Are You Designing A Studio?

Are you designing a new studio space or dreaming of doing so? Jill Finley of Jillily Studio just designed a new space for her busy design business. We spoke to her about the process recently and here's what she had to share!

HG: Where is your new studio?

JF: My studio is in my home in Herriman, Utah. I have an outside entrance off the side porch and inside it is off of my family room.

HG: How long did it take to build? Did you have a lot of input?

JF: It took about 9 months from start to finish. We used one of the builder's plans and modified it to add the studio and spaces our family needed. We worked with an architect to make all of the adjustments.


HG: What did you want most in your new space?

JF:  Room! My last space was a 9' x 10' bedroom, which would be fine for a sewing room, but I am running a business and I needed a lot more room. My space needs to accommodate sewing, cutting, pressing, storage, shipping , filing, artwork, design, products, packaging, advertising, etc. I also really needed more surface area so I didn't have to clear off the cutting table just to ship an order!

HG:  What surprised you about your new space?

JF: I am surprised about how much room I have. I had to stay within budget, so the studio size was limited. (Darn!) I was worried that I wouldn't have enough room. Most of the space is only 11' wide, but it is amazing how well it works when it is all designed specifically for my needs. My office area is only 5' wide, and it is perfect. (I wouldn't want to do more than 5' of office work, anyway!) For me, defining a specific space for the office area made a huge difference in the workability.

HG: Do you have any tips for someone who is designing a studio?

JF: Yes! First, I have some great photos on my blog here about the process that we went through.

Tips:
If you are setting up your sewing or crafting area, arrange it by processes, rather than things. Think about each process or activity you do and arrange your space in stations or areas. For example, cutting area, sewing station, pressing station, storage area, shipping area instead of sewing table, bookcase, ironing board, computer, etc. Your space will be more efficient and easier to work in.

Choosing flooring:
I knew that I wanted a black and white checkered floor because I have been using that in my booths for years. It's kind of my signature. Every other home we have lived in has had carpet in the sewing room. A history of finding pins and needles with bare feet made me insist on hard flooring. (All of the kids knew to never enter the sewing room without shoes on.) I thought I wanted tiles, but I found a wonderful commercial vinyl that gives me a nice smooth surface without any grout lines (for pins to hide in.) So far, I am very happy with it.

Shelving - what works for you? Open or closed?:
I like a little of both. Closed for all the bulky, unsightly and non-creative stuff. Open for the creative inspiration kind of stuff ... like fabric, threads and books. They are easy to access and look great. I have some open shelves in the office area (for budget reasons), so the things I store there are stored in bins to unify and organize the space.

HG: Thank you for sharing your beautiful space! She's hosting an Open House on September 27th from noon until 6 p.m. Read more about her space here, here and here.