Thursday 18 October 2012

Space

I get uptight and stressed about our space - or lack thereof - in this house of ours. No really, I do. Hard to believe, I know. The easiest solution would be to move to a much bigger place and live happily ever after. And as I think I've mentioned :cough: once or twice that even with the best will in the world, crossed fingers, toes, arms and legs, that ain't gonna happen here and I had just better get over it.

Smallness most definitely has its limitations for absolute sure, but it also represents a good old workout for the mind when it comes to using space creatively. I mean, ANYBODY can move into a 3,000 sq ft farmhouse and make it look good and I'm not even remotely bitter about it much, but you know, to make a small space work - that takes downright genius.

I was reminded of this fact recently whilst helping a friend see the potential in her own home - I think I emailed her every picture pinterest had to offer (and she's still talking to me), but it was as we were putting new paint on her walls and seeing the light flood in that my little brain started kicking into creative mode for our own home too... it can sometimes take something so very little to have an enormous effect.

The one bone of contention for me is that I don't have enough space for all my crafting things. I used to work off the kitchen table at one point, which meant I could only work when the kids were in bed. And then I moved the fabric shelves and machine upstairs to a corner of our bedroom. It's a tight fit, and for most of the time everything I owned was piled up and up and up. Which meant when I needed to work everything had to be moved. I needed a rooooom I whined (I know, you can't believe I whine). I can't fiiiind anything. I can't work. I have to move everything onto the bed to find spaaaaace. Poor little meeeeee. It was quite a good pity party; the music sucked though.

But those hours in front of pinterest looking for solutions for my friend (oh the sacrifices I make for others...) actually got me thinking about how I use space. There really are some genius solutions by some very talented and resourceful women in the world, and it suddenly hit me how ludicrous my wants were - a room of my own?? Looking around me, no woman I know has a whole room of her own! It is rare and wonderful women who that have that space - usually women with grown up children, or none at all have a room - it is a middle class luxury. But oh what wonderful solutions to small spaces a woman with a mission and a paintbrush can invent!

Reinvigorated by pinterest and having a peruse through my flickr faves I began to plot how I could use this space better. I saw a lot of positives - for one, I actually have a Horn sewing cabinet that I thrifted years ago and it has a lot of storage space built in - as well as the ability to raise and lower the sewing machine out of sight after use so I can use the table for other things, like painting or writing, say. It is slightly fugly. The inner compartments are avocado - and you know what matches with avocado, don't you? That's right! Not one damn thing. But I knew I could breathe life into the cabinet by at least painting it.

I also needed to let go. This is a lesson I learned whilst reworking the classroom space that we are so blessed to have. Things had to go. Ideas, hopes and material possessions.

I began to see space in terms of all dimensions and not just the horizontal - I wasn't making use of all the vertical space - there was scope that I wasn't using. Hidden spaces - places I hadn't even thought of AS space - inside cupboards for example.

Source: bhg.com via Debbie on Pinterest
Source: flickr.com via Debbie on Pinterest

So, I collected all the inspiring studio spaces I could find onto one board, and between that and my flickr faves and beautiful images everywhere I am starting to slowly to work some new ideas into this old space. It means furniture rearranging, painting, buying a little bit of extra storage and falling in love with IKEA - I realise just why they've got their reputation - simple, elegant solutions with great design. And, er, cheap.



I've barely started, but I hope if I ever pull it off I can finally use this space to work in, and that instead of bemoaning the fact that I have to work in the corner of my bedroom, I will instead see the bonus of having a bed in my studio.

19 comments:

  1. good to hear you so positive.

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  2. thankyou. its nice to genuinely feel so.

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  3. my grandmother was a seemstress and never had a 'workroom' her sewing machine was often on the kitchen table or on her dressing table in her bedroom -even when she had a spare room !(kids all grown up)

    I love Ikea, it does have brilliant ideas, there is a home ideas blog which is a good source of inspiration.

    Thanks for sharing those pics, feel inspired now, and pleased to hear that you are feeling more positive.

    also the more space you have the more time you need to clean it which leaves a lot less time for the nice things like making and doing.
    Amanda

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  4. This is true! Less space means less cleaning! I'm even thinking of ripping the carpets out so I can sweep instead of hoover! :)

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  5. my nan also kept all her small sewing stuff in jars and tins and shoe boxes.. (nothing went to waste). My Grandad kept nails and screws and suchlike in jars too, but he fastened the jar lids to the bottom of shelves in his shed so he used the space to the max :)

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  6. Yes, I've seen that on pinterest too! Genius

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  7. this may sound silly but could you go and look at caravans, motorhomes, canal boats as they often have really clever storage ideas.

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  8. That's actually a very good idea. I mean, if you can get it in a caravan it should fit in here... you know I need a shed to store the crap so I can make maximum use out of every sq inch here...

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  9. https://www.ikeafamilylive.com/en/

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  10. I am so excited to see what you come up with, you creative genius you. ; ) I am positive it will be incredible.
    xoxod

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  11. www.thenester.com

    this is good too, lots of ideas in the archives.

    xx

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  12. this one is interesting too.

    organizingmadefun.blogspot.co.uk

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  13. I think, unless you really have endless finances, that it is a rare person who has the exact house they want, with the exact dimensions, facing the right way etc. I'm just about to move, and I know I'm making sacrifices of things I would love in order to get a place that fits with most of what we'd like as a family.

    (And, I've done the five acre smallholding thing....really it's not all its cracked up to be and it's left me with a strange appreciation of Tarmac....)

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  14. I do hanker after at least some space to have chucks and sheep... I really do....

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  15. Just found you :D Dare I admit I'm in the middle of planning a room of my own. That said it's honestly barely more than a cupboard, is used currently as a storage room, will only be possible because we have been offered a space to move the stored stuff into, and is on hold while I save the pennies needed to kit it out. So the images you've gathered here have really inspired me too :)

    My house is tiny, we managed to raise and home school four kids in it though. It's quite nice now they're moving on to have a bit of leg room again, although we do seem to have rather filled it up with dogs lately!

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  16. Well if ever I get to the point of ever having a 'spare' room then I've already bagsied it for my own ;-) But only having two bedrooms means both the kids will have to leave home and never visit me again.... But I'm excited for you! I'm sure it will make all the difference in your crafting life! xx

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