Fixing up my studio space
Sep. 11th, 2019 07:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
breakinglight11This past August, when Bernie was here to help me move furniture, I rearranged my little studio space in order to make it more useable to me.
Originally it was kind of designed to be like an office, focused around a desk for typing on a desktop computer. Then I tried to sort of simultaneously make it a craft room, with another table off to one side for my sewing machine, and stuff like my dress form and steamer shoved awkwardly off wherever they would fit. But I wasn't really using it lately; it felt crowded, particularly with the third-floor slanted ceilings that even as a short person I always seemed to bump my head on. The space was really going to waste, so I wanted to do something with it that I would actually use.
After some consideration, it seemed like the most useful focus I could give it based on what tasks pop up in my current life, was to turn it into a costume room. Wardrobe is the most space-consuming project I do on a regular basis, so I thought that would make the room the most helpful and most frequently utilized.
There is one window, and while it doesn't give a ton of light, I wanted the tabletop workspace to get as much of it as possible. So I ditched the ancient desktop and arranged both the former computer table and the craft table here. I put the smaller table in the corner under the slanted ceiling, which helps keep it away from my head, and put my notions box and fabric basket on it. I decided to store my sewing machine in its case in order to protect it from dust when I'm not using it. The table with the larger surface will be for work, though I stuck my sewing books and patterns on it against the wall. (Under my fanart poster of Steve, a thoughtful gift from Jane Becker.) The metal cookie tins contain thread, buttons, and other bits and bobs, because I was raised in a family descended from immigrants. The wicker picnic hamper does not usually live there, as I don't like blocking the window, but I am packing it as a travel supply case for a wardrobe mistress job I'm doing to help out the Traynors, who did fight choreography on my film.
There used to be a low coffee table in here-- I thought it would be more accessible surface space under the slanted ceiling --but I basically never used it and it just collected papers that needed filing. So I finally dealt with all the papers, moved that out, and now it's at the foot of my bed. I also got rid of my printer, which still worked but I never used because it wasn't compatible with my iPad. So I repurposed the printer table for my ironing board, and although it might be stored there I'm not sure it's all that useable in that place. My dress form, Adelaide, still has the problem of being too tall for the room; you kind of have to constantly push her out of your way, but I think she's mostly okay where she is. The steamer, also a little too tall, lives behind her and is less of a problem there.
As you can see, there are bags full of costumes I have arranged for the aforementioned film I'm dressing. Adelaide is currently modeling a possibility I was assembling. The bags take up a lot of space, but they're much less in my way in this costume-specific room. They do, however, make it a little difficult to get to this dresser. It's kind of a pain to access at the best of times for something I go into every day. I never wanted that dresser in here, tucked under this stupid alcove, but it's so big it won't really fit anywhere else.
I also took my extra IKEA clothes rack, living many years disassembled in a closet, and put it up in this little corner where the craft table originally lived. I really like having a place to hang costumes I am currently working on in an easily accessible way that doesn't choke up my closet space. Currently it is full of suit bags of men's looks for the film wardrobe, as well as some jackets that I am considering as possibilities. On the ground are more bags, mostly with womenswear.
It's much, much more useable now, and it seems devoting it to costuming was indeed the right choice. The old white leather armchair, scrounged from my parents' living room set from many years ago, remains beside the big table where it always was, for me to sit in when I haven't covered it with costume pieces. The only problem is my Tiamat head, which used to live between the chair and the table, but now doesn't fit there anymore. The chair is very carefully set exactly far enough away from the side closet for the door to open, but with the head there it's blocked. I do go in there fairly frequently for supplies, so having to move it is a pain. But I'm not sure else where it can live, so it's the one problem with the new layout.
Heh. She looks like she's peeking out of a den for your attention.
Overall, I'm very happy. I was worried I was going to be unable to store all the craft/costuming/theater shit that I had tucked away if I moved things, but other than Tiamat, it's been no problem. It was also a good call to get rid of some things, so it felt like crowded and I could actually want to be in it. I'm really glad I finally went to the trouble, especially since I'll have a new Hawking show to costume this fall.
