Top tips for setting up a creative studio space

Recently, a participant in one of my online printing classes asked me for advice for setting up and furnishing her studio space. At that time, I answered the things that immediately came to mind, but then I kept thinking about it, wondering what would have been the top tips that would have helped me when I was setting up my own creative studio space.

My print studio is in our former garage at the back of the garden that we converted first into a home office and then in steps into the (print) studio it is today. I am lucky that my studio is more spacious than that of some of my colleagues, but even so I still need to think creatively about the use of the space, there is never enough of it. In my studio, as in most studios, space is used for multiple purposes. In my case fabric printing, fabric cutting, sewing, designing, (online) teaching, but also packaging, working at the computer etc. and I have 2 tables to do it all.

My top tips for setting up your creative studio space

Flexible use of space

Think of the activities you will need your work space for and what you will need for each of these activities in terms of light, height and size of work surface, storage, etc.

I want to do my work sitting down when I am designing, sewing, or working at the computer, but I cut my fabric standing. I want my desk against the wall for most activities, but want it in the center of the room for working on large prints, so I need to be able to move it easily. In my studio my tables have felt underneath the legs, so I can slide them to where I need them. Wheels would also be great.

Light and electrics

One of the important things to think about right from the start is light, both artificial and natural and what kind of light you need for every activity. In my studio I use natural light and desk lamps for working at the computer and for design work. When I start cutting and printing I often need more light, especially in the darker season and use LED light panels in the ceiling that work on remote control. I also use these panels when I teach online when lighting is extra important.

Start thinking about the places where you may need sockets for lighting and also for other uses really early on. You will always need more than you think, in more places than you can imagine and they are easiest to install right from the start.

For teaching online (and for some other activities) it can be equally important to keep (direct) sunlight out. I therefore have curtains as well as blinds.

Easy cleaning

In most studios you will need to clean frequently. In my studio where I work with textiles, there is always a lot of dust. I always start work by sweeping the studio in the morning. It makes my life easy when I can get everywhere easily, move furniture around, or get it off the ground.

Sturdy and ergonomic furniture

Any furniture in a studio will most probably get more heavy use than other things in your home, definitely something to think about when choosing it. In my studio I have overtime changed from light-weight furniture that I used in my home office to much more heavy wearing second hand furniture. The ideal source for me has been used school furniture. In the Netherlands there is still a lot of 60’s and 70’s furniture around from schools that that are replacing it. It is of the best quality you can think of, and many generations of children have left some ink stains and dents on it, so it is no problem if you add your own. I don’t know if the situation is the same in other countries, if it is in yours I highly recommend searching for it in specialised used furniture stores.

For chairs you need to think ergonomics and I have been very happy to find a used very old chair from an architecture studio that has the best ergonomics, while still being a simple wooden chair, that doesn’t mind a splatter of ink and is adjustable in height.

Storage

Storage will be an issue in any creative studio. There is never enough of it. School cupboards, that I mentioned before, have lots of space and can hold heavy items.

Try to think of the kind of storage you will need early on. I needed storage where I could have my stencils, my designs and my printed fabrics lying flat. I also needed lots of small containers, boxes and drawers for sewing supplies, storage for the heavy base fabrics I use for printing, a place where I can have my brushes vertical, baskets for fabric scraps and I have 2 sewing machines, all of it needs its own kind of storage.

For me, an issue has been keeping track of where everything is. Some things need to be within reach all the time, but there are items I only use occasionally and my mind often does not always remember, where they are. For anything I don’t use daily I have labeled the storage it is in. From my experience I’d say you can never do too much labeling.

A trick to free a work surface quickly

If you need to change activities on the same work surface daily or even several times a day I can recommend a simple trick I found recently, that I cannot believe I didn’t find earlier. I have all of the tools and supplies that I need to have within reach on simple bamboo trays on my work surfaces. When I change my activity, for example from printing to sewing, the only thing I need to do is lift 1 or 2 trays to free the surface. Now I find I do not put off starting something new, because it is so quick to do.

Displaying work

Something that has always been really important to me is the possibility to keep the things I have made in sight. I need time to process my designs and often make changes when I have had the time to look at them. The area where I can hang my designs as well as sometimes the inspiration for them and also display collections of prints, has grown over the years. I have used poster buddies for the longest time, but have recently had a cork wall installed where I can change what I put up much more easily and change more frequently.

Inspiring space

I find that working in a space that feels nice and inspiring is important to me. I spend most of my time there and it needs to feel good. I don’t think I could make something beautiful in an ugly space. This influences my choice of furniture, lighting and anything else, I want it to feel nice as well as be functional.

Cleaning, drying, ventilation

Do not forget to think about where you will clean your supplies and dry them and remember ventilation. Of course, it very much depends on your activities how much ventilation you need, but it is definitely one of those things that it is better to think of from the start. I have recently started natural dyeing fabrics and now ventilation is a much bigger issue than before that I still need to figure out.

Colour of walls

One thing I never thought about initially was that the colour of my walls would be so important for the work I make. I happened to make them white, which was a good choice. Another colour on your walls may influence the way you perceive colour in the work you are making. In my case it’s not the walls that influence my working with colour, but the trees around the studio that give a greenish tone to light colours. I am otherwise very happy with the trees, so they will stay, but colour in the studio space is definitely something to think about. Colour will also influence your photos, when you take them inside the studio.

This may feel like a random list, but I hope some of this can be useful to you in your creative life and if you are in the stage of setting up a new studio space, wishing you a happy time doing it!