Your Unique Home Design Personality
The one thing no designer, no Pinterest board, and no amount of research can do for you
This course won’t design your home for you. What it will do, in 8–14 weeks, part-time, from home, is help you discover the design personality you already have — so every decision that follows, DIY or with a professional, is genuinely yours.
As featured in
Only 24.6% of Homemakers Say They Genuinely Love Their Finished Home
That’s not a workmanship problem. Research across more than 1,200 NZ homemakers found that 75.4% finish a renovation, a DIY project, or a professionally designed room and feel like something’s missing — not because the wrong tradesperson was hired, but because the brief they worked from was never quite theirs. The same research found up to 29.6% of renovation budgets lost to changes and rework, most of it traceable to decisions clarified too late to matter.
If This Sounds Like You
You’ve tried the DIY route, or you’ve worked with a professional — maybe both. The result is technically fine. It’s just not quite you. You can’t always say why, only that something’s slightly off, and you’re wary of spending the time, money, and energy again without understanding what went missing the first time.
If that’s familiar, you’re in good company — and there’s a reason it keeps happening, one this course exists to close.
Homemakers arrive at this point from different places. Some have all their ducks in a row and just want the process confirmed before they start. Others have already tried once, got burned, and want to do it properly this time. Wherever you’re starting from, the same gap is usually the reason it didn’t quite work before.
A Different Starting Point
What if the missing step isn't more research, but a different kind of self-knowledge?
Here’s the honest starting point: this course won’t hand you a finished design. What it gives you is the process I spent over 35 years developing — first with clients, one-on-one, and now built into a course anyone can work through at their own pace.
The Austin Home Method® walks you through discovering your own design preferences, values, and instincts before a single paint swatch or furniture decision gets made.
That order matters more than most people realise. Once you know your own design personality, every decision that follows — DIY or with a designer — has something real to anchor to.
The second half of the course brings it together: your finished, documented design brief, ready to guide your own hands or hand straight to an architect or interior designer, so their work starts from something genuinely yours rather than something they have to guess at.
If you’d like to take that first step, you can enrol in Your Unique Home Design Personality® below.
Warm regards,
Kristina Cope – BArch, Dip Int Design qualified kitchen designer, and your Home Design Personality coach
P.S. This isn’t an interior design course — it’s the step that comes before one, whether you’re doing the work yourself or handing your brief to a professional.
Your life before the course:
- PICTURE WHERE MOST HOMEMAKERS ACTUALLY START: Seventeen browser tabs open, a Pinterest board with six hundred pins and no thread connecting them, a paint swatch stuck to the wall that looked nothing like it did in your hand. You know roughly what you want a room to feel like. You couldn't yet put it into words a designer, a builder, or your own hands could actually work from.
- Overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices - colours, styles, trends — with no clear way to filter them
- Worried about humiliating budget blow-outs particularly from decisions changed or clarified mid-project
- Wanting a space that rooms that that genuinely resonates with how you and your household actually live, not just how it photographs
- You wishfully dream of a home that makes you happy and improves your mental wellbeing every time you walk into the space. You want a home that fills you with pride and warm fuzzies!
- Unhappy with a past renovation and unable to pin down exactly what feels wrong about it
Your life after the course:
- NOW PICTURE A FEW MONTHS FROM NOW: Sitting across from a designer, or standing in your own kitchen with a paint tin in hand, and simply knowing. Not guessing, not scrolling for reassurance, not waiting to see it finished before you're sure. The words are already there, because you did the work of finding them first — and whoever you hand them to, including yourself, can actually build from them.
- You can clearly name what you actually like and don't - colour, texture, pattern - clearly enough to make decisions without second-guessing them
- You can communicate your design personality to a professional, a partner, or your own hands, in a way that actually lands
- You've protected a meaningful share of your budget from rework — on a $50,000 kitchen, up to $14,800; across a kitchen, bathroom, and living room, well into five figures
- Your home is an ongoing source of joy and happiness for you & your partner. (Priceless value.)
