till the wedding in early October, I decided to show you a few pictures of my wonderful studio, wherein I create art and, in the last 10 years, garments. Several people have glimpsed the studio in pictures and wanted to see more...
When we bought this property, in 1994, after selling our winery, there was this wonderful old redwood barn, built in 1910.
There was a small, rundown house, also dating from 1910, a workshop-that-used-to-be-a-chicken-house, and a
garage that had been converted into living quarters. I don't have any pictures at hand of the original buildings, but the old barn was the selling point for me.
The barn was single-wall construction (which means you could see through the very holey walls), had no insulation, no foundation and dirt floors. The north side was partially covered in a wonderful chartreuse lichen, which has been the backdrop for many of my outfit pictures.
We took it apart, numbered each board and put them in a safe place; the same with the aged metal roof. Then...we poured a foundation and cement floors, built walls, added
insulation, plumbing and electricity and some recycled windows to capture the wonderful northern light. Then we put all the boards and the roof back on.The barn had 3 bays, and a hayloft; we kept the bays and added stairs to reach the loft.
You can see the loft here.
We left the rafters exposed...those are the old windows. The original barn had lots of industrial shelving, which I kept.
You can see some of the shelves in the background. For 10 years or so, it
functioned as an art studio...I held many workshops there and hosted a weekly painting group for 3 years. Then I decided to return to sewing and transformed the studio to suit my needs.
This is the middle "bay"; (it's not curved, it's a panoramic shot!)
When we renovated the barn, I had a table built by a carpenter friend; it has morphed from a painting/art table to a sewing table with ease.
It's 4' x 8', so with the addition of a cutting mat, it's perfect to cut out fabric. I had it made tall enough so I don't have to lean over...bliss! I use the right hand bay for storage, the loft for storing fabric in large plastic tubs, and the left hand bay for dreaming and planning...
The sink and lavatory are very useful, especially when I'm working on various
fabric embellishments.
Now the studio is my retreat and my creative cauldron, where I think up and carry out all manner of ideas! I am so lucky!
I'm joining Patti's Visible Monday again...come and visit!
You are lucky!! What a pleasure it must be to work in such a beautiful studio:)
ReplyDeleteOh my it must be a wonderful place to go and create in! Thanks for sharing pics of it!
ReplyDeleteWow, you are lucky. What a fabulous space for creating. Thanks for showing us.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely space for creating and sewing! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHow lucky your are to have such a wonderful place to "do your thing." I know I'm jealous!
ReplyDeleteOh, this is a blissful creative space! And I love your phrase, creative cauldron. I am in the process of carving out a studio niche in my dining room, not nearly so generous in size as your lovely barn, but a space dedicated to creating. I jump from painting to sewing also. At first, I felt almost guilty about giving my watercolour paints a rest, but I finally learned that bouncing around between mediums actually helps keep me moving forward! Thanks for your inspiration.
ReplyDeleteSue xo
You are lucky! How amazing to have access to such a creative space. I am lucky in that I have a whole room dedicated to my sewing and creative endeavors. One day I hope to have a space as cool as yours!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful space. I also love the care with which you preserved the original exterior!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful, wonderful space! Though in theory one can create anywhere with just a few tools, it certainly helps to have an environment that inspires.
ReplyDeleteMargy...I love this...what an amazing place to work. It is really cool. My mother tried to teach me to sew and I fought her all the way...now I have many regrets! It looks like you are having so much fun.
ReplyDeleteMargy, such a wonderful space! Thank you for the tour.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful retreat and place to create. Thank you for sharing a personal space, and details of how you came to realize such a vision. It's lovely and utilitarian.
ReplyDeleteThat is a fabulous studio!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing pictures of this wonderful studio. I've always hesitated to call my sewing room a studio - but yours is without-a-doubt a true studio. It was such a treat to peak inside.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, its a fabulous space. You are a very lucky girl.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this wonderful personal space at Visible Monday! What a great retreat for your artistic creations.