Originally it was kind of designed to be like an office, focused around a desk for typing on a desktop computer. Then I tried to sort of simultaneously make it a craft room, with another table off to one side for my sewing machine, and stuff like my dress form and steamer shoved awkwardly off wherever they would fit. But I wasn't really using it lately; it felt crowded, particularly with the third-floor slanted ceilings that even as a short person I always seemed to bump my head on. The space was really going to waste, so I wanted to do something with it that I would actually use.
After some consideration, it seemed like the most useful focus I could give it based on what tasks pop up in my current life, was to turn it into a costume room. Wardrobe is the most space-consuming project I do on a regular basis, so I thought that would make the room the most helpful and most frequently utilized.
There is one window, and while it doesn't give a ton of light, I wanted the tabletop workspace to get as much of it as possible. So I ditched the ancient desktop and arranged both the former computer table and the craft table here. I put the smaller table in the corner under the slanted ceiling, which helps keep it away from my head, and put my notions box and fabric basket on it. I decided to store my sewing machine in its case in order to protect it from dust when I'm not using it. The table with the larger surface will be for work, though I stuck my sewing books and patterns on it against the wall. (Under my fanart poster of Steve, a thoughtful gift from Jane Becker.) The metal cookie tins contain thread, buttons, and other bits and bobs, because I was raised in a family descended from immigrants. The wicker picnic hamper does not usually live there, as I don't like blocking the window, but I am packing it as a travel supply case for a wardrobe mistress job I'm doing to help out the Traynors, who did fight choreography on my film.
There used to be a low coffee table in here-- I thought it would be more accessible surface space under the slanted ceiling --but I basically never used it and it just collected papers that needed filing. So I finally dealt with all the papers, moved that out, and now it's at the foot of my bed. I also got rid of my printer, which still worked but I never used because it wasn't compatible with my iPad. So I repurposed the printer table for my ironing board, and although it might be stored there I'm not sure it's all that useable in that place. My dress form, Adelaide, still has the problem of being too tall for the room; you kind of have to constantly push her out of your way, but I think she's mostly okay where she is. The steamer, also a little too tall, lives behind her and is less of a problem there.
As you can see, there are bags full of costumes I have arranged for the aforementioned film I'm dressing. Adelaide is currently modeling a possibility I was assembling. The bags take up a lot of space, but they're much less in my way in this costume-specific room. They do, however, make it a little difficult to get to this dresser. It's kind of a pain to access at the best of times for something I go into every day. I never wanted that dresser in here, tucked under this stupid alcove, but it's so big it won't really fit anywhere else.
I also took my extra IKEA clothes rack, living many years disassembled in a closet, and put it up in this little corner where the craft table originally lived. I really like having a place to hang costumes I am currently working on in an easily accessible way that doesn't choke up my closet space. Currently it is full of suit bags of men's looks for the film wardrobe, as well as some jackets that I am considering as possibilities. On the ground are more bags, mostly with womenswear.
It's much, much more useable now, and it seems devoting it to costuming was indeed the right choice. The old white leather armchair, scrounged from my parents' living room set from many years ago, remains beside the big table where it always was, for me to sit in when I haven't covered it with costume pieces. The only problem is my Tiamat head, which used to live between the chair and the table, but now doesn't fit there anymore. The chair is very carefully set exactly far enough away from the side closet for the door to open, but with the head there it's blocked. I do go in there fairly frequently for supplies, so having to move it is a pain. But I'm not sure else where it can live, so it's the one problem with the new layout.
Heh. She looks like she's peeking out of a den for your attention.
Overall, I'm very happy. I was worried I was going to be unable to store all the craft/costuming/theater shit that I had tucked away if I moved things, but other than Tiamat, it's been no problem. It was also a good call to get rid of some things, so it felt like crowded and I could actually want to be in it. I'm really glad I finally went to the trouble, especially since I'll have a new Hawking show to costume this fall.
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Date: 2019-09-11 03:51 pm (UTC)