- Your home reflects you specifically, not a trend you'll want to undo in three years
Introducing
Your Unique Home Design Personality course
Quickly learn in a fun environment what is your unique home design personality. Use this comprehensive ‘Your Unique Home Design Personality’ as a ‘compass’ to guide you in all future home improvement projects – from big to small. Using a professional designer/architect – perfect! Or you are a dedicated DIY’er? – perfect! Guaranteed future success and ongoing joy and energy from your home.
What You'll Build, Step by Step
Ten pillars in three stages. Each one adds a layer to a design personality you build with your own hand, so by the end you aren't holding someone else's plan. You're holding yours.
Discover You
Who you are at home, before any paint chart or style label enters the picture.
1Welcome: Celebrations!Set up your course and start noticing what you genuinely love.
- Course guidance and how to get the most from it
- Discovering your love of colour, texture, pattern and style
- Creating your first workboards
- Pillar statements
- Questionnaire: You!
2Observation Identity Workboard® – YOUFind your "why" and capture what you truly love.
- Finding your "why"
- Daring to dream big
- The observations exercise
- Your "I Love It!" List
- Building your Observation Identity Board®
- Writing your Observation Identity Statement
3Intention Planning Workboard® – FEELINGSDecide how you want your home to feel, not just look.
- The Intention Planning Board® and how it differs from other mood boards
- Why the boards matter, and the process
- An imagination technique
- Writing your Intention Planning Statement
Find Your Look
Your colours, your look and your style, discovered rather than borrowed from a trend.
4Seasonal Personality – COLOURSDiscover the colour season that reflects you.
- Colour and design style for your dream home
- Seasonal colours ("Nurturing Natures Koha")
- Mixed seasons
- Your seasonal collage
5Obsession Creation Workboard® – LOOKUnlock your colour and build the look that's unmistakably you.
- The Obsession Creation Board®
- The "Unlocking Your Colour" exercise
- Finding the season that reflects you
- Building your board
- Writing your Obsession Creation Statement
6Dream Product Workboard® – STYLETurn your colours into a palette and real product choices.
- Identifying your colours
- Assembling your colour palette
- The Dream Concept Product Board®
- Writing your Dream Concept Product Statement
7Your Home Design PersonalityBring every layer together into one clear statement.
- Reflecting on your journey so far
- Completing your Design Personality Statement
- It's Decision Time!
Build Your Brief
Choose one space (kitchen, bathroom, lounge or outdoor area) and turn your personality into a brief you can act on.
8My Design Brief Questionnaire – Project 1Focus on one project and capture its real requirements.
- Choosing your first project
- Questionnaire: your property, your home and your lifestyle
- Writing your Design Brief Questionnaire Statement
9First Fearless Home Project WorkboardPicture the finished project, with budget and timeframe set.
- Creating your project workboard
- An imagination technique for this project
- Questionnaire: budget and timeframe
10Your Ultimate Design Brief – First ProjectFinish with a documented brief for a professional, or for your own DIY.
- Bringing it all together
- How your brief is created
- Completing your Ultimate Design Brief
- Wrap-up, and celebrating your completion
What Graduates Say
Homemakers who've been where you are, in their own words.
Source: Creating Design Clarity graduate research by Endless Definition
"Finding out our [home design] personalities, showed me how to achieve the look that matched us perfectly."
"Close friends built a house, bought new furniture, had a designer do the colours, curtains, tiles etc. Each element they added was 'nice', however, the house has no soul. They know it, they try to fix it by adding superfluous furniture etc. but it still feels wrong.
I didn't want to make the same mistakes as them, so I enrolled in this course. I am slowly understanding what was missing in their home. It is the lack of feeling of being in one's own skin.
Finding out our [home design] personalities, showed me how to achieve the look that matched us perfectly.
My recommendation is for you to take this course before starting any renovation project in your home. Don't end up with a soulless home like our friends have."
"BEST decision I ever made…"
"BEST decision I ever made, was to sign up for Creating Design Clarity's Your Unique Home Design Personality course.
Especially given that I have already clocked up a number of Interior Design courses prior, and had completed a bunch of renovations, and recently built from the ground up! So, I was excited to see what more I would be adding to my toolbox with this particular course.
