Under Construction: My new studio space!
It's going to be a fun summer around here: I'm getting a "new" studio space! When my son was born (NINE years ago), and needed a room of his own, I moved my studio/office into our unfinished basement where it was mostly UN-used for a number of years because it was . . . gross. Then about four years ago I cleaned it up, made it feel more comfortable (see below), and I've been using it ever since. It's great to have a dedicated space to work, get Etsy orders ready, sew stuff, and generally make a mess (which I tend to do all over the house) but the space wasn't totally ideal. Because it's an unfinished basement that means I was lacking things like a floor, walls, and HEAT! Working in Minnesota in the winter gets cold people. Space heaters and fingerless gloves only get you so far. Not to mention the spiders!
My old studio, as seen on a very clean day!
This summer we're finishing the entire basement level of our home. It'll have a big family room, kitchenette, bathroom, laundry, storage space, and my studio. A studio which will probably eventually be a rotating bedroom for our kids as they move on to college and do the leave/return to the nest routine. I'm so excited! (Not for the leaving the nest college part, just the studio!) I've spent the past month, on and off, cleaning out my space and putting nearly everything into storage. (SO. MUCH. STUFF.) We're finalizing our plans and ordering materials this week so construction will start soon! I thought it'd be fun to share the process with you because I'm a total home decorating junkie and I love seeing how other people create their spaces.
The "before" picture: my studio space all emptied out and ready to be finished. I painted the concrete white a few years back.
For the summer I'm temporarily working on a small desk I put in a front room on our main floor. It's a lovely location but I have far too much crap to put in here. Everything else is currently in my in-laws' garage!
Below you'll see a mood board for the space. For years I've been saving images I like on my "Creative Studio Spaces" Pinterest board. I typically use a good deal of color in my home but in my studio I like to use a lot of white because it feels so clean and undistracting. There's plenty of color going on in my work! It's kind of like serving your beautiful meal on a white plate. I already own some of the items below (the desk chair and lamp, along with some white desktops). I also made a large inspiration pin board, covered in linen, back when I cozied up the space the first time. On this finishing project I'll be adding laminate floors, drywall, trim, and hopefully a lot of new storage/closets. The space was a hodgepodge of college-era storage solutions before.
Sources (when known, top to bottom): Office nook from a profile on The Design Files, Studio from Jones Design Co., Ranarp work lamp (IKEA), Large pin board project from Handmade Mood, Mosslanda picture ledge (IKEA), white office chair from Wayfair (similar one), Alex drawer unit (IKEA), gray vintage look area rug (ideas from Target).
That's about it for now! I'll be posting updates both here and on Instagram, along with some video updates there. Hopefully I'll be moving back in by the end of the summer!