Build Your Interior Design Business with Instagram

Jul 4

In a previous article, we interviewed Instagram guru Kat Coroy

After chatting with Kat, I asked her if she could put me in touch with one of her students to get some first-hand experience of what it’s like to work with her, what improvements her client made to their Instagram account, and how had working with Kat had impacted their business.

Kat’s office put me in touch with Lynlea West, a residential interior designer based in London, England. Lynlea started working with Kat Coroy after taking one of Kat’s free 1-hour mini-classes advertised on Instagram.

Here’s what Lynlea had to say about her experience working with Kat & how improving her Instagram improved her business…

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Lynlea, can you tell me a little bit about your interior design business?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: I am passionate about helping busy people create gorgeous homes. Having worked in interior design for over 20 years, most of that being in large design companies specialising in luxury hotel design, I decided I wanted to share my experience and knowledge in a more intimate fashion with Clients on smaller residential projects. I started Lynlea West Studio 6 years ago and it has been pure joy working 1 on 1 with my amazing Clients local to me in London.

Over lockdown, the desire for home renovation has grown and grown, and with it so has my waiting list. It reached a stage where it was time to expand my business.

Having completed Kat’s fabulous course a year ago my audience on Instagram has grown substantially. Buoyed by the amazing learning and growth experience I had on her course, I decided I wanted to launch my own course to be able to help more people regardless of their location.

‘Create your Home Vibe’ helps my students by stripping back the image overwhelm out there, focussing on how they want to feel in their homes, and creating a unique design path that will achieve this. I am by their side as their right-hand interior designer. There are step-by-step video lessons, as well as a Facebook group and community for support, plus weekly live sessions with me for feedback and specific project queries. I absolutely love the live sessions!

I have completed the Beta test which was brilliant, and am launching on the 2nd June. Kat’s course gave me direction, clarity, and an increased confidence. Without that there is no way I would be at this point just a year and a half later. I’m forever indebted to the lovely Kat.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Why did you seek out help with your business Instagram account?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: I didn’t actively seek out help with my account. I had an Instagram account but only posted once a week if that. I didn’t have many followers and knew that in theory I wanted to improve it, but I’d been very busy with my business and clients elsewhere…and didn’t really know where to start.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: How did you find Kat...and why did you decide to work with her?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: Kat’s Instagram Makeover ad found me on Insta. The idea of a course immediately resonated with me, and after doing her free hour taster I was hooked immediately. I loved her energy, her enthusiasm and felt I learnt so much just in that session. It was really exciting and I was keen to learn more.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Prior to starting to work with Kat, what were your goals/dreams for your Instagram account?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: I used to post images of projects I had done, or interesting interior pieces, which although probably quite lovely on their own didn’t really show any cohesion on my page or give an overall sense of myself and my business. I suppose at that stage I was also a little embarrassed by my number of followers, so I wanted to know how to engage better with people and increase my following.

Ha…so yes I suppose my main goal at the time was to be less embarrassed by my account!

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: After starting to work with Kat, did your goals change...did they get bigger or smaller?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: Everything has changed since working with Kat…and yes my goals are much, much bigger!!

Working through and discovering my Brand Soul Essence has helped define my business, my loves and my skills. it has given me so much confidence and I now feel very proud of my business and my presence on Instagram.

Personally, a huge discovery for me through the course was coming to understand that not only do I love designing beautiful interiors, but I absolutely adore sharing my tips and experience from over 20 years in interior design. Instagram, has given me the opportunity to do this via posts, stories, and IGTV and people have been hugely responsive to them. I have loved creating my own design community, and becoming part of the wider design world online!

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Since working with Kat Coroy, how has your Instagram account improved AND more importantly, how has it changed & improved your business?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: I now look at my Instagram and feel it really reflects me (and my Brand Soul Essence!) …the images, the colours, the vibe, and my captions where I feel I’ve really been able to share so much more of my personality, my ambition, my loves than would ever be possible on just a website.

I have met so many fabulous like-minded people on Insta and my engagement has increased hugely.

People have been so kind and really supportive. As my account grows I have had lots of people start chatting to me, and following me, that have a much greater presence on Instagram than I currently have. It has been lovely to feel so openly respected in the field of interior design and to chat to so many people who love it as much as I do.

To come across other interior designers and for there to be mutual respect rather than competition is fabulous!

I am now actively wanting people to find me on Instagram because I am now proud of my account. I honestly feel that as my confidence has grown on my Insta it has in all facets of life. Certainly in my business, and with my face to face dealings with clients and as I mentioned, I now have a large waiting list of clients that are happy to wait until I can work on their project.

As I have grown my followers have also. I have over 6 times the number I had when I started the course. It’s not all about the followers of course but it certainly does inspire me!

