Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
making a place to work
I have dreamed of having a home studio/workspace since I was young. Really. Ever since I’ve been little I’ve drawn and painted and sewn and done crafts, all on the kitchen or dining room table. Or the floor of my room. I’d see pictures of studios in magazines and think about how great it would be to have a space to leave things in progress out and a place for all of my supplies so I wouldn’t have to search through numerous boxes and bins and cabinets to find stuff, usually not finding it and getting discouraged and giving up.
Now I have that space. It makes me so happy and it feels like a huge luxury. The last few days I’ve been going down and just standing in the space, turning around. I feel proud that I took what was a grim storage room in our basement and turned it into one of my favorite rooms in the house, basically by clearing out and throwing tons of paint at it. In January I wrote about turning our basement storage room into a studio space -painting and cleaning and clearing out and organizing. And now here it is August, and I’m almost done. Even though it has been 7 months, the actual time that I worked on this was probably a week. Life just got in the way between days 3 and 7:)
basement studio plan (formerly storage space) aprox. 13′ x 16′
So many people have told me that they have the same dream too, and it’s really so doable, I thought I would tell you about the process of setting up my space. And if you think you don’t have a place for a studio, look again. Our basement was seriously nasty (and the rest of it still is) but with a lot of cleaning and a lot of paint you can work wonders.
So, here are a few tips about setting up a workspace quickly in less than desirable conditions, without a lot of money:
Do one high impact thing right away
Choose something that will look like you’ve made progress, make you happy and get you motivated to continue. For me that was painting one of the dirty tan concrete block walls white. Once that wall was clean and white, the space was brighter and I could envision what it would all be like. Then I taped up some photographs so I’d have something inspirational to look at every time I entered the room.
Get everything out of the space that doesn’t have to go there
Put everything else into bins, boxes or bags. This was really important for me. It was overwhelming to think about organizing all of my fabric, supplies, books, etc. plus all of the basement items not related to my studio that needed to stay in the room. I just threw everything into plastic bins and baskets and stacked them in the middle of the room. Once the visual clutter was organized I could breathe easier. Each bin might have random stuff inside that still needed to be sorted and put away but that could happen later after the major parts of the room were organized.
Paint is transformative and white is magic.
Paint is relatively cheap and painting a space with a fresh coat will really make it feel clean, bright and new. I’m a big proponent of painting walls, woodwork, shelving, doors, ceilings and floors all the same color, preferably white. Painting over everything, especially in a basement space, will make it feel cohesive, especially when you have a bunch of disparate and not exactly great materials. I painted the concrete block walls, old wood storage shelving, existing peg board walls and dry, cracked window trim. Having it all the same color makes the space seem bigger. Now my eye doesn’t catch on all the nooks and crannies and stains and it feels fresh. Making it all white allows everything you put into the space take a front seat. I want to focus on the work I’m making and bits of art I put in the space, not the old cracked walls. Colorful art and fabric doesn’t have to compete with the background. And white bounces what little light there is around, making it brighter. To this end the tables, desks and cabinets I added are all white as well, and become part of the room.
I draped some fabric on the wall to hide ugly exposed conduit and outlet
make do and make peace with settling for less.
You might remember my masterplan for our basement studio and playspace. Well as I mentioned in January, if I waited for exactly what I wanted I’d still be waiting. So I started thinking about what I really needed, and how I could make that happen with what I could do myself, using things I had or could buy inexpensively. One of the most important things for me is light. I need the space to be bright to work and since it is in the basement that requires electric lighting. Hiring an electrician would be out of my budget but I didn’t want to take the time to learn how to wire up track lighting myself. I started poking around the hardware store and discovered that you can get an adaptor to make track lighting plug in. It took about an hour to screw 3 strips of track to the underside of the joists, attach the plug to the end and snap in the light heads. Then I just stapled the cords to the joists and ran them all to one power strip. Almost instant halogen light that is adjustable to any corner of the room.
There are several spots in the room that have exposed conduit and outlets featured prominently on the middle of walls. I draped some fabric over them and call them art:)
Prioritize and phase things
I painted all the walls but left the floor and ceiling for later. The ceiling (exposed joists, ductwork and conduit) and floor (exposed concrete) will take much longer and be more expensive. I decided that having everything that is at eye level clean and fresh would make the biggest difference.
