Planning a Dream Studio

I was reading Claire’s blog Loobylu this morning. It was one of the first blogs I found on the Internet, and it inspired me to start a blog of my own.

In Australia where she lives they have hot summer with bush fires and extreme heat. Here, in the northern part of Sweden, on the opposite side of the globe, we have snow and chilly winds. Outside my window the snow is falling down horizontally and I have put on my favorite wool sweater. By reading Loobylu I found the site IKEA hacker, which I just had to link to. The name is lovely, and the site has lots of interesting hacks. I’m also always fascinated that IKEA is a favorite furniture store all around the globe. Being a Swedish invention it makes me silly proud that there are stores all over the world that you people like, in Australia and in Taiwan (where I have been) for example.

But what this post was going to be about was a Dream Studio Space, because the theme over at Studio Friday today is Inspiring Studio Space. I didn’t know how to present my Dream Studio, but I think it will be a list of things that would make it perfect.

iHanna’s Dream Studio

• A Dream Studio would be in my own house, but not in the living room and spread all around – a special designated room would be my dream. A room that could house all my art supplies and still be big enough to work in.
• Wooden floor and a white roof
• Big windows with lots of light and a beautiful view
• Pink or white walls, I can’t decide right now. And one wall with flowery wall paper I think. I like Form & Inspiration 11202 and Nora!
• Lots of storage in closets, so I don’t have to look at unsorted fabric and yarn I can’t use for the moment.
• Open storage shelves, perhaps with a glass door, for inspiration books and magazines, jars of lace and beads and other things that are beautiful to look at.
• A long work bench along one of the walls, with storage underneath for machines; sewing machine, laminator, paper cutter and so on. I want them to be easy to access and lift up on the bench, but hidden when not in use. This way they won’t get so dusty and will not take up work area when not used.
• A big table in the middle of the room, where both I and my friends could work together with arts and crafts. I would like this table to be filled with papers for collage but still have enough room to work and spread new papers around. My small desk today fills up with about two piles and my jars with pens and pencils. To sit there and work is impossible most of the time, since A4 work space disappears in the junk.
• If there would be any room left I would like a comfortable reading chair to sit in, placed by one of the windows with a small side table for my coffee and books. To sit down and think about ideas, to sketch or look at my wonderful view. Or pet my studio cat in of course. [The chair is from Josef Frank and the photo was found at Vi i villa.]
• Any room, but especially a studio, should contain framed art on the walls and maybe an inspiration board or two, filled with beautiful things that makes you smile. Green flowers in the window and my cat sleeping in my lap.
• I would also like to have the computer and printer close, but not in the same room. A small tech office would be perfect in the next room to my studio, so that I could connect speakers and listen to podcasts while I work and also check e-mail and blog friends

This is a plan anyway, and plans and dreams are good. Maybe sometimes better than reality, when it comes to Dream Studio spaces… I don’t know, but I’ll be back soon with more inspiration for rooms, walls and crafty people.

Take care ya’ all!