studio inspiration
February 8, 2007I don’t know if you do this, but it always helps me to design a space when I have some inspiration to go by… I am not so good at making up interior design I guess. So I keep a book of cut out pictures from magazines, paint chips, fabrics, etc. It helps me to recognize what “my home style” is… I can see tendencies when it’s all in one place (huh… much like a work portfolio). I have several clippings for what I want my new studio to look like. Maybe “feel like” is a better word though. I want a serene space that is airy and warm and well-organized and allows me to be messy without worrying. A bright space that’s a little dream-like.
I initially wanted white floors, but was talked out of it by smarter people than I (hello… you paint). Instead I got new wood floors (there was nasty purple carpet in there before…) and I love it. I painted the walls white with a little tone of yellow and gray in there… just a tiny, whispery hint. And there it sits until I get a moment to get back to it. (There are other rooms more pressing right now, like hanging a shower curtain, etc).
I thought I’d share my inspiration pics…
I found two chairs similar to the ones in the first picture below at a thrift store for $5 each (sweet!). They are really old and need to be reupholstered and painted. I also have a large print I am going to frame to go on the right side of the window. And my mother in law is making me some pink pillows:
Let there be light! Here was the pic that inspired my dreaming of white floors:
My ceilings angle like this (I like the b/w rug with the red chairs… but they don’t look very comfortable.):
It’ll come around slowly. I love keeping my eyes open for similar things in thrift stores. There’s also a flea market right up the street from my house that I need to check out too… Time for some wandering…
February 8th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
This looks like great inspiration! And they’re all so light - lovely for a studio space.
February 8th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
I like the second picture. I wish my studio looked that way. So bright airy and with lots of space
February 8th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
So very dreamy, indeed! I’d been trying to remember to cut & paste into an inspiration book, but I haven’t done so in a while. But now that you mention it…
February 8th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
oooh, this is one of my favorite things to do! i absolutely love tearing out pictures of beautiful rooms to inspire me later. i’ve been doing it for years, and it’s interesting to see how my tastes slowly change over time.
pretty stuff!
February 9th, 2007 at 1:09 am
I would love to have a white wooden floor on my studio! Sure there wil be paint spilled on the floor, but doesn’t that make the floor a lot more interesting? You are an illustrator, you paint. Your floor should reflect what you do by showing traces of your work. Your floor becomes a sort of diary. Each color represents an assignment you have memories of.
And when the floor get’s too messy, just sand it and re-paint it. Just like with a canvas.
The second picture is my dream-studio.
February 9th, 2007 at 5:22 am
these are fantastic! what magazine/ book are the photos from? i love the white floors too.
I used to feel geeky because i have a binder filled with stuff like this. thanks for making me feel better. come to connecticut!
have a great weekend-
February 9th, 2007 at 6:35 am
Maureen: they are from random library books about studio design that I got from the library… I didn’t think ahead to copy down the titles. (doh!)… Geeks unite! hee. :) -p
February 9th, 2007 at 8:03 am
Very cool and very clean-lined. I keep a decor notebook, too, and there’s a big wine crate filled with magazines that I’m not quite ready to tear up or throw out. http://www.craigslist.com is a great place to find stuff, too.
February 9th, 2007 at 9:08 am
I love, love, love the second photo. We are painting our old wood floors white this spring! :) There is brown carpet there now and I adore the fresh, airy, cottage look of white painted wood floors. This is for our guest bedroom though. My husband wants to do stamped concrete for our studio, so we can be a little messy. A nice concrete with some color variations in it and some area rugs tossed here and there to soften it up. Can’t wait to see what you do to your space! The wisest advice I got when we moved in to our home was to wait before making big decisions of changing things. She told me that you have to live there awhile to get a feel for the space and what works/doesnt work for you and the house. So don’t rush it all… leave some things to look forward to. :)
February 9th, 2007 at 9:18 am
Gah! Beth! You’re confirming my worst fear! Namely: The Fear of Having Hastily And Radically Altered The Very Structure of Your Home In Ways You Will Later Find Naive And Ill-Advised.
It’s not as common as heights and spiders, but it’s further up there on the list of common fears than you might think.
August 31st, 2007 at 11:50 am
I liked the last photo the most. Why? In my opinion, it’s design is elegant and whoever is inside that room symbolizes someone with class.
I also liked about the spaciousness of the room, and last but not least the wooden floors.
-Pete