Creating a creative studio

Take a look at my new creative studio. A space designed for me to work in, to create in, and to teach small classes in. I'm delighted with my new space. A new chapter in my life has really begun.

The first thing I needed to do was to rationalise the space. I needed an office space. I need to be clever with storage as I wanted to keep as much wall space clear to display paintings. I needed to completely change the sink area as it was a mess and simply not fit for purpose. I needed a workspace for students to take part in classes. I needed the entrance to welcoming for visitors. Oh my goodness there was a lot to do.

We started with the entrance area, which needed to accommodate my office area and a place for visitors to sit, enjoy and feel welcome and comfortable. I've chosen some laminate flooring, which looks like white washed floorboards. My Dad, laid the floor for me and it instantly helped me visualise how beautiful a practical space really can be.


I upcycled an old pine dressing table, which used to be a rather redundant table in the corner of the lower level studio. Now it's a whitewashed desk, beautiful and practical.  A homemade and colourful calendar above the desk, to write all over, and my Right Brain business plan, next to me, to keep me inspired and focused. An old pine table, also up cycled and whitewashed to display cards and merchandise on, and a new book case. Some up-cycled directors chairs will complete the look in a couple of weeks. Today, I'm sitting at that pretty little desk, blogging about how beautiful my new space is. What a great feeling

The next area to tackle was the sink area.
I needed to change the orientation of the brilliant metal sink, to allow more than one person to clean up at a time.
I needed to change the cupboards and units to allow for more storage of solvents, mediums and tools. I needed plenty of work surface behind the sink allowing me to re use some solvents, letting the paint settle, thus preventing unnecessary waste to be put down the sink. The transformation is amazing and again, thanks go to Dad's expertise in getting all this fitted.

The main body of the studio has been transformed by removing the cumbersome old drawing boards and replacing them with worktop space with storage and stools beneath. I still have plenty of space for big easels and chests of drawers for sketchbooks, paints and rags. The  white flooring bounces light from the daylight bulbs making a beautiful space to create beautiful works of art.

I am utterly thrilled with the result and can't wait to deliver my first workshops in my new space.
It was well worth all the effort to make the transformation and huge thanks to my family for helping me make this possible.