My Studio.....On a Perfect Day

I love looking at pictures of artists' studios.  I find what they choose to surround themselves with in their work environment fascinating.  Do they like a space full of clutter?  Do they like everything put away in a pristine space?  Is the room full of secondhand finds or filled with sleek modern furnishings?  Do they decorate, or is it only full of necessities? How do they organize their supplies?  Are they forced to work in a tiny corner tucked in a room of their house, or are they fortunate enough to have a whole building at their disposal?  Just like the art they create, I have found that each studio is unique.  Today I'm going to share my studio with you.

I'm not blessed with square footage.  My studio is contained in a bedroom of our home.  It measures 11 feet 6 inches by 8 feet 10 inches, but I lose some space because the doorway is angled across one corner.  So, not very big by anyone's standards.  But I've made it work.  It's been through several rearrangements over the years, but last year I think I finally found the best solution. 

In March of last year I EMPTIED the room except for my drafting table that was too awkward to get through the door, and two tall heavy bookcases I didn't want to move around too much.  I had spent a WEEK plotting different arrangements on graph paper, with little cutouts of all the furniture that must go in.  It was tricky, but one day something finally clicked.  After hauling everything out, I spent another TWO WEEKS putting it all back together.  When it was done, I was almost afraid to work in there, because I didn't want to mess it up!  (Truth be told, I'm a very messy worker.  I'm trying to get better about clearing up each day when I'm finished, but that doesn't always happen.)

After days of purging supplies I didn't need, and sorting everything I did, I found a place for everything, and managed to make it look fairly good.  It's still a bit more crowded than I would like, but everything in this room either has a function, or it's something I LOVE. 

So, here's my studio.....on its very best day:

This view was taken from the doorway of the longest wall.  I have a small desk for my sewing machine, a folding table juts out from the wall to hold my printer and paper cutter, and beside that is my main work area, a drafting table my husband bought me shortly after we married.  All the art work on this wall is my own.

Looking back toward the closet, which is filled to the gills with 'stuff'. (Oh, you can see the ratty chair.  I have a cat.  With claws.  And she's done a number on it.  Rather this than my couch!)

A closer look at my work table.  I LOVE little plastic drawers, and I think whoever thought of making them is a GENIUS.  I have tons of them, as you can see.  The tiny ones on my table hold open packages of clay and buttons sorted by color.  (I love to sort things by color!)  I painted an old wooden chest that has been around in my family for as long as I can remember.

No space goes unused in my room.  I have more drawers under the table (it's a deep table).  These hold my clay and lots of paper crafting supplies.

My Cricut (another gift from my husband) is handy on the table under the window.  More drawers....these FULL of ribbon.

Hard to get a good angle of this whole wall.  It's about 8 feet.  More storage and my two big bookcases full of books and 'fun stuff' that I love.  You can see a tiny peek of the border I painted around the ceiling. 

I was thrilled when the stack of cubes, the two stacks of drawers and the bookshelves all lined up in height.  I'm sort of a dork about things like that, and it was just a happy accident!

I think shoe bags are particularly handy, and not just for shoes (although I have several that do actually hold shoes).  This one holds tools, my Cricut cartridges and other odd things.

One more view of the stacks.  The cubes are filled with paper.  The shallow drawers hold rubber stamps, more embellishments, and my paper scraps sorted by color (because you NEVER throw away your scraps!).  The deeper drawers have more ribbon----yes, more ribbon--acrylic stamps and other assorted embellishments. 

In a perfect world my room would always look like this.  Sadly, it does not.  In an even more perfect world, I would have a space about four times this size, but that's not going to happen.  I do love my work room.  Lots of wonderful things have happened in here, and there is lots more to come.

What sort of space do you work in?  Is it messy or perfectly organized all the time? 

I'm off to my studio!  Have a great day!

Lisa