Remember my plans to re-do the studio? Hampered by a massive IKEA fail?
Me and my big ideas often end up in a lot of hours of sweat equity for my patient husband. But I must say I’m really pleased with the results of this massive undertaking.
Not only does the studio have a fresh coat of paint but I also managed to squeeze another 10 or so square feet out of the bright & cheery room.
Before / After
Where there was once two large dark brown IKEA storage units there is now a lot of empty space.
Where our ceiling was once encumbered by two large rolls of photography paper there are now five rolls tucked discreetly behind a bright curtain panel on the wall.
The toys, occupying two cupboards, were shipped downstairs to the playroom. Half the photo albums were moved to my office while the other half were moved to a lower shelf where the boys could reach them. Turns out they much prefer looking at photos than they doing being in them 
Without the two big units the space feels brighter and I have more room for all my gear. This is of course an excellent excuse to acquire more gear, right?
The couch shifted over to make room for the remaining IKEA unit and the bench is waiting in the storage room until it’s needed, replaced by 1/4 of one of the IKEA units filled with newborn props.
The only thing missing from the photo? The baby swing, to the right of the couch, where my 3 month old assistant is known to hang out on occasion and watch the goings-on in the studio.
One of the reasons I love the space so much is all the natural light from the two huge windows. One of the reasons I loathe the space so much is there isn’t enough wall space for more photos and canvases! When I mentioned a larger studio space my husband scurried off to the garage with a haunted look in his eyes. I suppose I should wait until the paint dries before I bring up the idea of yet another project.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Can’t wait to see it in person – it looks great! There’s not much I love more than a newly organized and redecorated/redesigned space. As my hubby will attest, he often comes home to a new “home”, after I’ve spent a day moving furniture around and “shopping the house” for “new” accessories.
I think he figures that if it keeps me off MLS then it’s worth it!
It looks BEAUTIFUL! So bright and welcoming. Enjoy working in there.
Thanks Mary! I love my studio and the boys love having a big open space to spread out in: it’s a win-win.
So bright. Can’t wait for my very own TT’s
I see the removal of brightly colored carpet in your near future!
Looks awesome! One thing that struck me was the effect of putting the couch on the diagonal wall…. It really enhances the interesting shape of the room, and is an excellent use of the space.
Thanks Julie
I love sitting on the couch and watching the world go by. The cats enjoy it too!!
When we moved into this house a couple of months ago, I loved that I had my own office space. The room is small, but I made the most of it. Then, last week, I started worrying about my photos and photo albums being in a hot attic space and dragged all of the boxes and a trunk into my little space. Making the most of the space that we have is always a challenge! But, it looks like you are succeeding
I’m just waiting until my next move…
The boys are really enjoying having the photo albums at their disposal and we’ve spent a few hot summer afternoons going back through six years of photos. My office is my little retreat in our house of ‘boy’; it might even be pink