Modern Studio Makeover

Designing a comfortable, creative and organized work space or studio can be challenging.  While you may want your space to be pretty and pleasing to the eye, it’s also important to design it to promote creativity and be free of too many distractions.  (Unlike what I have now.)

My studio/shop has undergone it’s original transformation and then a few years ago it got a bit of a makeover.  With so many changes over the past year and the struggles I’ve been going through because of all those changes, I’ve been feeling the need to wipe the slate clean and start fresh.  2017 has been my year of change so while I’m in the process of mapping out those changes inside my business, it also seems like the perfect time to give the physical shop a bit of a fresh look too.

My studio / shop is actually a small storefront in the same building where we live.  It’s more or less half of the first floor of our house with its own front and rear entrances.  There is also a door from our home’s entry hall into the shop as well as a shared, jack-and-jill powder room.  I would guess, including the small office I currently work in off the back of the shop, the space is just under 400 sq. ft.

The goal is to create a neutral space layered with texture and pattern.  As a creative, I want the space to have some personality too. I don’t think I realized until I actually starting putting my ideas together that I had a pretty clear vision of what I wanted for this space.  I want it to feel light and bright but still warm and welcoming.  It’s important for it to be comfortable since I spend so much time here, but it’s also important to feel good for clients when they meet with me here.

I’ll start with a fresh color on the walls.  I like light, bright, and neutral, but I still want something with a bit of color.  Sea Salt from Sherwin Williams is one of those colors that can look gray, green or blue depending on the lighting.  I’ll paint all the walls (except the exposed brick wall) this color to give me a base from which to layer everything else.

The two wooden bookshelves in the shop are finally going to get a much needed makeover.  I plan on sanding them down, painting them white and doing a dark stain on the tops.  On the backs of the shelves, I am thinking of adding the patterned wall paper.

The base of the counter will get a fresh coat of white paint.  I also plan to repaint the credenza and the small cabinet that serves as our shipping station.  I’d like to remove the door from the shop to my office and strip the inside of the front door to the natural wood.  I would also like to strip the door that leads to the front hallway in the house as well.

The table and chairs where most of the production and shipping takes place are all still pretty new and were really my first attempts at creating more of this kind of look.  The plan is to keep both but paint the legs of the table black.  I would also like to add a rug for under the table.

The display wall behind the credenza naturally lends itself to being kind of a feature wall.  It was originally wallpapered when we first renovated the shop but now I’m leaning toward doing a shiplap wall treatment.  Then I’d like to remount the display shelves but maybe paint them black and in the blank space at the top, either add a sign or maybe some black goose neck lighting.

I will be keeping the natural bamboo window blinds and the white drapes across the front window for now.  I would eventually like to do something different on the front window but I’m not sure what.  Really the entire window needs some TLC but that’s not in the plans or the budget for now.

Along with the makeover, I also plan on clearing the clutter and simplifying.  I really need to cut back, slim down and clear out all the old.  I’ll share more about that process along with the progress of the makeover later this month.  I’ll be starting this makeover project as soon as I return from Las Vegas with a goal of completing the project by early November.  Next week I’ll be sharing some tips on planning a project like this when you don’t have a lot of time in order to keep yourself on track and get your projects done.