Why DTC Brands Are Booking Lifestyle Studios Instead of Shooting In-House

Instagram’s not a product showcase anymore. It’s a vibe check. Scroll 3 seconds and you’ll know if a brand gets it - or if they’re still stuck in 2018 with white backdrops and bad lighting. And the DTC brands that get it? They’re not shooting in-house.

They’re booking lifestyle studios.

Real spaces. Real light. Real context. Because the 2025 shopper doesn’t care about what the product does. They care about what the product feels like in their life.

DTC photoshoots used to be functional. Now they’re editorial.

Back when most DTC brands launched on Shopify and used Facebook Ads to scale, you could shoot product-on-white, run carousels with 20% off, and see real conversions.

That’s over. CPMs are up. Organic is real again. And TikTok/Instagram is the new landing page. Every post is a brand asset. Every scroll is a test.

And if you shoot everything in your warehouse corner with a Godox light and a white sheet? You're losing to the kid who booked a styled shoot in Delhi with props, texture, and taste.

It’s not just about pretty. It’s about believability.

We’ve seen the data. Creators are outperforming polished ads. Lo-fi beats hi-fi. But lo-fi doesn’t mean lazy. It means considered.

Lifestyle studios are built for that.

Look at this beige living room set in Gurugram on BOOKD. It’s not a real house. But it feels like one. That’s the trick.

It gives you:

• Real-world scale and depth (not flat backdrops)
• Controlled lighting that feels natural
• Built-in art direction (without hiring a set stylist)

Your viewer doesn’t clock this consciously. But subconsciously? They're in.

Why brands are shifting away from in-house

Let’s be blunt. In-house shoots work for fast and dirty content. Maybe a BTS reel. Maybe UGC-style explainers.

But when you need:

• A seasonal drop campaign
• A hero carousel for your site
• A lookbook for PR
• Paid ads with high scroll-stopping potential

...then in-house isn't cutting it.

Booking a space like Japandi Living Room Set in Gurugram that’s already set up apartment-style, with wooden floors and lifestyle corners, saves:

• Set up time
• Prop budget
• Your team’s brain power

Plus, let’s not ignore the emotional lift. When your team shows up at a professional space, they behave differently. They perform. They respect the process.

Studio rentals = modular content days

You don’t need a studio for every post. You need one studio day that gives you 40+ assets.

How DTC brands are running it:

• 1 photographer + 1 videographer + 1 stylist + 2 models
• Book a BOOKD Multi-Set studios for 6 hours
• Shoot product, portraits, UGC demos, reels, gifs
• Change angles, backdrops, outfits

By the end: you’ve got hero shots, homepage banners, TikTok drafts, email assets, and retail POP content. All from one space.

Studios like Versatile Multi-set Studio in Delhi are literally designed for this kind of volume. Every corner = a different look.

Why lifestyle beats static backdrops

Let’s run a test. Two images.

A plain packshot of a serum bottle on a white table.

The same bottle on a terrazzo bathroom counter, near a towel, with morning sunlight spilling in.

Which one do you click?

Exactly.

Context > Clarity.

And lifestyle studios let you create that context at scale - without shooting in someone’s home or renting a flat you can’t modify.

The bonus? These studios are designed with creators in mind:

• Plug points for charging
• Natural light + controllable shadows
• Flexible furniture
• Private changing zones

How to pick a lifestyle studio (from experience)

Here’s what actually matters when you’re scouting:

• North-facing windows for that soft light
• Props included (saves you ₹₹₹ and a lot of hauling)
• Wall textures - matte, not glossy
• Zoning - does the space allow 3–4 setups or is it just one hero spot?

Use BOOKD filters for “Living Room Studios” and look for listings that show you if they have natural light coming in or room to place lights to mold your mood .

Studio rental pricing vs in-house costs

Let’s do napkin math:

In-house setup:

• Art direction (₹10k)
• Prop buying (₹5k–₹10k)
• Styling team (₹8k)
• Setup and cleanup (4 hours wasted)

BOOKD studio rental:

• ₹1500–₹3000/hour
• No cleanup
• No prop haul
• Just walk in and shoot

Plus, you can book last minute - some listings confirm within 30 minutes.

Real example: apparel DTC brand from Delhi

One of our repeat users runs a streetwear brand in India.

Their first shoots were done in a friend’s living room. Looked okay. Got 100 likes.

They switched to a lifestyle studio booked via BOOKD - a minimal space in Gurugram. Natural light, pre-lit corners, raw edges.

Same product.

The photos? Landed on 4 mood boards. Got reshared by a streetwear meme page. Orders went up 27% week-over-week.

What Instagram is rewarding right now

You don’t have to chase the algorithm. Just know what it’s showing love to:

• Scroll-stopping first frames
• Natural lighting
• Contextual styling (not fake-looking sets)
• Short-form BTS that feels intimate
• Looped formats - e.g., "get ready with me" shot in a styled set

All of these perform better in a lifestyle studio than your office or warehouse corner.

BOOKD: the cheat code for aesthetic scale

If you’re a DTC brand in India and not using BOOKD, you’re wasting time.

The platform lets you browse, filter, and book aesthetic, production-ready spaces in:

• Mumbai
• Delhi
• Bangalore
• Chandigarh
• And more every week

And these aren’t janky rentals. They’re curated. Pre-lit. Moodboard-ready.

Need a white cyclorama? Covered.
Need a pastel set with a modular wall? Done.
Need a podcast studio with velvet chairs and good lamps? Book it in 5 mins.

No more shoot delays. Just plug and play.

This is how you stop reinventing the wheel.
This is how your brand starts looking expensive without spending lakhs.
This is how you win the scroll.

→ Explore studio spaces on BOOKD
→ Create once. Use 30 times. Make it aesthetic. Make it fast.

No fluff. Just production that moves like your brand does.