A tranquil studio!

Hi everyone, Please hang in there with me.  This is a long post, but hopefully it will be worth it! What I wanted to share with you today is my quandary about finding a quiet place to work on Book No. 2.  I love the studio in our store, but I am too much of a social butterfly for it to be a good place for me to work.  Another translation of that statement would be that "I talk too much!"  I remember when I was a ceramics student, I would go to the lectures and demos but do my work at my home studio.  I'm just too easily distracted ... and I love meeting the customers who come into the store. However, I MUST get to work on the book ... SERIOUSLY!

A month ago I moved my studio from the store/studio back to my garage, which had been its former home before we purchased the store.  No sooner had I unpacked than I realized it was not going to work.  There were already mosquitos buzzing around me and it wasn't even Spring yet!  The tools were rusting ... I was sweating ... and it just was not a very welcoming place.

The other problem was that when I taught a workshop involving metalworking, which are all the things I moved to the garage, I'd have to remember to bring EVERYTHING back to the studio!  It was like teaching on the road!    

So I decided that I would move my studio to the unoccupied apartment above the store.  I absolutely love the space!  The light is glorious!  My son, David, is across the hall in his own apartment.  He lovingly called me "Roomie" yesterday when he showed me the nuances of closing the outside door. In addition to a spot for metalworking and beading, I'm going to set up a sewing area for myself!  I'm revisiting sewing after a 15 year hiatus!  I'm more excited about this space than I have been about any of the spaces I've ever had.  I think it might have something to do with the fact that I never had an apartment of my own.  I never lived on my own.  I went straight from my parents' home to my home with my husband.  I never had my own "pad!"  This is MY pad!

Here's a photo of how the on space looked Saturday.  Notice the little fur-ball manufacturer that's blending in with the sofa.  That's Annie!  Love that girl!  This is the sofa under a cut-out that offers a view into the bedroom.  I'm keeping the bedroom pretty much in tact. The light you're seeing is natural light coming in the window from the west.  In the evening, when the sun sets, the room glows orange!   It's so wonderful I want to be smothered in it! 

This is the window next to the sofa that looks out over Central Avenue ... the front of the store. 

This is the dining room facing the east side of the building.  

This is the NEW living room in the spot where the dining room had been!  It's a cozy spot right next to the kitchen.  

This is the former living room, where where the sofa used to sit.  David went up to his apartment on Saturday with four boxes tucked under his arm to "conquer the Swedes," as he put it.  He added that the Ikea directions creep him out because the figures don't have faces!  

These are the Helmer storage units.  They are 11" wide x 16" deep by 27 high" (as I recall).  Each drawer is about 4" high.  Perfect for needle files and bead reamers, beads, gauges, and tons of other stuff! 

This handy little plastic basket fits into the Helmer drawer, even though they're not advertised as such.  They are a perfect fit and the price is right! 

 Here's another view of the space. One counter is high and the other is low.  Perfect for soldering, sewing, or sawing! Pay attention to the metal racks that have been attached to the wall ... 

Ikea calls the double towel rack a "Grundtal" towel rail.  It is perfect for spools of chain, wire and a lot of things.  

The single rail is a "Bygel" rail.  It comes with a bunch of handy accessories like hooks and wire baskets but what I chose was these ....

the Bygel plastic container.  I can put all kinds of things in them like scissors, pliers, paint brushes, pencils and pens ...

I'm in love with my new space, but I'm not finished yet.  I'll be putting slat wall above the counters to the right and left of the window opening to the bedroom.  They'll be great for hanging hammers, strands of beads ... lots of things.  

As you can imagine, I couldn't have done this alone. I enlisted the help of several people so that I could pull this off. I first want to thank my husband for making this my Christmas present.  He's so very thoughtful.  Next, I want to thank my daughter, Laura, who shopped with me until we dropped.  We would have dropped earlier but we were fueled by cafe Cubano!  Next, I want to thank my son, David, who, in good spirits, assembled all of these things for me.  He never grumbled once.  Last, but not least, I want to thank Fred Dion, general contractor extraordinaire, who came to the rescue on a Sunday morning. He's so talented that I hated to ask him to do such menial work, but he's a gentle soul with a very giving spirit.  I knew I could count on him to put the counters up for me!

So, my questions to you are ....

Do you have a special place to create?

If someone gave you $200, what would you buy to improve your space?

Do you think you deserve a better space? I think this ultimately may have been my problem when I decided the garage was the proper space for me when I had another option! At the time though, the apartment studio option never entered my mind as a choice.  This is how undervaluing works ... it's sneaky! 

I'd love some suggestions you've found useful in your studio! People can be so clever!