ABOVE: This windowless storeroom was transformed into an enticing arts and crafts studio. This is the fourth — and last — installment of my Shovel Out the Premises plan. Those who undertook this brave task of clearing out the clutter before Christmas know it’s not easy to part with things that come with a back story or a memory. But if my studies of Feng Shui (okay; speed-reading at Chapters one rainy afternoon) tells me anything it’s that we must release old stuff and the old thinking attached to them in order to make room for new ideas and experiences.
Congratulations if you’ve banished all the junk piles from your home. (If you’ve relapsed a bit, you can catch those past step-by-step columns at my blog at homereworks.com.) Now comes the fun part: staging your newfound space like a pro, except the goal here isn’t to sell your home but learn to love it again — because you deserve a nice home as much as the next guy.
Start by hanging out in one newly empty room. What do you want to happen here? Is it a place for creative pursuits? Reading or watching movies? Hanging with friends? Meditation? If you can dream it, you can create it.
The key to a successful room is making it truly fit your desired function and celebrating that use in the decor. Take the room pictured here. This former storeroom was transformed into an arts and crafts studio by first relocating an extra table to the room’s centre for all-sides access. An area carpet on a thick underlay makes standing easier on the knees. A bank of low Ikea bookshelves along one wall adds further workspace area while the shelving below stores various art supplies in full view. A collection of embroidery hoops is stored on the wall, adding a light, airy décor to this windowless room and a large plastic pail full of art papers serves as a functional bouquet. Some favourite art paper was set in a few spare picture frames to further inspire the dweller who dreamed this space. Enticing displays of materials and projects-in-progress in baskets on the table make this room almost irresistible.
If your dream is an ‘away’ room, you could anchor the space with a cozy armchair and storage ottoman, a favourite throw over the chair arm, a good-sized side table and a reading lamp. Add an electric kettle, a music system or a small TV and settle in. Well done.
