I have been building my studio, on south Beacon Hill in Seattle, for about 15 years. I started when my garage was smashed by a neighbor’s wall. (His property is about 12 ft taller than ours on the hill.) We ended up tearing down everything except the foundation. When we started building, I searched ideas for the ideal studio (which I have still to totally encompass as it seems to change periodically.) Having a husband that is a contractor is a definite plus. I decided that our little 15’ x 25’ garage foundation was too small so we enlarged it to about 20’ x 25’ and built it with 2’ x 6’ timbers to include a little room for extra insulation for better sound proofing. As I do public sculptures we made the ceilings 10’ high so large sculptures can be worked.

 

The theme of my studio is recycling. It creates an eclectic design of which I am rather proud. It also reflects my personality. All my fixtures and doors, windows, French doors, cabinets, flooring were saved from the garbage dump.  Some of my cabinets are from houses built in 1910, as are some of my windows. I am not talking about “garbage” garbage, but good quality things that were just being discarded while still having a lot of life in them.

 

Now, you say, I have a contractor for a husband. That’s right, but ... here’s a thought! Contractors have to pay exorbitant costs to dispose of these perfectly good cabinets, lights and windows. Think about approaching a contractor you know and ask them if you could have the next set of kitchen cabinets that they are removing. Some contractors might not be responsive to your request because it is easier to smash them up when they are being removed, but there are a lot of contractors who feel as I do about filling our dumps with excess materials just because someone wants an updated look. I have received carpets that had been installed 6 months prior to the demolition.

 

My dust system is a furnace fan (free), which blows into a chute with baffles and into a basin of water. It is very effective. My heating system is a wood stove (free), centered in the studio. As I sell stone and tools, and teach, I have a variety of benches at different heights. An old dental chair (free) is the perfect height for detail work and sanding. On the wall, shelves hold the stone I sell. The lower cabinets hold every manner of tools and sandbags.

My French doors open to allow me to bring in large pieces through the main doors but at the other end of the studio, I will shortly be installing a pair of 12’ barn doors, which I will make myself.

 

I decided that I didn’t want just the run-of-the-mill look outside, so while the front is sided, the entry to the yard, which consists of two walls in an L shape with a window, is, at present, becoming a mural. I am using ¾” marble from a tile store (free because they are scraps they can’t use and they would have to haul them to the dump), smashed into chunks, applied with tile mastic and grouted with a sanded grout. It will be a weeping willow tree scene when I am done. Not only will it be an interesting facet to my studio, it could prove to be another job opportunity to explore.

 

The nice thing about building in this manner is that if I don’t like something, I can rip it out and replace it with something else. My husband is always bringing home something neat. Another way of approaching this style of building is to hang out at places like Earthwise or other recyclers of old house fixtures. I will tell you that you can get some wonderful things at these places but you will pay a wonderful price too! Why not see what you can get on your own? The recyclers are great when you have a very specific desire and can’t find what you want. My studio is a work in progress. It is not done and may never be done, but it is a joy to watch come together. If you would like to visit, I would be proud to show you around.