It wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be to repurpose the living room into more studio space. Rarely used, it has wonderful north-facing light and a bay window. Unfortunately, it also had early 90s Martha Stewart-approved pink walls (named for a flower but I can’t remember which)—great in a living room but not what I wanted to look at for any extended period of time. Since I couldn’t think of any other suitable color and because I LOVE grasscloth, I decided to mimic the effect by glazing the walls with Benjamin Moore’s Linen White mixed into a clear acrylic glaze medium. I roughed up a large brush by notching the bristles and, after rolling the tinted glaze on the walls, dragged the brush through it in rows in one direction. When it dried, I painted the glaze on again and dragged the bristles through in the opposite direction. It looks like fabric now, the barest pink still visible in the well-lit room.
Also in this room was the ugliest couch ever. Very comfortable, but a hideous floral that I’ve always wanted to slipcover. No fabric (that I could afford) has ever appealed to me but the solution, once this became mentally designated studio space, seemed obvious—a canvas dropcloth. From a new dropcloth, I cut the back, front, deck, sides, and skirt and I cut the cushion covers and cording from two of my used dropcloths. I love the effect.
My easel and my drafting table now have perfect spaces, bathed in cool northern light, and there is room to keep all my supplies together, close to where they will be used. My clever daughter painted an old Todd Oldham set of drawers for me and I am still happily finding new places for everything. The once least used room in the house is now my favorite place to be.
Robert said:
It’s stunning, Anne. But it looks like someone spilled some paint on your new cushion covers. Pity.
Anne Fontaine said:
*snort* Yeah, me! What was kind of serendipitous is that those particularly colorful stains are from having my daughter’s lacrosse team here to tie-dye t-shirts. Nice memories now in full view.
Sabra Smith said:
It is fabulous! It’s my favorite room now too — in your house or even mine!
Anne Fontaine said:
Thanks, Sabra! It was oddly empowering to rename the room and change its intended purpose.
Everything is Lekker said:
It turned out better than I think either one of use expected! I can’t wait to see what things you create in your new place of inspiration!!
Anne Fontaine said:
Thanks, Pegs, for the kick in the pants and for all your help! xx
Buzz Mooney said:
Once again, I am impressed and inspired by your creativity. Now that I’m finally officially fully moved into my new place, I’m going to have to put myself into my place the way you’ve put yourself into yours! I was going to say that I plan to steal some of your ideas, but it’s more a matter of letting your ideas inspire some of my own.
Anne Fontaine said:
Thank you, Buzz. I’m so excited to hear about your new place! I’ve no doubt you will put together the perfect environment for your creative work. I’d really like to hear more about your progress; keep me posted, okay?