Creative Spaces: Once a Garage, Now an Art Studio and Office
See how an artist and mom on a $300 budget created a bohemian-inspired mulitpurpose studio in a weekend
Every design choice in my house is dictated by budget. I'm a work-at-home freelance artist raising two children, and every room has come together using finds from thrift stores, Craigslist and even bulk trash. I frequently work on large-scale art pieces, and my office, which doubled as a guest room, was just too small. I needed more square footage.
Armed with a strict $300 makeover budget, my husband and I reconfigured some of our rooms over a weekend, turning our converted 19- by 19-foot two-car garage into an art-making haven. This called for getting creative and making do with existing furniture pieces from elsewhere in the house. The total cost of my garage makeover, including two gallons of paint and four dining chairs, was $274.23.
Armed with a strict $300 makeover budget, my husband and I reconfigured some of our rooms over a weekend, turning our converted 19- by 19-foot two-car garage into an art-making haven. This called for getting creative and making do with existing furniture pieces from elsewhere in the house. The total cost of my garage makeover, including two gallons of paint and four dining chairs, was $274.23.
AFTER: The space is now a welcoming studio where I can work on art pieces, freelance writing and photography, and host workshops and classes.
The carpet is laid directly onto a gently sloping cement foundation, which makes it interesting for lining up artwork on the walls. I painted the walls Black Suede by Behr, because I love dramatic cocoon-like spaces.
Tip: Most art studios have bright white walls, which provide extra light and help to keep the focus on the art. But black can also be a wonderful backdrop for artwork.
The carpet is laid directly onto a gently sloping cement foundation, which makes it interesting for lining up artwork on the walls. I painted the walls Black Suede by Behr, because I love dramatic cocoon-like spaces.
Tip: Most art studios have bright white walls, which provide extra light and help to keep the focus on the art. But black can also be a wonderful backdrop for artwork.
The garage is not insulated, which can sometimes be a challenge in the hot Texas summers and cool winters. The corner swamp cooler often comes to the rescue. The sofa creates a cozy seating and conversation area for when I host clients and workshops.
Most of the furniture is secondhand from thrift stores, so the pieces have a frayed, timeworn feel. The gold brocade barrel-back chair is torn out on the sides, but layering on a faux sheepskin and graphic pillow gave it new life.
Barrel-back chair: Again & Again; black and white pillows: Kajsa Träd, Ikea; paint: Black Suede, Behr; sofa: Hovås, Ikea
Most of the furniture is secondhand from thrift stores, so the pieces have a frayed, timeworn feel. The gold brocade barrel-back chair is torn out on the sides, but layering on a faux sheepskin and graphic pillow gave it new life.
Barrel-back chair: Again & Again; black and white pillows: Kajsa Träd, Ikea; paint: Black Suede, Behr; sofa: Hovås, Ikea
When I'm working in my studio, I enjoy having reference books and beautiful objects close at hand to spur my imagination. The coffee table, a repurposed piano bench, holds an arrangement of a potted golden pothos vine, books and art pieces.
More: How to work with black
More: How to work with black
An antique breakfast table sits center stage. I use it for meetings and workshops, work and sometimes dinner when I'm working late. The metal chairs were my only new furniture purchases.
Metal chairs: Tabouret, Overstock.com; curtains: Ikea; club chairs: Craigslist
Metal chairs: Tabouret, Overstock.com; curtains: Ikea; club chairs: Craigslist
I created a corner workstation that includes my library using bookcases that have followed me around since college. The little ottoman stores toys for my 3-year-old, who often joins me while I work. I rigged two pendant lamps over my desk using plant hooks and an extra-long extension cord.
Tip: Stay organized with two clipboards, like the ones hanging on the wall near my desk. One has my to-do list for the current day, and the other has my to-do list for the next day.
Gray storage cube: The Container Store; pendant light shades: Cost Plus World Market; bookcases: Billy, Ikea; desk: Linnmon/Adils, Ikea; rolling file: Ikea
Tip: Stay organized with two clipboards, like the ones hanging on the wall near my desk. One has my to-do list for the current day, and the other has my to-do list for the next day.
Gray storage cube: The Container Store; pendant light shades: Cost Plus World Market; bookcases: Billy, Ikea; desk: Linnmon/Adils, Ikea; rolling file: Ikea
I don't paint in any one set location, so I brought in small portable accent tables as surface space to keep materials handy. Thrift store pottery and vases hold brushes and tools.
Table: First Monday Trade Days at Canton
Table: First Monday Trade Days at Canton
Canvases, art supplies and an easel are always at the ready. The lampshade is a recent DIY project displaying a poem, "Sonnet XVII," by Pablo Neruda, inscribed with a Sharpie marker. I simply started at the top and repeated the poem over and over until it spiraled to the bottom of the shade.
Tip: A secondhand kitchen cart can be used to corral paint tubes, spray bottles and art materials, giving new life to an old object.
Easel: Stanrite 500, Lula B's
Tip: A secondhand kitchen cart can be used to corral paint tubes, spray bottles and art materials, giving new life to an old object.
Easel: Stanrite 500, Lula B's
I moved the piano from the dining room, giving me the freedom to play at any time without waking up my family. The quotation above it is a favorite by writer Louise Bogan. I bought the faded secondhand painting at a yard sale for $5, then created the script using acrylic paint. The stool is a family heirloom.
An antique typewriter table holds my sewing machine and shares space with a cork bust I found in bulk trash behind a J.Jill store.
Drawers: Alex, Ikea
See more photos of this garage studio
Your turn: Share a photo of your creative home studio in the Comments!
An antique typewriter table holds my sewing machine and shares space with a cork bust I found in bulk trash behind a J.Jill store.
Drawers: Alex, Ikea
See more photos of this garage studio
Your turn: Share a photo of your creative home studio in the Comments!
The previous homeowner had converted the garage, filling in the garage door, installing carpet and lining the walls with faux wood. Since he did it himself, there's no insulation, and the walls don't go all the way to the floor in places, making me contend with spiders and geckos at times. The homeowner said it cost him about $600 to convert the garage a few decades ago.