No matter who you are or where your interests lie, everyone needs their own special place to retreat to.
Soul-searching artist types will love a relaxing space to seek out inner peace while bearing their soul on the canvas. Painters, sculptors and other creators of fine art typically need some peace and quiet – and plenty of storage space – for them to work their magic. With enough floor space to roll out a mat, this hobby space could also double as a yoga den.
The focus of this space should be to minimise distractions as much as possible. Choosing a natural and serene colour scheme can help. In this zen artist’s retreat, the timber walls have been stained in Resene Colorwood Ironbark and finished in Resene Aquaclear. The floor is in Resene Quarter Spanish White, the tall vase is in Resene Canterbury Clay, the jug vase is in Resene Putty and the footed bowl is in Resene Quarter Bokara Grey. The plant pot was given its texture by first painting it in Resene Double Pravda, followed by Resene FX Crackle effect and a topcoat of Resene Quarter Fossil.
If lighter walls would feel more zen to you, you can always swap the floor colour and the wall colour. Or, look to other restful and relaxing hues for your walls and floors such as soothing pinks like Resene Soothe, soft greens like Resene Peace and blissful blues such as Resene Unwind.
To keep the space organised, consider installing a rack to hold finished artworks and drawers with plenty of dividers so that all your supplies and tools have their own dedicated space to be stored. Colour coding can be a key to help identify where different types of tools and provisions can be found. If you love colouring your artwork with Resene, create a separate compartment for each Resene testpot in the drawer where they are stored painted with the same colour as what’s inside the testpot so that it’s easy to remember which colour hasn’t been put back where it belongs. Paint storage boxes in an inspiring spectrum of colours using Resene FX Chalkboard Paint or Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen. These finishes work as a chalkboard, so they can be written on with chalk and wiped clean with a damp cloth. Or, get really creative and paint a symbol on each that hints at its contents. Keep your paintbrushes straight by stashing them in a painted planter filled with sand or small gravel.
If you work in a number of mediums, you could try dividing the room into different stations. One wall could be focused on supplies for sculpture while the other wall could feature an easel and wall shelves stocked with paint and brushes.
If you’re shy on space and need to share a studio with your equally artistic partner, separate spaces could be partitioned with a sliding divider and each occupant could decorate their side of the screen with a colour, or even a mural, that speaks to their personal style.
Styling by Gem Adams. Photography by Melanie Jenkins. 2019
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