NICOLA YOUNG

Many of you may have been following my various posts on social media and my blog documenting the restyle of my home studio. Well, I’m finally ready to show you the results!

Just in case you were unaware, for the last few months of 2023 my studio was in a state of flux.  I had an idea about transforming my home studio in the summer. And in September started to make that idea real.

The space I had has always been great.  The only niggle, as an attic room, it has very few straight walls.  But the main issue is that the room had become a bit of a dumping ground.  It was packed to the brim. Even containing boxes that hadn’t been opened since our move back in 2019.

When we first moved I was over the moon with the studio.  It was messy but for the first time I actually had a space big enough to paint in.  The light was ok and I could finally keep all my art supplies in one place. 

Four year on from that, my art and business needs have changed. I’m working larger. I need a clearer space to work. And a larger space to store finished art.

Gathering Inspiration

I started reading the blogs of other artists and watching videos of studio tours.  Gathering a load of notes and images of things I liked. But many of these were more about showing a beautiful space rather than a practical one. So I went back to basics. 

I listed everything I needed the space to do.….

1. Place to paint – ideally with a painting wall
2. Plenty of space and storage to keep my art supplies (ideally tidy)
3. A table to paint or work at with a chair
4. Space to store new canvases and boards without getting damaged and space to store finished paintings
5. Easy access to materials I use a lot
6. A TV and CD player – I plan to spend a lot of time there so entertainment was a must!
7. Space for some of my less attractive art books (most of the big glossy ones are on shelves in the living room)
8. Bright and light space
9. A floor that I don’t mind spilling paint on
10. A window I could see through (the velux window is gorgeous as it overlooks the bay but as the table was pushed against the wall, to see out of the window I had to stand on a chair.)

Painting Wall and Storage

I started playing around with room designs.  And at the same time sorted through boxes. It was time for a huge clear out of all the things I had kept ‘just in case’.  Bags of recycling, boxes packed with items for charity and everything I wanted to keep moved into another room.  As the room started to get a bit clearer, I could move smaller storage units around to check out best positions.

My options for room layout were a bit limited which I think actually helped.  There are only two straight walls. So, having a painting wall meant one was for painting and the other for storage.  The light on one was much better so that decision was easy.

Colour

I also decided early in the process to go with white for the room colour.  The studio has two windows, so the light should have been good. But with a low ceiling and dark floor it wasn’t that bright. 

Deciding on white also helped with storage choices.  It was time for the mismatched furniture to go, so various items were upcycled or donated. This process took about a month and a half.  By the end, the room just looked worse than when I started. 

Then my parents stepped in.  Within a matter of weeks, the old carpet had been stripped out to reveal dark wooden floor boards.  The remaining junk had been cleared and the walls had been painted white.  The whitewash made the room feel much lighter and more professional.

Whitewashed

After a bit of filling in of gaps and sanding, the floor had its first coat of white paint.  A trip to Ikea and we had a load of new white furniture, to accompany the upcycled items. Further coats of paint for the floor and it was dazzlingly bright! Even the old kitchen table was sanded and painted.

A new radiator replaced the old broken one and a built in cupboard was perfect for storing all those bits that I need on a less frequent basis.

Finishing touches were added including high shelves for the book overspill, a snazzy new rug and casters for the table, my large easel, paint trollies and storage boxes. The rug is an outdoor rug so its plastic and easy to wipe – perfect!

I’m so pleased with the finished result but can take absolutely no credit as all the hard work was done by my mum and dad.

And one of the best things about the remodel is that in moving the table away from the window I can now peer out to the sea without having a stand on a chair.