Okay, so here it is, an update on my new studio space!

When Vanessa (she’s the great custom furniture designer that I’m sharing the studio with) and I first took over the space, it was almost un-usable. The site of a former lunchroom for a woodworking factory, it was dark, dirty and well, blah. You can check out the original post here.

But, I always see potential in everything, and we both knew that with some elbow grease and a little creative thinking, it could be something really great.

So, over the last few weeks, we’ve buffed and cleaned the floor, changed out the lights for something newer, painted the floors and thought about how to style the room. It has really been coming together and I am super excited about using the space to be inspired, create looks and do work.

The process has reinforced for me some key rules to remember when working with a room. Whether you are re-doing a room in your home, working with a particular room at a venue or starting something from scratch, you need to approach it in a strategic way.

Always keep in mind what you are actually using the space for or what you hope to achieve from the space. If you are re-doing a room in your home think about the ultimate function of it and what your current situation is lacking.

If you are working with a venue, keep your party priorities top of mind and style the room to achieve your main objectives.

Or, if you are beginning a room with a blank slate, map out how you would like it to function and what it needs to give you to be a workable space.

Vanessa and I are always checking back to what we need the studio space to do for us. Before we commit to a set-up or style, we confirm whether it fits with our objectives; mainly to be a space that is light, modular and good for photography. If something can’t be moved then it must work to fulfill our needs. If we want additional seating, then it must be moveable to allow for open work space and for photography. And, if we wish to meet with clients, it must be comfortable enough so everyone feels welcome.

It may seem too over-the-top to have so many priorities, but actually, when you define what your ultimate needs are, style, space planning and furniture placement becomes much easier because they must all support your objective.

And, if something isn’t working, or is unsightly, like a beam right smack in the middle of where you want to put a table, think of ways to incorporate it into the design of your overall theme. Instead of forcing something to work when it doesn’t, or trying to mask it in a way that doesn’t work, embrace it and work with it.

So, for now, I keep plugging along pulling everything together.

Enjoy these images of our progress, and I can’t wait to show you the final result. Until next time….

The Before

Here’s a recap of the original space. The built-in lunch tables, older light fixtures, dirty floor. But, a beautiful original stone wall which I love.

Making Progress

The landlord removed all the tables and chairs and painted all the walls white for us (yay!). Also, we removed all of the old light fixtures and replaced them with newer, brighter ones.

New light fixtures add a bit more modern touch to the room. The floors were buffed and washed and now are ready to be painted.

I must take a small pause here.  The picture above will give you an idea of what I mean about embracing something that doesn’t really work with your overall concept. The pillars were great but the colour just didn’t work with the new, crisp, white walls. So, we painted them out white too. Yes, they are still in the middle of the room, but when everything is completed, they will just blend into the background.

Ah, the joys of a lunchroom floor…gum!! Scrape away Vanessa, scrape away.

Wow, it’s difficult to believe that this is the same room. Making definite progress.