There are property stylists and then there’s Mariah Spiteri, founder of The Styling Society. Bold, unwavering, innovative and uncompromising when it comes to executing her vision, Mariah has quickly risen to become one of Melbourne’s most in demand stylists.
For our second Tallira Talks, Jessica Agoston Cleary sat down with Mariah to find out more about the secret to her ‘overnight’ success and her sources of inspiration - and in the process discovered that the distance between performing arts and a career in real estate and styling is not that far at all.
Mariah Spiteri, founder of The Styling Society
Creativity and style pulse through Mariah’s blood. From as early as she can remember she had a passion for dance and musical theatre. Obsessed with music and movement, it was her creative outlet. Yet, there was more to it than her own individual performance that she cared about. It was the stage design and the costumes too. “I always made adjustments to my own costumes,” she remembers when thinking about where her eye for style originated from. “I knew how I wanted it to look - how it could look even better with just a little adjustment here or there. And of course we had to all look amazing, so I made the same tweaks to the other girls' costumes too.”
After receiving a highly competitive scholarship to a prestigious performing arts high school, Mariah threw herself into developing her innate talent. Making the most of every opportunity that came her way, she shone not only on the stage but also behind the scenes. “The demands of musical theatre, on your body and mind are huge. And the hours and hours of practice to perform at such a high level taught me so much about myself and my limits. It’s where I learned how to think outside the box and keep pushing beyond what I thought I was capable of.”
It was this sense of style and industrious spirit that led to Mariah’s first business, an online clothing boutique. This first foray into entrepreneurship taught her invaluable lessons about business, including when to pivot. While her clothing boutique has since closed, the experience also highlighted how interconnected the world of fashion is with interiors.
As the saying goes, if you want something done, give it to a busy person. While running her business, Mariah was also working part-time as a real estate agent’s assistant, which in turn sparked an interest in property. After a few months as an assistant, she took on yet another challenge, this time working for a building company while studying construction management part-time.
This impressive determination and ability to juggle multiple complex demands enabled her to get onto the property ladder at a very young age. “I bought my first house when I was eighteen,” she says. “It was modest, but I put my practical and creative skills to use, did it up and flipped it. Then I bought a second house, flipped it, and then a third. You could say I was a bit house design and style obsessed!”
However, The Styling Society wasn’t born right at this moment. Eight years into her role at the building and construction company, two things happened that would change her life forever: the company went into voluntary administration, and the agent who helped her sell her houses made an offhand comment that she had a really good eye, had she ever thought about property styling?
She had - of course she had, she loved taking a blank canvas and infusing it with life and soul. But that was just for herself. “My style isn’t what I’d call cookie-cutter or mainstream. I really wasn’t sure if anyone else would go for it. Would someone hire me to style their property?” At the time, self doubt was hard to shake, as like many starting something new, there’s always that nagging voice that makes you question if anyone else will appreciate what you do and how you do it.
In 2023, with her once stable role now unstable, rather than waiting for the perfect moment to start her business, she decided to back herself and made a leap of faith. With the offer of her first paid styling job coming from the aforementioned real estate agent, Mariah invested her entire savings and then some into buying a house-lot of furniture and decor that would become the foundation pieces of The Styling Society.
“We were very resourceful in the beginning because we had to be,” she recalls. “Everything was stored in a shipping container in my parents driveway, and in-laws lounge room became our very own mini warehouse and packing station. “On the morning of that first job, I'd loaded up a hire truck and was on my way to the install when I got a call from the client. They'd cancelled. I had no contracts, nothing. I really had no idea what I was doing from a business perspective.”
Rather than dwelling on what felt like a devastating setback after investing her life savings, Mariah treated the experience as a lesson rather than a defeat. Drawing on her network and not being put off by hearing ‘no sorry’, she secured not one, but three new clients within weeks.
