Many of us here on Lettuce Craft have a dedicated space for our craft supplies. Some of us even have craft rooms/studios where we can escape from the demands of the outside world to focus solely on our creative endeavors. And, even with those places available to us, most of us wish we could design and create a brand new studio space from scratch. Recently, @photojenn did exactly that! I picked her brain for details on how she achieved this feat so we can all make our dream craft space a reality!
We’ve all seen (and drooled over) the amazing new art studio you recently created. Tell us a little bit about how you manifested this project so we can do the same!
I have a secret love for space planning and organizing so this was kind of my dream project in so many ways. I’m a bit of a list person so here’s how I went about it.
- Accurate measurements of the room including doors and windows, any openings that needed to be accounted for, vents, outlets, etc.
- Thought about my specific needs
- Supplies visible, within arm’s reach, and minimal to no stacking
- Plenty of space to walk around, all drawers need to be openable without moving anything
- Dedicated space for my easel, palettes, brushes, art in progress
- Ability to quickly and easily switch between mediums (acrylic, oil, charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, pastels, etc)
- Desk with as large of a surface as possible (I was used to using the dining room table)
- The different kinds of supplies I wanted to store (paint, canvases, large drawing pads, etc)
- Privacy from the outside while still getting natural light when available (my studio is on the ground floor with foot traffic outside my window)
- Wheels on everything
- Good light at any time of day
- A floor I wasn’t worried about ruining
- Physical comfort – good chair, space heater, cozy blanket, comfy shoes for when I’m standing at the easel
- Created a floor plan in Canva with lots of boxes to represent different furniture options that I could move around
What were your biggest sources of inspiration when planning your at-home art studio?
I’d been making art at my dining room table the last few years slowly adding rolling carts, cases for supplies, etc so I had a pretty good idea of the things that didn’t work. About the only thing I wanted to keep in my existing setup were the supplies and my paint brush organization.
I spent some time searching YouTube and watching artists talk about how they organize their studios, what worked, what didn’t, and noting some specific pieces I knew that I wanted – like the giant tool chest!
It seems like you’ve left no detail unattended - what is your favorite studio feature?
Oh wow that’s a tough question! I think I’d have to say my adjustable height desk. It wasn’t originally in the plans but somewhere in the middle of planning I thought it might be a good idea and I’m so glad I did!
I knew I wanted to customize the desktop, so I bought the adjustable leg assembly separately. For the top I got a butcherblock countertop from the hardware store and had my husband cut it down to as large as possible to fit in the space. Since it was unfinished, I was also able to pick the specific round overs for the edges of the desk and the finish. It was fun because my husband and I got to iterate on the project together – testing round overs and finishes, and I helped do the finishing and final desk assembly. As an added bonus I also added power under the top at the edge so I can easily plug in my iPad without having to get up and fumble around.
Now that I have it, I don’t know how I ever lived without it! I originally thought I’d end up adjusting the height of the desk once in a while, maybe to fine tune the height, but instead I find myself adjusting it multiple times a day to suit whatever I’m doing in the studio at the moment.
Some notable runners up – the giant tool chest, the Kallax with ALL the inserts, and the daylight shop lights on the ceiling.
Is there anything you would change?
Ideally, I’d have about twice as much space! 
The room is 10’x12’ which is a good amount of space, but I really wish I could have second easel setup just for charcoal drawing. A second desk space would also be nice because I could have a pastel piece going at one desk and use the other for graphite drawing. I’m already running into issues storing all my large drawing pads (18”x24”) and would like to get into painting on larger canvases at some point which will increase the problem. For now, I have a working selection of both in the studio and the rest live in other parts of the house. I’m convinced that no matter how much space I have, I’d always wish I had more lol.
What are your dessert island art supplies? Where can these be found in your studio?
I think I’d have to say Blackwing matte pencils, kneaded eraser, vinyl eraser, mechanical eraser, pencil sharpener, an easel, a good chair, and a sketchbook. While I love painting and all the colors, I think drawing is the most versatile and the thing you could spend a lifetime trying to master. I keep all of my drawing supplies and a small table easel right at my desk so it takes me less than 30 seconds to setup for drawing.
How has the studio changed your relationship with your art?
Having my studio has really enhanced my art practice. Not only has it allowed me to make art any time of day, but it has also given me a dedicated space I go to do art where I’m not distracted by everything else. Having a separate space has made me feel more able to do mediums I was hesitant to do in the dining room/living room because of the mess (charcoal, soft pastels, oil paint).
Speaking of your art - you’ve grown so much as an artist over the past year or so. What do you attribute your growth to the most?
I didn’t realize it until I was thinking of how to answer your question, but I’ve actually done a lot of things to try to grow as an artist the last year. In no particular order:
- Stopped doing project tutorials and focused on acquiring the fundamental skills I was missing
- Focused on drawing which I think is really the basis for all art as it teaches you how to see
- Taking in-person classes on specific subjects I wanted to learn (drawing, figure drawing, acrylic painting, landscape painting)
- Following my interests and not getting stuck in a single medium
- Always trying to do things outside of my skill level
- Having a growth mindset and analyzing my pieces to see what I like about them and what I’d like to improve on in the next piece
- Explicitly trying to develop an art practice via building out the studio, trying to have dedicated studio time, intermixing learning and doing studies with creating finished pieces
- Getting specific and actionable feedback from other artists about my pieces
- Finding art communities online with others trying to achieve similar goals
If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wanted to establish a place in their life for more art (both physically and figuratively), what would you tell them?
Don’t wait, life is too short you and have no idea what will happen tomorrow. Take an honest look at what is working for you and what isn’t both in your physical art space and in your art practice. Don’t try to force yourself to make art you don’t like making. It took me a while to realize that sometimes there’s a difference between the art I enjoy looking at and the art I enjoy making. And remember to go easy on yourself as you’re learning, art is a skill just like anything else and it takes time to develop into the artist you’d like to be.
Thank you so much, @photojenn, for giving us the grand tour of, not only your space, but your planning and vision! We can’t wait to see more of what you create here!
