A studio mini makeover part 2

I cannot work in a messy space.  

Clutter and chaos are the best robbers of  creative energy.  

The more mess, the worse the energy depletion. 

At the beginning of the year I like to do a clean out and a reorganisation.  I have been sorting, re containerising and moving around all the creative area of my house.  I started with the children's art room and my scrapbooking supplies (see below for posts)

http://catherineparkinson.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/post-christmas-organisation.html

http://catherineparkinson.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/making-your-space-your-own.html

Now I am working on my studio and my husbands office. 

 am so excited to have my studio ready for my new 

goal of being creative every day.  

Yesterday we started the APE process with Analyse the space.

Today we are going to Plan the space and Execute the plan.  

Planning the space saves time and energy. 

 The better the plan the more smoothly the new space will come together and work.

Plan the space

1.     Make a list of what the room needs to do for you.  Our list included an office for my husband,  an area for clients or staff to sit which has to double up as a bed for sick children,  a space for the air hockey table,  a hand sewing area,  a music area, storage for all the art/sewing needs, ironing station, cutting station, sewing station, wet area and an area to do book work and blogging.

2.     Have your analysis list  (from yesterday http://catherineparkinson.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/how-to-do-mini-studio-makeover.html ) next to you to make sure all the needs that got listed get met on your new plan. Consider using furniture for multiple uses to save room.

3.     Draw a plan including areas that you have identified from above. Be prepared to make more than one plan.  Try making moveable pieces to move around on a floor plan to scale. This can save a lot of time and energy.

4.     Sit down with someone else to get them to check over your plan with new eyes to make sure it will work.  Remember to check where all the power sockets are and how the ventilation works in your space.

       TIP:  You need 600mms as the minimum space to walk through.

Now that the plan is done the room is ready to put into order.

Execute the plan

1.     Put the loose lying items in a big box,  back where they belong  or make a pile somewhere in the room.  Doing this creates space to start to move furniture and it stops anything from being broken.

2.     Put key furniture into place. I find doing this in 2 steps works better for me.  I move one half of the room sort that out and then do the other half.  This gives place to store things that don’t belong and also keeps my interest up:)

3.     Put everything that belongs to that station or area in that area.  Putting a box in each area to place supplies in really helps contain the mess and gives structure to the chaos.

4.     Sort the belongings in each area.  Using the SPACE theory (utilised my many professional organisers through the world)

Sort-Where does it go? Where will it be used best?

Purge-What do you want to keep? What is broken?  Sort into 3 piles keep, give away and throw out.

Assign- Assign an area for the object.

Containerise- Put into a container.

Evaluate-Is your storage and areas working for you? 

Although analysing and planning takes time it is well worth it.  The space always works better and does more of what you want it to do.  

After photos

The office

View into the garage of the setting area for my husband's office (which will also be the sick bed if needed) and the covered air hockey table.   

My husbands new desk.  This is behind the door that goes into the garage from the house.

Another view of the desk. The studio bookshelf has been slipped on the edge of the desk to be close to my rocking chair.  I am going to get a small basket to put on top for all his techno bits and pieces.

The couch/bedsette

The view from the studio end.  The rocking chair can be used in the studio for hand work

The studio

The view from the office area.  To the right is my CD player on top a unit that house all my fat 1/4 and scraps of fabric.

From left to right the cutting station which I have put on the filing cabinet and the ironing station

The sewing station and work station

The work station and storage for beads and buttons.

The sewing station.  I chose this side of the room because of the natural light and the closeness to the one and only power socket I have.

Hand sewing area

Storage for material, wet materials (ie Paint), stamps, stencils, fibres and quilts finished and quilts in progress.  The cupboard on the right edge of the photos holds fat 1/4 and scraps of material.

Painting table,  art journalling bookshelf and storage wall.

Art journalling shelf.  I have placed this next to my art table so I can work and reach as I need things. Next to the bookshelf I have put all the long storage.  

The space is working really well.  The only thing I would like to do is have a screen to place in the thorough fare from the office to the studio for added privacy when I need no interruptions. 

This is only a mini makeover just to tie us over until the big work begins..  Before winter we are hoping to do a a major makeover.  We want to re line the garage and put in French doors where the garage doors are and grind and polish the concrete floors.

The space does not have to be flash to work.  It just has to be well organised and work for you.  People spend a lot of money on space, storage and furniture for studios but realistically many people cannot afford to do that.  

Over the next few months on a Wednesday I am going to show you some cheap ways of creating a studio and storage for a studio whether it is small or large. Come and join me for some creative, cheap and fun ways to create a space to play in.