It’s been a year since I first talked about making some major changes in my studio. The project started easily enough with a brand new desk and built-in shelves in my tiny office. The plan was to complete that space and then move into the main studio area to build a bunch of built-ins and change things top to bottom.
The further I got into planning, the more I realized my original vision, while attractive, wouldn’t really solve the real issue of function and efficiency in the space. I run a very busy online stationery business and I need to store and keep track of a lot of different tools, equipment and supplies which takes up a lot of space and can get really messy and unorganized very quickly when I’m really busy with orders.
The more I thought about what I needed vs. what would look the best for photos, the more I began procrastinating and having trouble making decisions.
This online world, social media, etc. has really created this expectation that every room makeover, every remodel, etc. be this beautiful, super custom, fully built and constructed masterpiece. I mean we all see these beautiful spaces revealed every day which makes these types of projects appear quick and easy. Let me tell you, they aren’t.
The truth is, I run my stationery business and this blog on my own. I work full time in the studio and run this blog when I have time. I don’t have a team of assistants to do all the work. B works full time, outside of the house and travels a lot so what we are able to get done often amazes me but it’s not churning out projects at the pace people come to expect from the internet.
In many cases, when you see a room reveal in your scroll, it’s often the result of a team of people working together to make it happen. Even if it’s presented in a way that looks DIY, chances are it’s not. The majority of us don’t realistically have the time or the finances to be churning out huge makeovers every week. Honestly, who does?
I often wonder what happens when every room in the house is done. Do people sell and move to a new fixer upper to start over so there is always fresh content? Not everyone wants to have to move every few years or has the money. It’s also stressful and a ton of extra work that for many simply isn’t doable. What about the people that don’t want to feel like they have to do a major renovation to every room in their house, regularly to keep up with the rest of the internet?
As I’ve been revisiting the studio space and forcing myself to make decisions for the efficiency of my business and sanity of my mind, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what will work for me vs. what’s going to give me the best photos.
I’ve decided for the time being that it’s more valuable to me and my businesses to add function and promote work efficiency than renovate a space because I’ll be able to take pretty pictures.
The reality for most of us is that we don’t have perfectly staged, newly renovated spaces and that’s OK, in fact, it’s normal. Making a space work for our lives doesn’t always require a complete demolition and rebuild. Sometimes it’s rearranging furniture or adding a piece or two and that can still be inspiring!
So, my studio renovation isn’t going to be a renovation at all and it’s something I’m most likely going to be working on a little at a time. We will be replacing the cheap laminate flooring with more of our oak that we used in the house, but rather than tear everything out and build from scratch, I’m building off of what I already have and making small changes to add storage, improve function and hopefully there is inspiration to take from that.
We’ve already started making some changes which you can see here. Getting organized and clearing out clutter has been at the top of my to-do list here and it’s already working.
Until next time, I hope this idea of “Less can be more” inspires you to look at your space, not as a complete gut job but as a foundation to improve upon even if it’s just adding one thing or moving things around to create a new perspective.
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