Following Kat’s course step by step has really helped me define myself, my loves, my passions, my skills, and where I want to take the business with me.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: How do you define success with your Instagram acct? Has that definition changed since working with Kat?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: I don’t think I would have even linked the term ‘success’ to my previous account!

One of my main definitions of success would now be that Insta has become something I love doing! I feel confident now in this world and it is opening up so many doors for me. I have hooked up with so many other talented people. I did a collaboration with a local ceramicist recently which worked out really well. I’m now promoted on lots of other people’s stories. I feel like I’ve found an amazing community to share with, to inspire and be inspired by.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Has Instagram brought new clients to your door? How has that changed since you started working with Kat?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: Yes my Client list has grown and grown this past year. Most of my work was through word of mouth, and through recommendations on our fabulous local forum. I still get a lot of work through there, but I am promoting my Instagram, and often new clients let me know they checked out my page first and liked what they saw. A lot of my followers are global so it’s really exciting to be able to reach them too with ‘Create your Home Vibe’

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: I know that Kat differentiates between followers & engaged followers...has Kat helped you build your engaged followers...and what changes did you make to your Instagram account & process to build those engaged followers?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: Having a gorgeous looking page that reflects you absolutely begins to attract more followers but to really engage people your captions are so important. People really do want to know the real you, so to share is to engage.

Kat has a part of the course called ‘captions that connect’ which was absolutely invaluable. It really helped me find my own voice. and yes to really be me.

How fabulous is that just being authentic, being you, can build your business so much! Engaging with others too brings a whole lot of engagement to your door.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Did you have a business account before Kat? What changes did you make to your business account after you started working with Kat?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: No I didn’t have a business account before Kat, and yes I absolutely do now. I didn’t even really know there was such a thing. I had no idea about the Insights you can look into on Insta about interaction, followers and so on. I was a real novice!

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Kat speaks of a person's/company's brand soul essence and consistently expressing that via your IG posts:

How did you arrive at your brand soul essence and what systemic changes did you make to your IG account?
How does your new brand soul essence impact individual posts...how you plan, style, etc?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: Wow that’s a big question!! A big part of working on my brand soul essence was working on ‘Who am I? which is an integral part of Kat’s course. From this I developed my Insta bio and arrived at this:

Passionate about helping busy people create gorgeous homes & become interior design insiders!
Luxury hotel designer in a prior life

I realised that a huge part of me was my love sharing my tips and experience with people so they develop confidence in their own skills. Now a big part of my posting is helping people along the way. It’s no longer the likes of ‘here’s a post of a project I did…aren’t I fabulous’ but more ‘here’s a post and this is a tip that I hope might help you create a gorgeous home and bring you joy and comfort’

I love to work with my clients, not just for them. I don’t just turn up take a brief, disappear and reappear with a fabulous completed scheme. A lot of Clients really want to learn the process so I work with them, and share with them, so not only do they end up with a gorgeous home but with newfound interior design skills.

It’s this that I now want to share with more people wherever they may live.

This is core to my business, and to me, so keeping to this brand soul essence no longer needs to feel ‘planned’. Being me is my brand soul essence.

Visually of course Kat helps you find what works for you. There is a fabulous week called ‘Vividly Me’. As a designer, this was so much fun. All about fabulous fonts, colours, images, mood boards … all to help you dive deeper into what actually works for you.

I have put together so many mood boards over the years in so many styles to work for varying Clients. It was hugely exciting developing and defining what my style was for my business. Helping define myself.

Now I have defined my look visually it’s so easy to continue, and because I love it and it’s from my core it’s a joy to continue. I am always thinking in terms of my colours and aesthetic so I always have banks of images that I take or pick up along the way…ready to come and join my feed!

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: What changes have you made re selecting images, editing images, etc?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: Yes I definitely stick to my colours and my look for my feed, and filter my images similarly so there is a consistency. I do though save some images that I like, but don’t quite fit, for my ‘Stories’. It’s a great place to show more of your personality, and where you can mix it up a bit more.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Do you use your smartphone for your IG images or do you use a "fancy" camera, lighting, etc?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: I use my Iphone for all my images and ‘A Colour Story’ to filter which is great. If I’m doing portrait shots though I tend to use a ringlight as advised by Kat. This was a great purchase and particularly useful for videos.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: What about videos? Do you use IGTV? Did Kat help with IGTV...if so how?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: Oh my goodness I would never have attempted videos without Kat!

She helped with everything the lighting, microphones, tripods, how to speak to the screen, how to develop what to say and the confidence to say it. This is one of the most powerful tools, and Kat manages to helps us all conquer our videoing fears!!.

IGTV’s have absolutely become a big part of my feed. People get to see the real you through video and my main two types of video have become sharing ideas and tips, but also a route I had no idea people would be interested in.

