In higher vocational education, innovations are shifting from teacher-oriented to student-oriented education and hybrid learning environments. Designing these innovative environments is complex. This study aimed to gain insight into art and design teachers' rules of thumb when designing instruction in studios. The rules of thumb from experienced designers of design education provide insight into the practical knowledge essential for creating effective studio learning environments. These rules of thumb, derived from teachers' practical knowledge, outline teachers' ideas about characteristics design education should have to achieve specific student learning outcomes. Six teachers participated in this case study, to investigate this phenomenon in a real-world context. During interviews, they designed a studio for their teaching practice while thinking aloud, expressing their thoughts, actions, and reasoning. These teachers had at least four years of experience in designing art and design studios and were still active in their roles. Within and cross-case analysis revealed that learning theories are recognizable in teachers' rules of thumb when designing studio instruction. Teachers and their rules of thumb span a spectrum from cognitivism to social constructivism, with most teachers oriented towards social constructivism. This aligns with strategic design considerations at studios, which are also based on social constructivism. Typical social-constructivist rules of thumb focus on student ownership of their learning process and fostering collaboration between various actors in an authentic context. The rules of thumb from experienced designers are incorporated into the training of current and future studio designers and may inspire those who create similar innovative learning environments.