Kristina, with her depth of knowledge and passion, guided me on a path of new discovery and took me right back to the drawing board, unbundling my thoughts on trends and styles and unlocking what it truly takes for my home to be my personal haven.
I quickly realised that I often play it TOO safe, seeking balance and harmony, and I want to push my limits and be more daring, mixing it all up with confidence!
When you take on this Your Unique Design Personality course, you will definitely have fun, and you will definitely learn a lot!
It will be challenging, and at times you will find yourself questioning why all the in-depth personal reflection – but hold tight, as this is where the 'gold' and true discovery within is found."
"…my partner and I can definitely see a way forward together with this major renovation now."
"…we stopped the [renovation] process temporarily & engaged with Kristina's Creating Design Clarity Your Unique Home Design Personality course. She got us both to do some exercises that got us thinking about our preferences. The results were really pleasing – my partner and I can definitely see a way forward together with this major renovation now.
Kristina has put a lot of effort into the various parts of this course, and it is well done. I also think that some people won't quite know the value until they go through the process, and so I encourage you to do the course and see the results for yourself.
Take the leap! You will be very pleased with the outcome."
Here's Everything You Get
One enrolment, one price, and everything you need to walk into your project knowing how you want your home to feel.
- Your Unique Home Design Personality® course: all 10 pillars, self-paced, with lifetime access and free updates
- 7 live Q&A calls with Kristina: fortnightly over 14 weeks, all recorded if you can't make it live
- Private community group: members only, and Kristina is in there with you
- Workbook & checklists: a documented record of your design personality to keep
- Your Ultimate Design Brief: for your first project, ready to hand to a professional or use yourself
- Doing this as a couple? Two people in the same household can take the course together for the price of one
- BonusConquering Contractor Chaos: choose DIY, outsourced or a blend, then vet, brief and negotiate with professionals while staying on budget
- BonusFrom Opposites to Oasis: blend two people's design preferences without clashing palettes or silent sulks
- BonusUnleash Your Inner Decor Style: play with modern, boho, farmhouse and more, and see what actually fits you
What Getting It Wrong Can Cost
It usually starts small: a tile that looked right in the showroom, a paint colour that's "nearly" it, a benchtop you'd now choose differently. Then come the changes, the reorders and the rework. In our research with 1,200+ homemakers, up to 29.6% of a renovation budget went on exactly that.
| Your project budget | Up to 29.6% lost to changes & rework |
|---|---|
| $25,000 bathroom | $7,400 |
| $50,000 kitchen | $14,800 |
| $150,000 whole-home refresh | $44,400 |
In her design practice, Kristina spent 50+ hours with each client drawing out who they really were at home before a single line was drawn. This course guides you through that same depth of self-discovery, on your own schedule, for a fraction of what 50+ hours of professional time would cost. It doesn't replace your designer, architect or builder. It gives them a complete brief to elevate.
Your investment: NZD $497, less than 1% of a $50,000 kitchen.
Source: Creating Design Clarity research by Endless Definition, homemakers in New Zealand and Australia. Figures shown are "up to" amounts, not guaranteed savings.
Choose How You'd Like to Enrol
Pay once
$497 NZD
approx. USD $295
Save NZD $94 compared with the monthly plan- Full course, lifetime access & updates
- 7 live Q&A calls with Kristina
- Workbook, checklists & community
- All 3 bonus trainings
- 365-day money-back guarantee
3 monthly payments
$197 NZD / month
3 × NZD $197 = NZD $591 total (includes financing fee)
- Full course, lifetime access & updates
- 7 live Q&A calls with Kristina
- Workbook, checklists & community
- All 3 bonus trainings
- 365-day money-back guarantee
GUARANTEE
A Full Year to Be Sure
Give the course an honest go. If it doesn't help you get clear on your home design personality, ask for a full refund any time within 365 days.
Most homemakers finish in 8–14 weeks, so you'll know long before the year is up.
Is Your Unique Home Design Personality for me?
