this past few weeks, i have been faced with a few dilemma’s. there are the usual ones – what the hell did i wear last winter to stay warm? is it weird that ari asks for “seven pieces of apple” as a topping for nachos? is it even weirder that he then looks down his pants and tells me his penis is “just like a brachiosaurus”? how do i stop miso drinking out of the fish bowl? you know, every day stuff.
this dilemma is not one of those.
since changing raph’s office into a lounge room (which is so awesome, btw), raph has moved into the studio with me. personality-wise, this works out just fine – raph and i have always worked together, even before we were in a relationship – we do it well. however cleanliness-wise, it does not. i am self-admittedly not the cleanest person in the world – i have a lot of crap, and it can get out of control, but every few weeks i sort it out, have a big clean up and re-set. which is were raph and i differ. his crap (mostly paper work and a few thousand free tee-shirts,) just builds up, and builds up and builds up. no eventual clean up. this is driving me a little mental.
this current studio sharing arrangement is just temporary – raph is looking for a warehouse, but it’s proving harder than we thought to find one which is affordable, big enough to fit the trucks, close to our house and not a dark, squalid cave. but i am sure its coming, and aforementioned dilemma will be solved. but, then, a new one will arise for me – should i move my studio into his warehouse? i would have my own separate space, so mess would not be a problem.
there are things i do like about having my studio at home. i like that during the day i can take 10 mins out to put on dinner/do laundry/have left-overs for lunch. i like that tyke can come home after school and be at here while a work (doesn’t work so well with ari yet). and i have a big space with lots of light and lofty ceilings and a view of the park. it’s pretty great set-up. it’s also convenient with my night-time working schedule.
but, there are also things i do not like: that being the first room in the house, it’s the family dumping ground (school bags, skateboards, last weeks lunch). that i often feel like i have not left the house in weeks. and that if a client comes over for a meeting i have to make sure the whole house is clean incase he/she needs to go to the toilet at the other end of the house. and there is also the whole worklife/homelife separation issue (of complete lack there-of).
what do you think about this whole work from home business? blessing, or curse?
i have been thinking about it a lot. and have decided, my ultimate working set-up is still at home, but separated from the actual house. some kind of amazing hand-crafted wood and glass constuction at the back of the garden, surrounded by greenery, which could even have it’s own quaint laneway entrance. i am hoping i can make this a reality, and incorporate it into our renovation (which fingers crossed will actually come to fruition one day). in the meantime, i can deal with current set-up, especially if it is sans-raph-mess.
here are some images feeding my garden-enclosed separate home studio dream:
1 – by maziar behrooz architects via arch daily (shipping containers never looked so good!)
2 – via chutzpah (so my favourite interiors blog), via old chum (so my favourite flickr stream)
3 – garden of los pozas; scan from “surreal eden”
4 – old chum’s flickr (again)
5 – gen’s treehouse, nagoya; scan from “tree houses of the world”
also – please excuse the exceptionally wordy post. some of my favourite blogs have very little writing, sometimes i wish i could be one of those. but my workload has been so crazy of late that i am a little starved of non-family or work-related conversation – thus it gets spewed forth into cyber space. just pray you don’t bump into me in the supermarket as i am likely to force a 30 minute conversation out of anyone who gives me a sideways glance.
enjoy your week!
Tags: family, other blogs, our house
I may have a pig-sty of a studio to work from but my house is style a mess with
‘home-work’ tumbling out everywhere.
i dream of a home with storage.
I dream of owning a shepherd’s hut in a meadow.
I dream of being the type of person who is ordered and clean……
I know it’s just not me…..
I moved into my patners studio/workshop and I have two kids – It has slowed things down, it os only early days, but when I walk in there I feel apart of it all and as if a whole lot more is possible.
It has changed my work schedule immensely, so far the little i get done has been more effective then the bits and pieces of earlier studio in the back of the last house.
Thanks for sharing, yes I love those green dreams too..
xx Kym
I have only recently started working from home and have found it a real challenge requiring lots of self discipline. I think I will just put the dinner on and find myself doing the laundry and feeding the pets and….And although I love being home when my girls get home from school, I miss the comraderie of the office. My dream is to rent a little space (read desk) somewhere for a couple of days a week, with other writers or people in creative fields. Best of both worlds- a place for meetings, focus, inspiration and the chance to work from home and balance my family life.
I am faced with a dilemma too- to build a yurt as my studio so we would have a spare room or to just keep with the current situation where i have a room for sewing and stuff which is also the spare room, so whenever anyone comes to stay I have to clean it up and pack it away alot so the lounge can fold into a bed- TOTAL pain. But I am worried if i have my yurt (http://www.bluemountainyurts.com/) will I feel really disconnected from the house….? because I am still working three days a week at my other completely unrelated to craft job when i am home I feel like if I had a studio i would miss hanging out with the Mr and the kid, because I i do a lot of my work at night.
In your situation ( here is my two cents worth) I would seriosuly consider moving to the warehouse. You may be far more productive there because you wouldn’t be so distracted by having to clean the house etc…? Maybe? having set work hours etc? Plus the added bonus of having more space in the house. Maybe you will decide when you find your warehouse, when you see it?
I have a studio in the backyard, a bungalow which we had put in after we moved here. I love working from home, it’s cheap for starters, and while I wait for glue to dry I can put laundry on, weed the garden etc.
Sam’s art is so big he has a separate studio on Sydney Rd, there are other warehouses available there, on the corner of Edward and Syd Rd up here in the ‘Burg. Plenty of room for trucks, roller doors downstairs, with mezzanine office spaces upstairs, all self-contained.
Not sure if they are rental or purchase, but I think they would suit your purposes!
Also, at art school my nickname was Emma Dilemma, so I love the title of your post xxx
PS. Honkers next week – how will I stay sane toting these kids about in the humidity?!
Haha, sounds like your son is learning lots of new words. I’m sure counting is very exciting to people a lot younger.
A separate studio sounds like a good idea – especially from a ‘clients’ perspective. I suppose the most important part would not to get distracted when you inevitably go back to the house to eat/etc. I like the exterior look of the first one, but the bench space in the second is a winner too.
John Wardle’s Kew house has a clever studio/teenager’s bedroom detached from the main house- worth checking out if you can as there were some neat space saving ideas. I saw it on a Robin Boyd tour, but my favourite house was the McGlashan & Everist one. Sigh. Oh, and it’s good to build the studio first and put a little kitchenette in so that when you renovate your kitchen you can still cook.
Xx
Beci… I am in the same dilemma… minus the kids!! I have a studio at home and i am dreaming of a man-shed or SOMETHING that is at home, but separate from home! