Hello there, welcome to my studio space (a room tour)

My studio, my office, my study – whatever you want to call it, it’s the one room in the house which is all mine. It’s the room where I work, write, blog, chill, crash and nap (in no particular order). (Okay maybe in reverse order).

My studio was the one room in the house which I had complete creative freedom when it came to decor, furnishings and layout. I could decide what I, and I alone, wanted to do with it (so much power, I know). Plus, Rick’s office had previously inherited my IKEA Billy bookcases and when we moved to this new home, I also gave him my IKEA Gallant desk (generous wife that I am). So yet again, I had a blank canvas to play with.

Ironically though, with so much ‘power’ and freedom, I was stuck for a very long time. I’m sure I went through at least five different ‘drafts’ of what I thought I wanted my studio to look like. I wanted a yellow table, no a white one, or maybe a black one, actually one of those old school industrial tables would be cool, or even just a plank of wood on two sawhorses (something which I would still love to do down the track). It was only after trawling through a gazillion images on the internet that I finally nailed what I thought my ‘true style’ was. And I think I got it right.

Even though there are still a few things I would like to do with my studio, the basics are all in place so why not share it now?

We may as well start with the much-hyped table. This is where I do the first three things I mentioned above: work, write and blog. An insane amount of paperwork also passes through here. As you can see the final table is not yellow, white, black nor industrial. It is, however, solid wood and has the most beautiful turned legs. I bought it on eBay for an awesome bargain, and Rick thereafter spent about a month and a half taking it apart, sanding it back, varnishing it and re-assembling it for me. A true labour of love. It sounds romantic but the reality was increasing frustration on my part that it was taking so long and increasing stress on Rick’s part that he couldn’t get it done as quickly as I wanted. In the end, it turned out beautifully, and I’m so thankful to my wonderful husband that he insisted on sanding it back twice with two separate varnish applications.

There is no art yet above my desk, as I’m still trying to decide whether to cover the wall with a inspiration/mood board, or to go for the more minimalist approach of an inspiration string similar to these beauties made by Bri and Jen.

Also in the picture: Yet another Tolix chair, this time in galvanised silver, and the same Space lamp as the one in the dining room. As you can see, when I’m onto a good thing, I don’t mind repeating it throughout the house.

I don’t even drink Pepsi but I love my vintage Pepsi crates. They are such an easy way to group a number of small items together. You can find them on both Etsy and eBay. As for the cushion on the seat: I’m not tall enough for the table and therefore need extra padding (my own version of a booster seat).

I saw this mid-century jewellery box on Etsy while I was browsing one day and just thought it was gorgeous. I was so pleased when it arrived as it was in almost mint condition and the actual colour and texture were both just lovely. I use it to store bits and pieces for crafting, as well as notes and cards that I’m hoping to include on my inspiration board/string. The letter B is from Freedom.

On the other side of the room, underneath the window, I have this stunning antique couch. This is where I do the latter three things: chill, crash and nap. I hunted this down on eBay two months before I even saw our new home. I knew, though, that I wanted something like that for my new studio and if it really didn’t work or fit, I could always use it in the living area. Despite being an antique, it is in the most beautiful condition, and boy am I glad I won the auction with my ninja-like last-minute auction-bidding skills. The burlap cushion is from The Nest UK, and offers a perfect contrast to the ornate detail of the couch. The quarto sheepskin is from New Zealand, and it is seriously the softest and fluffiest sheepskin my feet have ever stepped on.

To the right of the couch is this white Alex drawer from IKEA, which is incredibly well-designed and makes extremely good use of space. Again, it’s a nice contrast to the couch and table, in terms of colour, texture and design.

The framed artwork is one that I made myself several years ago now for our home in Newtown, using scraps of specialty paper that I’d found at a local art store. It is probably the most inexpensive piece of DIY art I’ve created to date. The frame is none other than the Ribba from IKEA, which comes with the matboard. Usually, I like to keep the space in front of the frame clear, but now and again, I like to make myself a pot of red date tea and drink it throughout the day. I can see myself doing this a lot during the cold months ahead!

On the other side of the couch are these vintage suitcases, which I was originally going to use in the boys’ room. However, when I put them next to the couch as a temporary ‘holding area’ while I worked on the boys’ rooms, I realised that it was actually the perfect place for them. They fill up the empty space nicely, plus I could finally get rid of my tatty old IKEA cardboard container which held the original packaging for all my software since I could now store them in these gorgeous suitcases instead. Inexpensive vintage suitcases can always be found on eBay or Etsy, and you can generally get them in pretty good condition too.

Yes, my studio has a walk-in! It’s awesome, because it is the perfect hideaway for my filing cabinet, and I’ve also managed to put in a narrow Billy bookcase (from IKEA) and a hanging organiser on one of the clothes rail. It’s like my dream storage space come true.

The vintage swivel chair was originally from Explore the Kerb, and the chalkboard sign is the one we made for Jamie’s birthday party. The ‘Make An Impact’ collage is just made up of promotional postcards from K.W.Doggett that I had in my paper stock folder. I had lots more that I could’ve used, but I decided to keep it simple and minimalist until I’d made a decision about the wall above my desk. The metal pail holds rolls of posters and leather, along with paintings that the boys have done at home which I’m planning to use as gift wrapping paper. The eye examination chart is a tea towel from Maia Gifts, which I hung up with bull clips that are stuck to the wall with Blu Tack. Simple, right?

I have a bit of an obsession with vintage signage, and had to limit myself to only three of these vintage petrol number signs from Etsy. Again, the numbers were meant to go in another room (the dining room in fact), but as soon as I put them against the wall on the floor of my walk-in, I knew they had to stay there. Who knows, down the track, I’m sure I’ll have fun swapping things around.

And if you’ve been wondering where on earth I put all my books and folders, here’s your answer: the IKEA Expedit! (Doesn’t everyone have one of these?) I’m still trying to decide what to do with the space on either side of the bookcase. I’ve been toying with the idea of an old wooden ladder, on which I can hang pictures and other keepsakes, but we’ll see. Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions!

To see my other room tours, go here.

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Tagged as: decor, home, home and decor, home tour, make my home, studio