My client's daughter had moved out of the house almost 10 years earlier, but it took until now for her to actually change her daughter's old bedroom into something useful.
She's always dreamed of having a proper art studio, as she's an avid watercolorist. The unused bedroom on the top floor of the house had great windows and lots of light--the perfect spot for her own artist's retreat.
I had to carefully bear in mind what it was going to be used for while I was designing the plan. Lighting would be key, as would the influence of color and storage for art materials.
I decided to go with the least intrusive palette possible--white. I chose a gentle shade so as not to be too harsh on the eyes, and painted the walls and cabinetry. This would allow the artist to see the colors of work in their truest form, without the influence of other colors. It also would keep the focus in the space right where it should be: on the paintings.
Storage was also an important consideration. I began by having a built-in desk and shelves put right under the window. The top of the desk is hinged so it can be raised when she's working. The shelves above, below and to either side are made to house everything at hand. We built open upper cabinets for quick access and closed the lower ones to hide all the clutter. All the shelves are adjustable so she can move them around to suit her needs. Under the main desk we put in a few drawers to hold paintbrushes, markers and the like. Slots were created on the side of the desk to hold varying sizes of paper.
This area also became the focus for the room's lighting. We flanked the large window with medium-size wall scones on either side. This allowed light to flow both up and down and to cast a gentle hue throughout the room. Throughout the space I brought in a mixture of incandescent and halogen lights, which when mixed with natural light provided a true light source within which she could work.
Although the main work area was the focus, I didn't want the space to be strictly utilitarian. It needed to be somewhat inspirational, too. An old office desk was brought back to life with a new coat of paint. An old chaise lounge was reupholstered in a rich silk fabric, the colors of which were inspired by the colors she uses in her paintings. I carried on this theme by using a fabric in the same color family for a small valance over the window and a whimsical slipcover for the drafting stool. These small punches of muted color are just enough to be refreshing without being distracting.
The final touch was a display area. I sectioned off an area of the wall and hung pieces of flatstock across in rows. Using bulldog clips or drapery clips, our homeowner can hang her work to dry and also have it neatly on display.
The lesson is to look at unused space in your house and see if you can turn it into something more useful. Old bedrooms, basements or even an unused, awkward area can be transformed into your own masterpiece. It just takes a bit of creativity, a dose of inspiration and, of course, hard work.
(Interior decorator Candice Olson is host of Home & Garden Television's Divine Design. For more ideas and information visit www.divinedesign.tv.)
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