This is for you if:
- You're unsure unsure which colours, styles, and textures genuinely suit you, and you want that clarity before you spend a dollar
- You want to protect a meaningful share of your budget from avoidable rework
- You want to walk into your next design conversation — with a professional, a partner, or just yourself — already knowing what you're trying to say
- You're not planning to sell in the near future, and you want your home to keep earning its place as somewhere you genuinely want to be
This isn't for you if:
- You already know your style well enough to communicate it clearly to anyone you'd work with
- You're mid-renovation right now with no way to pause and do the groundwork first
- You're preparing purely to sell, rather than to live in the result
- You're after in-depth interior design or decorating technique training — this is the step before that, not a substitute for it
How it works
Here’s what happens when you buy
STEP ONE
DECIDE
Decide this is worth doing before you spend another dollar on paint swatches or another hour on Pinterest. Enrol here when you’re ready.
STEP TWO
Work Through the Course
You’ll have lifetime access, and most homemakers complete it part-time in 8–14 weeks, at around 4–6 hours a week.
- Start immediately, at your own pace, with 24/7 access
- Work through the video lessons and fill in your workbook as you go
- Join the fortnightly Live Q&A sessions and the private community whenever you want extra input
STEP THREE
Use What You've Built
By the end, you’ll have a documented design brief you can hand to a professional or use to guide your own hands — genuinely yours, ready whenever you are.
Meet Your Mentor
Hello, I'm Kristina
I’m the founder of Creating Design Clarity. For over 35 years, I’ve worked as an architect and interior designer, helping homemakers design and build homes that genuinely reflect who they are.
This isn’t theory for me. I’ve personally designed more than 20 homes. My husband Simon and I have built and renovated two of our own, plus a beach house my own father designed and my mother styled. My father-in-law, Sam Cope Jnr, built 72 homes across his career as a professional builder. Design and construction run in the family, on both sides of it.
I’ve seen up close how many homemakers finish a project that’s technically excellent and still doesn’t feel like theirs. That’s exactly the gap Creating Design Clarity exists to close.
FAQs
You've got questions? We have answers!
The course begins instantly upon enrollment and is designed to be completed in 8-14 weeks.
You get immediate access to all course materials upon signing up.
Most students complete the course part-time, dedicating about 4-6 hours per week.
NOTE: Course participant numbers are limited in size to ensure you get maximum value when engaging with me during the course.
NOTE: Got further questions?
Reach out to us with any questions before enrolling.
You get ongoing LIFETIME access to the course material.
Formal support of you is over a 14-week period.
During those 14-weeks you are supported by:
- 7x fortnightly group coaching sessions. (Each session is also recorded).
- Access to our private member-only area where past and current homeowners support and help each other,
- Along with ‘Team Cope’ helping you.
80% of homemakers finish the course within 8-10 weeks.
When you finish the course, you will have:
- physically documented your unique design personality to a deep home DNA level.
PLUS,
- You will have created your upcoming project, room-specific ‘Fearless Workboard’ and it’s companion document – ‘Project Ultimate Design Brief.’
You now have choices: As a DIYer, use them as a ‘compass’ to guide your creative side. Or, show these documents to your chosen designer to enable instant understanding and a finished project you will LOVE!
When you decide on your next project (you will typically renovate at least 3-4 spaces within each home you live in); you simply create a new room specific work board and ultimate design brief for each of your future minor room makeovers, renovations, and all the way through to build from scratch.
A percentage of graduates ‘Fearless Happy Homemakers®’choose to stay as members of our inner-circle (100% optional) for a small monthly fee. They love the community where they can interact with the new students, help each other with their home improvement project(s) beyond the creation of their ‘Unique Home Design Personality’, and/or if they want ongoing support.
The closest comparison is the one-page, sometimes two-page, client questionnaire that’s still the industry standard for most design professionals – a genuinely useful tool as far as it goes, typically completed in 3–5 hours. But drawing out something as layered as a design personality properly takes real time, not just a qualification. When I used to do this work directly with clients, one-on-one, it took fifty to sixty hours of structured, guided reflection to get there – and even then, it wasn’t affordable or repeatable for most people. This course exists to close that exact gap: the same depth of self-discovery, without needing fifty hours with me, or with anyone.