In the early days, Maraiah was styling homes and developing the business after hours and at weekends, all while working full-time for the building company. “I’m one of those people who are always busy, always on the go, always looking for the next opportunity and the next trend. What’s new, what’s exciting - that’s what I’m always craving, and I bring all of that to my business.”
But, even the most ambitious pace has its limits. By early 2025, Mariah recognised that juggling a full-time career alongside a rapidly growing business wasn't sustainable. Rather than waiting until she was completely burnt out, she made the decision to back herself once again and commit to The Styling Society full-time. “While the business is almost four years old, I’ve only been doing it full-time for a little over a year, but I am loving every minute of it.”
To maintain her passion and creativity, she makes sure she finds time for movement or meditation every morning, even if just for half an hour. And of course music. “I’m always listening to music, especially when I’m trying to figure out the direction for a project. Adele is my go to.”
This passion is evident in every Styling Society project. From styling inner north Victorian terrace houses - where her styling helped achieve the highest sale price for a single-fronted Victorian on the street in five years - to luxurious coastal new builds in Mount Martha, Mariah and her assistant Ruby infuse their signature bold, colour and texture led style into every space they touch.
“For the Mount Martha project we knew we didn’t want it to be just another luxury coastal home - it had to stand out from the others on the market,” Mariah emphasises. “It needed to have personality and soul, not just beige on beige on beige. We always start by choosing one room as the hero and deciding the mood we want to create there. We then carry that feeling through the rest of the house in more subtle ways. In this project, it was the library.”
The first space visitors see when they walk into the property, the library exudes moody sophistication, something not often associated with coastal locations. Yet it works thanks to the lush hue and scale of the Dune rug in Sapphire, which shimmers and ripples like the ocean as light catches it from different angles throughout the day. “I generally don’t believe in rules when it comes to design and styling, except for one - the bigger the rug, the better - and I’m not just saying that! A room is anchored by a rug, and there is nothing worse than a rug that is too small.”
While the library set the tone and came together effortlessly, the generous proportions of the living room, with its expansive glazing that drew the eye ever outward towards postcard-perfect vistas presented a unique challenge. At almost three times the scale of any living room The Styling Society had tackled before, Mariah knew she would need to be both creative and strategic to draw the moody thread into the room and create a feeling of intimacy, all without competing with the view.
Mariah and Ruby’s solution: the bigger the rug the better (of course), combined with modularity. The Cobble sofa proved to be the perfect piece. “What I loved about it was its proportions and its luxe, inviting quilt-like upholstery which wraps around its strong modern geometric form. It’s that perfectly balanced tension between hard and soft; lines and curves. I’m always looking for ways to create a statement without shouting.”
Paired with the Diva rug in Espresso - Mariah’s personal favourite from the collection as it can be styled in almost any setting and gives every space the layer of luxury and warmth she strives for - the result is a calm, relaxing seaside haven. Everything feels intentional, flows with a cohesive tempo and reads as entirely unique - which as every stylist knows is one of the greatest challenges of all.
Today, The Styling Society has evolved into one of Melbourne's leading property styling businesses, specialising in creating thoughtfully curated spaces that maximise a property's appeal and sale price. Alongside their styling services, they’ve expanded into interior design through our Style to Live offering, helping clients furnish and design their homes from concept through to installation with tailored furniture selections, mood boards and complete project coordination. Which is ideal for those who, like Mariah, are very busy people juggling competing demands and making all look effortless.
No good conversation is complete without a few signature questions, which is why every Tallira Talks conversation concludes with three that are simple to ask, but rarely answered simply.
1. What’s the design rule you live by?
2. What are you looking at right now that no one else seems to be talking about?
3. Complete this sentence - a beautiful room always has…
For Mariah, the answers to these questions came easily, and bear repeating: The bigger the rug the better. Stainless steel and leather for that all-important dramatic tension. And a beautiful rug and original art.
Thank you to Mariah for taking the time to share the story of The Styling Society.
Stay connected with The Styling Society on instagram, follow @_thestylingsociety
