Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The Big Studio Reveal

After waiting patiently nine months (not) for my studio to be carved out of the gigantic basement in our new home, I'm thrilled that it is finally finished. This is what the basement looked like the day before we moved in when it was turned it into a huge storage space for 170 boxes of my precious junque.
After the movers left, the basement looked like this. Yikes!
The contractor finished up last week and since then Howie and I have been setting up the cabinets and worktables. Thank goodness for IKEA.
This is the same view as the first picture. The French doors at the end of the hall lead to the studio. The door that you see on the left leads to Howie's "Man Cave."

The "Welcome" banner was a special gift from my good friend Kathy McElroy. Kathy sent this to me just after we moved in and I've been waiting to put it up until the studio was finished. Today was the day! I felt as if I was christening a ship with a bottle of champagne when I tacked it up. It's now official. The studio is open and welcomes all kindred spirits who wish to come and "art" with me.

As you enter the studio, on the left is a wall of doors. What's behind the doors?

Lots and lots of glorious shelf space soon to filled with what's been residing in the 170 boxes. Of course, I know it all won't fit in the space I have so I will have to be creative and find some good hiding spaces for the overflow. The picture above is the left wall of the studio as you enter. Look how clean and neat it is! It won't be for long. I'm going to use this area for sewing and paper crafts since most of the supplies for that will be housed in the big closet. The table in the middle of the room (with the blue tablecloth) will be a great place to sit and create when then there is more than one person working in the studio.
This is a view of the far wall with another workspace. I'm planning on using this area for my polymer clay and jewelry projects. Moving around to the right is another surface soon to be cluttered up. This is where my computer is going.
And last but not least, this is the area to the right of the door when you enter the room. Yes, it's already filled with boxes of junque waiting to be unpacked. When this area is unpacked, Howie is going to put in cabinets, a counter top and a sink. No more running back and forth to the kitchen or bathroom to wash out brushes.

You'll notice that I chose Daffodil Yellow for the walls of the studio. I had a hard time trying to pick a color that worked for me. For some reason, I kept gravitating towards yellow. Thank goodness that you can now audition a color by buying a small sample from the paint store because the first yellow I tried looked horrific. When I tried this one, it was love at first sight. It was only after the room was painted and I looked around that I realized that this was the same color as my mother's kitchen when I was growing up. My mother's kitchen was always a happy place for me, and I guess that subconsciously when I was choosing a color this yellow made me the happiest.

I'd love to have you come and join me in the studio. So when are you coming?

24 comments:

  1. Wow, what a great studio. It looks wonderful. What fun you and your friends are going to have creating in that awesome studio. I love the yellow, so bright and cheerful. When does the unpacking and organing begin? I bet you can't wait. Love the diva Welcome banner on the door. It's the perfect location.

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  2. I love your space!! Enjoy unpacking and setting up your studio!!!

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  3. What a wonderful space!!! And that closet! Envy!!! Will have to come to visit sometime!

    Hugs,
    Darya

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  4. your studio is fabulous Judy! Congratulations!...and I love the yellow walls. beautiful!

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  5. Judy, how wonderful! Glad Howie has a man cave too. Got to keep to little man happy. Sometimes I have just as much fun organizing as I do creating. Happy you have a lovely play area!

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  6. Spend many happy hours creating and enjoying yourself and with friends when they can join you.

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  7. Hey, JUDY: Those walls are BRIGHT !
    I LOVE THE OPEN CLEAN SPACES. IT WILL BE EVEN MORE COLORFUL WHEN EVERYTHING IS UNPACKED. PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AT THAT TIME. WE, OF COURSE, ARE JUST STARTING THE PACKING PROCESS (WITHOUT ALL YOUR CRAFTY STUFF, OF COURSE).HOWEVER, 38 YEARS OF STUFF IS A LOT TO PACK OR SHRED; ESPECIALLY WHEN MOST IS FRAGILE STUFF FROM THREE GENERATIONS! GOOD LUCK SETTING STUDIO UP. IT IS A GOOD WINTER ACTIVITY!

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  8. I'm having studio envy. You are going to have a great room to create in.

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  9. This is a WONDERFUL space for your art, and friends who visit to do art with you! :-) I love the story of the yellow walls. The yellow will sure to warm your heart and its energy will inspire to make glorious art! Can't wait to see you "clutter" it up with your 170 boxes of precious cargo! LOL!

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  10. Wonderful wonderful wonderful!!
    You must be so excited. I look forward to seeing it all put together and then trashed in the throws of creativity.

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  11. Judy I can't wait until I grown up one day and can have a fun studio basement like that well mine wont be a all studio maybe a bakery of sorts but all in all its where the creative juices flow and fun things happen. Enjoy and I look forward to all the stuff you make.

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  12. I love your new studio. The yellow is beautiful; and, how nice that it brings back such happy memories. The storage space looks wonderful (can you feel the waves of storage envy coming from Michigan?). I definitely plan to come play sometime in 2012.

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  13. I'll be right over. I love yellow too. You have a great work space, now get to work and do it justice! Susan

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  14. WoW!!! This is absolutely gorgeous and very well deserved. Mazel tov! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!

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  15. Judy, its amazing and of course I LOVE your color choice! I think it might be hard to get you out of your studio its so awesome I sure wouldn't want to leave it! Congrats!!

    Aileen~

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  16. Love your space, Judy, the color of your walls is amazing and all those windows, does NOT feel like a basement at all. Ooooh, & your storage & counterspace, what fun you will have! And WATER, yes, a sink will really top this all off!
    And waiting 9 months, that's the perfect metaphor!
    Cheers,
    Cat

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  17. WOW..!It's so wonderful.. I'm sure it was worth the wait.... I want to see picture once you get working in it.

    Is Howie for rent by any chance??? My studio (extra bedroOM looks like a before picture... Cath

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  18. Oh my gosh, I'm speechless. Wadda ya mean come to your studio and create with you? I'm MOVING IN.

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  19. Wow, Judy, this space is to die for. I'm sure you will spend countless hours of fun in there. It's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!

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  20. WOW! What a space!!! It has really become a place of pride and love the cabinets table and a sink!? Congratulations to you Judy and you can be sure when I arrive back "home" for a visit, I will come by and art with you. Hugs and have a happy holiday season!

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  21. Judy! That is a wonderful, HUGE space! I love it already and know that you will have many, many happy days working away in your lab - um,I mean studio. If I'm up that way, I will def come by to see you! You should take pics for one of the "Studio" magazines...

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  22. sending you energy for unpacking all those boxes and getting down to creativity. best wishes ....

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  23. So what does your studio look like now? Have you been busy putting away stuff, or like me has life once again gotten in the way?

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  24. How exciting to have that large studio to move into. Lovely closets and workspace. If you were my neighbor, I would want to spend the night in the basement guest room when we stayed up late creating! Nancy

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