Use what you have
A few nice items will make all the IKEA/Target/hardware store stuff look better. I shopped our storage and found a mid century chair and dresser that we weren’t using and put them in the space, and now my eye notices the beautiful danish teak first rather than the white coated particle board.
floor to ceiling curtains hide existing built-in storage shelves full of tools and paint
Be flexible and think creatively
There are some existing built in shelves in the space that we have filled with paint cans, tools and various other house things that we really don’t have room for anywhere else. The shelves are ugly and the stuff on them is always jumbled and random. I put up a long floor to ceiling curtain over the front and now I don’t have to see the stuff inside but it’s still easily accessible. It was cheap and easy to put up and I like the added softness and texture of the curtain in the space.
rolls of fabric are stored on high deep wire shelves
You can never have too much storage
Keeping materials off of your work surface keeps the space feeling big and open which will inspire you to want to be in it.
high worktable made out of painted doors on adjustable IKEA legs
The BIG table.
For me the key to having the most efficient and easy to use workspace is a big center work table. If you put a large work surface in the center of a room, you have a large area to lay things out on and you can easily move around it on all sides. The wall surface can become pin up space, or if you have room can accommodate a desk, shelving or other work surface and you can easily move between the two by just turning. Visually the large surface in the center actually makes the space feel bigger. Underneath the table I can store all of those bins full of stuff that I mentioned previously, and it will be there out of sight until I can get to organizing it.
To make a large, inexpensive worktable I took two hollow core doors and added inexpensive IKEA legs. The ones I got are adjustable in height, if you don’t need that option they are even cheaper. Solid doors are more sturdy and would have been preferable, but they were triple the price. On the entrance side of the table I put an IKEA bookcase, to store books and hide all the bins behind. When I walk in I see a pretty shelf full of books, not all the junk under the table.
Some IKEA shopping tips
Of course I wish I could have all of my furniture and cabinets made by my furniture maker friends but this isn’t possible right now. So I turned to IKEA, which is a good option for simple background pieces, as long as you are careful in your selections.
Do a lot of research on their website and look at all of the categories, not just workspace or storage. I originally wanted the EFFEKTIV workspace storage cabinets, but my space was 1 inch too narrow for them to go wall to wall. I really wanted the cabinets to be wall to wall for a sleeker, more built in look. I searched through all of their furniture, and finally came up with a configuration of BESTA media cabinets that fit exactly. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the BESTA cabinets. They seem quite sturdy and went together quickly and seamlessly.
Take advantage of IKEA’s shopping list feature. Once I found the cabinets I wanted, I just added all of the components, accessories and inserts to my shopping list and printed it out. The list tells you the price and which aisle and bin number the item is located in. It only took me an hour to go purchase everything and get back home again.
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 8:43 am:
such an inviting studio and great tips! looks like a lovely place to work.
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 9:15 am:
right, I’m going to buy paint right now!
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 9:18 am:
Oh, Martha, it is lovely. I need to paint my pottery studio so so badly. And the basement, but I did, at least, clear that out!
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 9:24 am:
when I first saw the photos of this project, I thought you’d turned your dining room into your work space, its just so full of light! I was really encouraged when I saw that this is your basement. It is so full of inspiration, at every corner. I just love it!
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 9:28 am:
Wow Martha, this is really great. Thanks for all of the advice. Now I’m dying to go makeover my studio
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 10:13 am:
Wow is right….geez Martha it looks amazing. You are so great to share all these tips. Thanks so very much and a huge heart felt congratulations on having your dream space!!!
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 10:31 am:
well done, martha! it is all so lovely - crisp, clean and very inspiring. i have two rooms in my basement that are full of junk, but have nice windows. you have me looking at them in an entirely different way.
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 10:33 am:
you know, we are thinking of doing something a lot like this in our garage as a place for the girls. You give me a lot of hope that it will actually work and CAN look great!
Really awesome Martha!
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 12:04 pm:
i know much about dreaming of a studio. i had a large basement set up with everything i needed. than we moved to a very small apartment. my vast studio was now a small closet with the dining table as my working everything table. i am happy to say we have moved to a new house with a studio. th ehouse is not that great…but the STUDIO…congrat.
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 12:43 pm:
this is so, so good. we might be moving soon, and i will be able to have my own space! i’m so excited. for now, it will most likely be able to be one of the bedrooms, requiring a little less work than a basement. though someday (emphasis on someday) when there are small people around who need their own rooms, i’ll probably get moved into the basement. i’ll have to bookmark these tips for then.
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 12:56 pm:
your space is wonderful, martha! i love all the white as though it’s a blank canvas. all the storage solutions are perfect. i really like the pegboard and the collage of photos reads as one from a distance. i personally envy all of that space you have. enjoy your studio and we’ll enjoy the work you create and share with us from there. thank you for the detailed process!
