Heyo!
A while back WeWork (a coworking company that offers shared office space in cities all over the world. They also offer tons of benefits to their members, such as discounts on healthcare, travel, gym memberships, accounting services,web hosting, etc.) e-mailed us a while back and asked us what our creative spaces were like and what about them inspire us. We loved the idea of sharing that with our readers! Both Marquette and I recently went through some major downsizing and are kind of trying a more minimalist approach, so the prospect of having a creative work space that also functions as a day-to-day space was intriguing, difficult and a good challenge for us. Check it out!
When someone asks me what my creative space looks like, I laugh a little inside...
"What creative space?"
I, at one time or another in the last five years, have had a designated craft table, but nothing solid, usually just a card table I would pull out if the occasion required it.
Since we moved in July it's been interesting trying to figure out how to work the little furniture we have and or purchased when we moved, to fit it to our many needs.
We now live in a two bedroom apartment and have tried to be more minimalist than before meaning we have really tried to limit the amount of stuff we bring into the house, including furniture and supplies for hobbies.
I am a serial "meant-to-ist", I meant to make that purse so I bought all the stuff for it. I meant to make that lamp shade work for us and I have all the supplies I just haven't gotten to it yet, etc... I am the worst at that habit and I have really been trying to change my ways. I can say with confidence that since the move I have only slipped once! Now I have 5 yards of forest green fabric that won't get used because I ran out of time for that fun Halloween project. Oops! #stillaworkinprogress
What I can say is that I do have a few spots around the house that I gravitate towards when I am working on something, a few things I wish I had to make crafting easier, and some things that are really in my wildest crafting dreams.
Let's start with the basics, where I am now.
This is my dining room, study room, office, reading nook, and crafting table.
The small bar cart in the back is a office of sorts, we didn't really need a traditional computer table because we each either have a laptop or tablet, so a small space for the printer when we need it, which is in storage at the moment, but other various office supplies (pens, pencils, label maker, envelopes etc.) are on the cart. I LOVE this cart. I love the design of it, and the usefulness is just an added bonus.
I put a lot of time into the design of this room, I really wanted it to reflect my personality and aesthetic. I really love the way it turned out. Some of my favorite pieces are:
Architects Drafting Table: World Market (Closeout clearance!)
Bar Cart: Target (Splurge!)
Crying Bison Painting: Hobby Lobby (40% off coupon)
Bow Tie Deer: Deer- Hobby Lobby, Bow Tie-Thrift Store
Clear Acrylic Rolling Chairs; TJ Maxx & Marshalls
Hanging Orange Geometric Lamps: Ikea (Steal! $6 each!)
Cuddles the Cactus: Home Depot
I love this space because I can sit or stand, the chairs roll which is a nice feature and the outlet is right next to wall making it convenient for my favorite glue gun, an iron, or my sewing machine. When I get working on a project I tend to spread out, this table is just the right amount of space to get stuff done but also to help me reign it in when I'm getting' a little crafty crazy. If I had my way I would have a whole room of table just to spread out on.
I really needed this space to inspire me, feel inviting and homey, but clean and strictly organized. I have the strange need for 50% chaos and 50% OCD organization. Having all the pictures on the wall, combined with all the stuff on the table is just enough of a distraction that I don't feel like the space is to clean to work in.
*Bonus Tid-Bit: Marquette painted that picture of us in the background!
You may be wondering where all my crafting supplies are? Because of the small space and my need for clean they are all kept in a Rubbermaid in the spare closet, that Rubbermaid looks like this as of present:
So much for organization huh? Hey, I never said the system was perfect, just that it works for me.
When it's time for a project I drag out the whole box and rummage until I find what I need. So far, it hasn't been too bad.
As for spaces I would really love to work in for days at a time, these are a few I have picked out over the years:
I love the use of color, organization and print here, add a table and I'm golden.
This HUGE table and open storage is right up my alley. I love the juxtaposition of all the different prints and the solid black, classy and creative.
I really like the organized chaos here, the chaos is relegated to the wall space freeing up the mind and the table for happy creating.
I really like the use of nature in this space, calming and perfect for conjuring creative juices. It just looks fresh doesn't it?! I also love the minimalism here.
What does your space look like? Is it organized chaos? Organized to a T? Does it look like a tornado hit it? Do you wish it were different? Why does it inspire you? We love hearing your feedback!
Happy Weekend Pinstrosipeeps!
Nice apartment! Can't say I'm a fan of minimalist, but I think you pulled it off well. Not to bare and un-lived-in-looking, more like chic artsy.
ReplyDeleteMy space looks like a the inside of a kaleidoscope- lots of colors, display stuff, knickknacks on every available surface, and pretty much no empty space (and barely any floor!). It's just one room, but I try to make it feel like a mixture of many. I love all the stuff, because everything has some inspiration or some memory to it- looking around is looking at my life: past, present, future, head-world and imaginary. And everything is in easy reach (especially my very-cluttered desk), which is useful for when inspiration strikes.
-Wildstar