I have been asked by numerous followers to share my experience moving from working for a large corporate company to starting my own business. There are a lot of fabulous independent people out there who want to start their own businesses and appreciate hearing about other’s journeys.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: How important are IG Stories for you? How did Kat change how you use Stories?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: In my Insta novice world I’d never used Stories before! I think I was a little scared of them. Certainly, I had no idea what to do. Kat helps you see how the saved Highlights from Stories act as a great mini website and helps you create highlights that help showcase you and your business. I love sharing a mix of more professional stories but also parts of my home life and behind the scenes. It’s a great way for people to get to know more about you and to stay engaged.

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: How did Kat change your use of hashtags? Do you have favourite hashtags? If so, why?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: For me, the most important lesson from Kat was using hashtags that are fine-tuned to your business and location if important, but using ones that don’t have millions of followers otherwise your posts just get lost amongst them all.

I was definitely one to use #interiordesign which I’m sure lots of designers default to. It actually has over 100,000,000 posts making it pretty darn difficult to get found in that! That hashtag is no longer part of my world!

Kat recommends using hashtags that have between 5000 and 50000 posts which has completely changed my use for the better!

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: I know that Kat is big about developing actual human relationships on Instagram:

How has your use of DMs & comments changed since working with Kat?
How has that impacted your IG account & your business?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: Direct messaging is another part of Insta that I didn’t really know about properly!. The very few DM’s I used to get I never really knew where they ended up or how to find them! Ha, now my DM box is very busy with lots of lovely people commenting on my stories or reaching out to send me kind wishes or ask queries.

Kat has taught me that engagement breeds engagement – to always comment back on a DM, or comment on a post…and to give it an equal weight of comment in return. If someone pours their heart out to you on a post or makes the effort to send a lovely DM…don’t just ‘like’ their comment. I always make the effort to respond in equal measure.

Reaching out and commenting on other people’s posts, and sending them DM’s, also gets you noticed, creates a community and a whole lot of fun!

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Do you use any 3rd party tools?

What are they?
How do you use them?
Why do you like them and how have they impacted your IG & your business?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: Yes Kat introduced me to Planoly which is brilliant. As a designer, planning and managing is a big part of our role of course, and this helps me to do just that in the world of Insta. It helps you to layout each individual post and add your hashtags easily. I can layout the look of my upcoming feed and move images/posts around easily to obtain the cohesive look I want. I would absolutely not be without it now!

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Is there anything else you would like to comment on about Kat and her course.

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: Having gone through Kat’s course I feel like there is so much more potential in me, and my business, than I ever thought…so exciting! She manages to bring out the best in all her students. Not only has she helped me discover this, but so has the amazing community that are doing her course with you. We all get to chat in her closed Facebook group, and on weekly Q and A’s. The group is so supportive and just a lovely bunch of people that all share their skills, concerns and growth. Kat is very present in the FB group too and answers all our questions. She is so talented and so lovely. She wants the best for everyone. Truly fabulous!

Douglas Robb - Interior Designher: Is there anything else you have learned since working with Kat that you

would like to share?

Lynlea West - Lynlea West Studio: Kat has introduced me to a jewelry box of fabulousness that I hadn’t dared to open!

Insta is not only a brilliant tool to open lots of doors in your business but has been so much fun since my confidence has developed and I actually feel like I know what I’m doing!

Kat’s course though isn’t only about Instagram. It is about defining you, and your business. It is about growing in confidence. It is about realizing your dreams. I now feel driven, excited. Ready to take on the world!!

I can’t thank Kat enough for what she has done for me. I suppose she thought long and hard about the price of her course but I can’t believe how much you get for the cost. Such an amazing investment.

About Lynlea West

I’m originally from sunny Australia. After studying Architecture at Melbourne University, I headed to London in ‘spreading wing fashion.’ After backpacking around Europe (yes in the 90’s!!), running out of money and ending up working a Summer job in the Harrods bed linen department, I was excited to find that Harrods had an Interior Design Studio and they were looking for someone to draw up layouts. I could do that I thought!
I was thrilled that they agreed, and once ensconced in the studio, I sat at my drawing board watching this fabulous breed that was completely new to me - Interior designers busying themselves with materials, with textures, with gorgeous fabrics - full of life!!
Architecture immediately took a back seat for me, as I launched myself into the joys of interior design.
I went on to work for large companies specialising in luxury hotel design, as well as high end central London residential and show apartment projects. I got to travel and learnt so much. I did this for about 20 years. Yes it was stressful at times, but pretty darn fabulous.
More recently (about 4 years ago) I started my own residential business which I have absolutely loved. Now I just want to share my experience with as many people as possible. I believe that by creating beautiful spaces, and purging ourselves of what doesn’t work for us anymore, we are rewarded with a new energy of happiness and wellbeing, and I want to help as many people as possible achieve just that.