self-paced courses and live training options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Interior Decorating & Redesign Certification Course Comprehensive 5-day certification program teaching professional interior decorating and interior redesign skills, design principles, client project management, and integrated business training. Includes a preloaded iPad and physical student kits (manuals, workbooks, paint deck, learning aids).
• Home Staging Certification Course Comprehensive certification program training professionals to stage homes for sale using rental furnishings or stager's props to create marketable spaces. Includes hands-on training in real homes and covers the proprietary Goldilocks Method for Staging approach.
• Confident Color System Certification Course Certification course teaching professional color selection, color harmony, and the proprietary Confident Color System methodology for creating cohesive color palettes. Includes a paint deck and learning aids.
• Seasonal Decorating Certification Course Certification course teaching decorators how to create and sell seasonal decorating services for holidays and seasonal events.
• Luxe Home Staging Course Specialty course focused on luxury home staging techniques for high-end properties and affluent markets.
• Color & Design Principles for Stagers Course 9-module online specialty course with 2-year access that strengthens design eye, sharpens decision-making, and teaches balance, proportion, rhythm, and harmony for creating cohesive interiors. Includes a Certificate of Completion.
• Design Labs Mini-Courses A collection of short 30-60 minute creative mini-classes and resources for weekend learners or anyone wanting quick wins and fresh ideas, including individual video courses and color palette kits.
• Confident Color Kits Ready-to-Go color palette kits including 9 core colors plus 2 bonus colors in both Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams, with accompanying video, workbook, and styling guidance.
• How to Purchase Inventory (Book) Book resource teaching decorators and stagers how to purchase and manage inventory for their business.
• RoomXRoom Blueprint (Book) Book resource providing room-by-room design blueprints and planning guidance.
• Styling Strategies for Home Staging (Book) Book resource covering styling strategies specifically for home staging professionals.
• The Decorator's Reference & Resource Guide (Book) Comprehensive reference guide for professional decorators covering industry standards, resources, and best practices.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• QC Design School: Online school offering certificate and diploma programs in interior decorating and home staging, with a similar direct-to-consumer e-commerce model and tiered certification pricing. Closest direct competitor in the decorating/staging training niche.
• New York Institute of Art and Design: Online career school offering certificate programs in interior design and home staging with proprietary curricula and one-time course pricing. Directly comparable in target customer (aspiring design professionals), delivery format (online self-paced), and certification model.

Broad incumbents

• Penn Foster: Accredited online career school offering interior design programs alongside a wide portfolio of vocational tracks. Overlaps on decorating/staging training but operates as a broader vocational incumbent rather than a niche specialist.
• Udemy: Global online learning marketplace offering hundreds of decorating, color theory, and home staging courses at $10-$200 price points. A broad incumbent that competes on price and breadth rather than on certification or proprietary methodology.
• Coursera: Online learning platform offering interior design specializations from universities and institutions. Competes in the same broad category of design education but with university-backed credentials rather than proprietary practitioner-developed systems.
• Skillshare: Subscription-based online learning community with extensive creative and design course libraries including interior decorating and home styling. Competes on access economics (monthly subscription) rather than certification, but addresses the same DIY-to-pro customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thedecoratingandstagingacademy

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Decorating and Staging Academy