This weekend has been an exciting one for me as I moved into my new studio at the end of the garden! When we bought this house two years ago we knew we wanted to transform the brick built shed into a studio and my frustration at working on half a desk in the spare room was the motivation to get it done. The shed was solidly built but needed everything doing to it – new roof and ceiling, new window, brick up doors, replace other window with double doors, new electrics, plumbing to fit a toilet and washbasin, build a wall to make a cloakroom, insulate and plaster walls, insulate and lay new floor, and furniture!
I love seeing and reading about other people's workspaces, nooks and studios so I thought I'd give you a tour of my new space. I only moved in last night so there's a lot more for me to do to make it feel like home.
The chair, table and bookshelves all came from Ikea. My faithful brother sewing machine was a birthday present from my husband a few years ago and serves me well. Leaning against the wall you can just see Gabs of the green gables created for me by Kirsty, as soon as I get her a frame she'll be in pride of place on the wall. Under the table is a picnic basket a friend found for me in a charity shop and of course there's a length of bunting hung up!
The suitcases were used by my aunty to tour Europe decades ago. I think my mum then went to college with them. The mannequin, wearing a mini pinny, was an eBay bargain bought from a school PTA. I think the kids may have named it as the underside of the stand reads Ben! The little bag in front is my sewing bag, yet another charity shop find, and the basket full of yarn and needles is a secondhand gem I found on eBay. You can see one of two ancient wood and wire birdcages here, they came from a charity shop too, not sure if birds were ever kept in them (I hope not). Are you getting the idea I like secondhand yet?
My fabric is a mix of charity shop shirts, remnant bin finds, vintage fabrics and new cotton fabrics bought locally. Scraps get chucked in the basket to be used at a late date. My storage is a strange mixture of baskets given by a friend, plastic Chinese takeaway boxes and crystal brandy glasses. If you can see my embroidery threads, they're in a Singapore Sling glass I bought from Raffles Hotel in Singapore! You can just see the gorgeous old Singer sewing machine peeking through the bunting, still haven't found the time to get it working…
The sofabed was given to us by a friend a few years ago, and with the studio having its own toilet (you can just see the cloakroom door on the right) and running water, the room can also be used as an occasional guest bedroom. The coffee table is actually an ingenious invention that can be raised to different heights, the top spun round and flipped open to make a dining table. My parents gave it to us as a wedding present when we lived in a little flat in London where furniture needed to multi-task. The cloth on the coffee table was beautifully embroidered by my aunty about 60 years ago. Oh and that's my dog, Georgie, on her blanket. She knows better than to come anywhere near my work or fabrics.
My Anne of Green Gables quote poster adds a much needed splash of turquoise and dose of inspiration.
The transformation of the little building at the end of our garden has been so successful and it makes me super happy. It's gone from being a place to dump stuff to a useful space that has added a whole extra room to our home. In case you're interested, those are my veg beds on the left hand side, the green stalks you can see are onions and you can just see some salad leaves in the corner. Several packets of wildflower seeds have been sown in the bed on the right so hopefully that won't stay a boring patch of dirt for long.
I hope you enjoyed the tour around my new nook (and veg patch). What do you love about the space you create in?
I love your workspace and am now green with envy, it is lovely. Loving all the second hand buys and aren't take-away tubs useful, I have lots for art stuff too (was given them my a family who have lots of take-aways).
Posted by: scentedsweetpeas | Monday, 28 June 2010 at 14:46
i love renovation/makeover pics. thanks for the tour. your studio building looks so unique and inviting from the garden. great job!
Posted by: jessie b | Monday, 28 June 2010 at 16:55
so fun!! I love it :)
Posted by: amy t schubert | Monday, 28 June 2010 at 17:23
What a beautiful studio! And how clever to make it convertible into a guest room.. looks so fresh and uncluttered.. I SO need to declutter!
Posted by: SarahLP | Tuesday, 29 June 2010 at 09:20
I'm coming to visit - yay!
I'm planning to stuff one of those birdcages under my shirt and see if I can take it home without you noticing - yay!
xx
PS. It *does* look amazing, and am so happy for you. Also, v impressed with your man's DIYing.
Posted by: Kirsty | Tuesday, 29 June 2010 at 17:56
Wow, it's absolutely gorgeous. I need a grand tour soon please. You'll be so happy working from there! x
Posted by: Kelly | Wednesday, 30 June 2010 at 17:03
Aw, thanks for writing such lovely things! I do love my little nook, hubbie and I sat in there yesterday evening with a glass of pink fizz to toast it. Now, I'd better get on and make full use of it!
Posted by: the green gal | Thursday, 01 July 2010 at 10:26
Gorgeous space! My room is a complete mess at the moment but I love that it is somewhere I can escape to and just be creative!
Posted by: Lisa | Thursday, 01 July 2010 at 11:08
Looks great, well done! Makes all the difference having your own work space!
The only thing I miss from working from the dining/kitchen table is not being in the middle of everything anymore, and being further from the fridge ;)
But I quickly got over it! :D
Posted by: Annabelle | Tuesday, 06 July 2010 at 10:18
How lucky you are to have your own separate space. Mine is the the space between the kitchen and the living room so, I'm always in the center of everyone!!!
Posted by: Jcgracedesigns | Wednesday, 07 July 2010 at 02:05