Ideas for Setting Up Your Creative Space

If you love to craft, create, design, or make art, you know how important it is to have the proper space dedicated to your work/passion. Of course, hardly anyone has that “dream space”, and most of us are lucky if we can find any spare corner in which to sit down and create. So when I saw the studio of Jen Dallas, featured on Apartment Therapy recently, my heart immediately went into palpitations. Oh, to have a real studio, with room to spread out, to collaborate, to pin things to my heart’s content…How lovely would that be?

And the especially wonderful thing about Jen’s studio in my view is that she used a lot of really basic pieces from Ikea to build her space, keeping the decorating budget down. This is so smart, and I think it turned out beautifully, don’t you? The plain white work tables and Expedit shelving is super functional, but the white Tolix chairs, industrial pendant lights, artwork, and other small touches give it a personal twist. And that wraparound corner pinboard? To die for!

I love seeing how others use and organize their Expedits, don’t you? It’s such a common piece, yet so incredibly versatile. I’ve had one for about four years now – first it held books in the living room, and now it’s in the bedroom where we use it to store linens and my magazine collection. Jen uses hers to store and sort material samples for her interior design business, and I love the way she neatly labels her wire storage baskets and lines them with paper – lovely!

A flat work surface big enough to really spread out on feels generous, and is something I consider essential for any creative space. I don’t have a studio, so when I want to work on a big project I use the dining table. : ) And can we discuss inspiration boards for a moment? I think just about everyone should keep one. It’s so fun, and it’s a great creative exercise no matter what field you are in, or whether you consider yourself “creative” or not. Paying attention to what you love, to what attracts you, is so useful and can really build confidence in your sense of style. Covering a basic cork board with linen or cotton is a simple and attractive way to set up an inspiration space.

Other essentials (to me) for a creative space include a green plant or cut flowers to refresh the air, a delicately scented candle, stacks and stacks of books, magazines, and speakers to listen to music. What about you? What would you (or do you) fill your creative space with? Do you prefer it to be more of a “white box” that plays a supporting role to your work; or do you enjoy drawing inspiration from a riot of color and pattern in your room?

(all images: Studio of Jen Dallas, featured on Apartment Therapy)

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