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 1:00 pm:
thank you all for the nice comments. I wish I was better at indoor photography -this was especially challenging because of the different lights. there are some florescent and some halogen. makes crazy colors in the photos:)
I wish you guys could all come over and hang out. although I wouldn’t get much work done then….:)
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 1:11 pm:
so impressed, martha. really. it looks great.
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 1:23 pm:
So inspiring. You are so smart, Martha. Great post. I really want a space of my own to work. Right now I’ve a little corner in the living room. I work on the floor a lot. Bad for the back.
Our spare bedroom is the logical choice, but I bet as soon as I finish fixing it up, I’ll get pregnant and my workroom will become a nursery!!
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 1:30 pm:
It’s wonderful! I’m drooling
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 1:38 pm:
Beautiful workspace ! How convenient it must be to spread fabrics on that big center (cat approved) table.
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 2:00 pm:
GASP.
Me want.
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 2:48 pm:
wow, it looks amazing. And your tips are great. I’ve actually been thinking about making a bit long high table out of a couple of hollow doors, for a screenprinting work surface in our basement. It’s funny that you did the same thing! And affirming!
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 3:15 pm:
It is beautiful and inspiring! Congratulations on the new place and the great job making it!
I am in the middle of a similar remake and following almost same principles /colored the walls/. Reading your experience was very useful. Thank you for sharing it!
I am now choosing the big table height and sewing tables height, How did you determined yours? I was about to get a cross height big table but and felt uncertain…
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 3:29 pm:
You are very inspiring Martha! I have a sudden urge to go downstairs and re-organize.
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 3:34 pm:
It’s so so great. My daughter just moved out of her room and we’ve been going around and around with what do do with her room. This gives me a great place to start.
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 4:36 pm:
Love your work. You’ve articulated so many great tips here- thanks so much for sharing!
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 4:48 pm:
wow. what a beautiful space! I feel very inspired to make my own space now. thanks for the tips, too.
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 5:21 pm:
This is entirely great. My studio is my basement as well but does not even compare. With your tips I’m heading into a re-do!
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 5:52 pm:
Thanks for sharing such an inspiration!
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 6:23 pm:
Beautiful space, I am in love with your giant table, if only I could fit something that big.
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 8:18 pm:
good for you for making what you have work! and for doing it so inexpensively. i so enjoyed reading this post. you have a lovely studio and should be very proud of your space.
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 9:19 pm:
Wow! Congratulations on making your dream space a reality. You may have designed it differently if you had had a larger budget, but I think your challenge made for very creative choices… and your step by step details opened the door to so many future studios around the world. Thanks, Martha! This was such an impressive and inspiring transformation!
on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 9:22 pm:
Martha,
I absolutely love what you have done and find it so inspiring. We have gone with a lot of color in our house here because of lack of color outside in winter, but I always deep down love all white. Thanks for telling how you did everything, especially the large table. My creative space needs something like this and I was thinking of a similar idea. I am inspired to finish the room instead of leaving it half done.
Nice job and thanks!
Sigrid
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 1:28 am:
Congratulation….. Once in a while when I am spending a lot of time building my studio I think…why is it so important ? well it just is… enjoy and thanks for all the pictures…
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 1:50 am:
Fantastic and inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 6:18 am:
Looks wonderful - looks quiet and peaceful and the lighting seems perfect! I can’t wait to see what you create from this new space.
And let me know if you want to talk about patterns!
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 9:49 am:
wow martha!
i’m jealous of your space!
it looks amazing…
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 10:40 am:
Hey there - amazing job! Enjoy working in that lovely space!
I did something similar in my own studio space (formerly a garage) and I’ll chime in about the powers of fresh white paint. Such a difference it makes! One hint though… floors, not that expensive or time consuming. Paint works wonders there too. They have such a thing as concrete floor paint. Easy peasy. Color too if you want (admittedly mine is grey…) After painting the walls white this made the biggest difference for me. Of course your floors don’t look bad at all - mine did.
Again, great job!!
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 12:06 pm:
looks great! the lighting tips are great- i’m going to look for that track lighting adapter- lighting is so important!
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 1:17 pm:
martha - i love this! i’m in the midst of shifitng things around in my own work space and your beautiful finished product will be what keeps me going to finish my own project! thank you for sharing. hope to see you soon!
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 2:41 pm:
looks phenom. martha.
congrats!!!! so happy for you!