Moreover, when homemakers opt not to engage a design professional, they often find themselves scouring endless online resources -blogs, articles, and design suggestions – created by individuals who inherently favour specific styles or colour palettes. However, there’s a significant gap in this approach. There is zero assurance that the homeowner, looking at a trendy design online, will truly love it in the long term. Trends fade, personal preferences endure.
In contrast, Your Unique Home Design Personality provides a holistic and profound understanding of oneself, going beyond the surface-level trends. It offers home-makers a genuine opportunity to comprehend their unique essence, ensuring that their living spaces resonate with their soul, not just temporarily, but for years to come. The course acts as a trusted guide, offering an authentic understanding of personal styles, colours, and textures, providing a lifetime assurance that every design decision aligns perfectly with the homeowner’s authentic self.
Your Unique Home Design Personality course stands out due to several unique features:
Deep Self-Discovery: This program delves deep into your personality, preferences, and desires. It’s not just about colors and textures; it’s about understanding who you are at a profound level.
Design Personality Ownership: This course empowers you with the knowledge and confidence to not just design one room, but multiple spaces in your home. Your unique design essence becomes your intellectual property, allowing you to transform every room you inhabit, creating a cohesive and harmonious environment throughout your home.
Elimination of Design Dilemmas: Through the course, you learn how to make decisions with clarity and confidence. No more second-guessing or feeling overwhelmed by choices. You gain the tools to navigate the design process smoothly, ensuring every decision aligns with your personality and vision.
Saves Time and Money:By understanding your design personality thoroughly, you avoid costly mistakes and unnecessary rework. This saves both time and money, making your design journey efficient and budget-friendly.
Reduction in Stress Levels: Designing a home can be stressful, but with the clarity gained from this course, stress levels plummet. You enjoy the process, making decisions with ease and confidence, leading to an enjoyable and satisfying home transformation experience.
Lifetime Transformation: The knowledge and skills you gain from this course are not temporary; they are life-long assets. You carry your design personality with you, ensuring that every space you touch reflects your essence. This lifetime transformation ensures a lasting impact on your living spaces and your overall well-being.
Testimonial-Proven Success: The course has a track record of success, as evidenced by the testimonials of real individuals like Joy, Sarah, Robyn, Phoebe, and Amy. These individuals transformed their homes and lives, moving from doubt and confusion to confidence and contentment.
In essence, Your Unique Home Design Personality course is not just a learning experience; it’s a life-changing journey that equips you with the knowledge, confidence, and tools to create spaces that truly resonate with your soul. It’s a passport to a home that brings you joy, contentment, and a deep sense of belonging.
Think of it less as a course you finish once, and more as a compass you keep — the same process applies to every future room, project, or home you touch. Enrol here when you’re ready to start.
Simple! You contact me within 365 days, after giving the course a good go, and I refund your money. We shake hands and part as friends.
If you have made an honest attempt at doing the course over a 365 day period (99% of homemakers complete within 14 weeks), and it is not working for you, then you can have 100% of your money back.
Check out the procedure here.
No, unfortunately. Other professional designers refer their clients to take my courses prior to working with them. I will always honour that relationship.
If you want to use a professional designer, then talk to me during the course, or once you have finished, find a local one near you. (In ‘Your Unique Home Design Personality’ course, I will show you how to find the right designer to work with you).
Ready to Start With You?
Know how you want your home to feel before you spend a dollar on paint, tiles or trades, and protect your budget from the changes and rework that catch so many homemakers out. Choose the plan that suits you.
Pay once
$497 NZD
approx. USD $295
Save NZD $94 compared with the monthly plan- Full course, lifetime access & updates
- 7 live Q&A calls with Kristina
- Workbook, checklists & community
- All 3 bonus trainings
- 365-day money-back guarantee
3 monthly payments
$197 NZD / month
3 × NZD $197 = NZD $591 total (includes financing fee)
- Full course, lifetime access & updates
- 7 live Q&A calls with Kristina
- Workbook, checklists & community
- All 3 bonus trainings
- 365-day money-back guarantee
365-day money-back guarantee. Give it an honest go. If it doesn't help, you get a full refund.
Not quite ready to enrol? Start with Kristina's free book, Home Design DNA: Why 75% of Renovations Fail Before They Start.