ReplyDeleteWow, Margy, what a lovely "sewing room". I could just curl up in that cozy chair and plan for hours. : )
ReplyDeleteI can't think of a better place to work for someone with the creative energies and talents you have. So perfect. The chartreuse backdrop is wonderful. And I'm glad you could keep the original wood. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteLucky, indeed! Can we all just come and join you? This is so dreamy, talk about escaping into creative land forever.
ReplyDeleteMargi...what a blessing indeed to have such a creative space to let go and allow creativity to flow freely :) Thank you so much for sharing it! m.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing retreat! It has such character and it's wonderful space is enviable.
ReplyDeleteYou made the transformation sound easy, but I know it was not. Kudos to you for all your hard work and vision. How restful it must be for you, and what a blessing in your life.
ReplyDeleteI had seen pics before, but I did not realize the careful renovations that you did! What a gorgeous workspace, I can see why you love it and why such wonderful projects come out of it!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful!!! Thank you for showing us!
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspirational space...no wonder you produce such fantastic garments! What fun to look and see....you are a lucky lady!
ReplyDeleteOh, what a wonderful place for sewing! Yes, i think we all will visit you :-)
ReplyDeletehave a good time
Christine
I love visiting your splendid studio... I see also you live in one of my favorite towns,,, you live a charmed life indeed! so happy to have found your blog from Visible Monday!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I would ever want to come out of there - no wonder you spend so much time sewing such FABULOUS garments! Thank you for the tour :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great place in which to work! Looks wonderful :) It's fascinating how those old buildings are constructed, isn't it? My family bought an old farm years ago in the mountains. All the siding (no insulation, of course) on everything from the old house to the barn and smokehouse was old wood planks placed on the diagonal. An older gentleman who grew up in the house said one morning they woke up (second floor) and there was snow in the baby's crib! Imagine!
ReplyDeleteThe old wood is lovely, and you've done a wonderful job turning an interesting old barn into a functional space that is also eye-pleasing!
Enjoy - and thanks for sharing!
So that's where all the magic happens. No wonder why you create such wonderful and gorgeous pieces. A sanctuary that provides beauty and inspiration. Your profile in the last photo is stunning!
ReplyDeleteAs you know, it's a beautiful studio in a gorgeous setting. I'm so glad you've created a space that works for you. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
ReplyDeleteWow! What a fantastic space - indoors and out!
ReplyDeleteWhat a glorious workspace! I love mine but it's definitely not in the same league as yours at all. No wonder you create such great things in there. And I'm really glad the lichen survived the transition!
ReplyDeleteGreat space, and so well designed. Is it always so immaculate? And you look lovely in grays as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for showing us around!
Fabulous space! Great area in which to work (is it still called "work" when done in such a lovely place?). And I love you in your shades of grey! Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHeather from Friendship, Life and Style
Wow! That is absolutely idyllic! No wonder you create such fabulous garments!
ReplyDeleteI'm in love! Margy, you have created the most glorious, creative hideaway
ReplyDeleteand sanctuary. You must feel so heavenly in there playing. You're definitely
a visionary to have 'seen" it in your mind's eye and executed such a marvelous
plan. Kudos, and many more years of happy creating!
Joy (from SG)
What a gorgeous workspace. It's bigger than my studio apt! It's really nice.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely spot . You are a very lucky person . I expect to see exceptional creativity :) I suspect though that you would be creative if you were doing it under a rock!!
ReplyDeleteYou are so beautifully stylish and creative. Your newest UK follower!
ReplyDeleteDi
X
What an amazing workspace - form and function have been addressed beautifully!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, I am drooling! That is gorgeous. What a wonderful space to play in paints and fabrics. You definitely make the most of it!
ReplyDeletefantastic space, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou must absolutely love this space! Thanks for showing us. I love seeing where other people create!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing these pics - what a dream of a space!!!! You are truly blessed... my dream is to transform my little "barn" (old redwood planks replete with gaps, dirt floor...) into my sewing studio, my UBER-dream is to do it like you did - remove & re-plane the old planks and create a space to dream in. The uber-dream will never happen, but I still hold the vision of the simpler dream :)
ReplyDeleteYour space is SO inspirational!