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 2:44 pm:
oh my. there is SO much inspiration here!
it looks absolutely wonderful….. thanks for all the tips!
on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 4:41 pm:
[…] Yesterday, only a few hours after measuring my arms in various positions,,, I found the Uniform Studio new studio making story here. […]
on Thursday, August 20th, 2009 at 6:45 pm:
Martha,
Would you mind sharing what type of paint you used on the concrete block walls? Your lovely space has inspired me to brighten a part of my basement with the same type of wall. I’m lucky enough to have a little main floor craft space but this would work perfectly for brightening up my tiny yoga space! Thanks for the amazing amount of tips all in one post!
on Thursday, August 20th, 2009 at 8:23 pm:
martha, it’s just so spectacular. i keep coming back and coming back and coming back to look. everything looks so polished and beautiful, and it’s so encouraging to read about how you made it all happen. i’m reconsidering my basement!
on Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 7:43 am:
[…] Sewing: only things knitting/crochet-related of late, but would like to get a sewing nook set up one day (or like this one) […]
on Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 9:52 am:
What a beautiful workspace, and such great tips too!!!Thanks for this inspirational post!
on Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 10:21 am:
I have a large space to organize into my workspace/studio. This is just the kind of inspiration I need to get it organized and usable.
on Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 3:11 pm:
your workspace is so…clean!!! I’ve hade the same drean for a long time until I found me one area……good work for you
on Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 7:58 pm:
i’m inspired! i have two spaces for projects, but i always have to rush to put things away.
two items i purchased that you might find useful, and both from joann’s, using their 40% coupon:
a large, padded rectangular ironing surface for a table top with a grid on reverse, and a 40 X 60 self-healing cutting mat.
on Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 11:24 pm:
wow! i love it. i really like that it’s on another level of your house. my studio is pretty much right in the middle of everything so i feel like i am always in the same space, even when the lights are off in the studio and i am someplace else in the apartment.
on Saturday, August 22nd, 2009 at 7:45 pm:
love your ideas for creating a studio. I especially like using what you have. I recently converted a shed into my workspace…so far so good! Thanks for the inspiration!
on Monday, August 24th, 2009 at 8:11 am:
It really turned out great Martha. I expect a tour the next time I’m over. A couple silly comments: IKEA - couldn’t agree more. The cabinets that we’re lining our basement with are actually kitchen wall cabinets. If you confine yourself to the stated purpose you never find what you want. And even though I’m not a white person (you know what I mean) the cabinets are white because there is no better way to hold onto light. Your basement master plan looks an awful lot like mine. I must not have been a reader when you posted as I don’t remember it. Of course, we’ve been taking the forever route and have now been in progress for over 2 yrs. That’s no fun. Now, I’m going to have to look into this lighting stuff as I’m still struggling with it in our basement. That and the lack of outlets.
on Monday, August 24th, 2009 at 8:56 am:
thank you all for your nice comments.
I really am still pinching myself. It’s such a pleasure to work in a clean, organized space.
For the person who asked, and anyone else interested, the white I used here and the color I use everywhere really is:
Sherwin Williams Extra White.
it is the magic white. it is SW’s base paint, so it has no underlying tones of any other color. and it works in every situation, from modern to traditional. I’ve used it on many architectural projects over the years and everyone has been very happy with it.
on Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 at 12:23 am:
wow, your studio looks amazing! maybe you’ll inspire me to clean up and organize around here.
on Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 at 2:12 am:
LOVE your studio - thank you for sharing - it’s very inspiring. As you know I’m in the middle of setting up my own craft room and I might try out using some of your tips ;o) Hopefully I can make room for a center table!
on Friday, August 28th, 2009 at 3:00 pm:
Brilliant, truly.
I could stare at the color-ordered peg board for hours.
Oops. Seems I already have.
on Sunday, August 30th, 2009 at 9:46 am:
wow martha-
it looks fantastic!
how i dream
of my own studio…
your list is
amazingly
practical
and resourceful…
even with life
getting in the way,
7 months seems
like a short time
to get so much done!
congrats on
your new studio!
xo
on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 at 4:09 am:
Well, I”m a little late coming to the party but enjoying myself immensely nonetheless. What a wondrous transformation has taken place in your basement. I loved the tour.
I’m looking forward to checking out more of your work. Meanwhile, I’m posting a link to your studio on my blog today.
on Monday, September 7th, 2009 at 12:52 pm:
martha, WOW. this is absolutely amazing. congratulations on such an awesome space! this makes me wish we had a dark mucky basement for me to clean up
it’s so beautiful and i know it will be so inspiring to work in!
xo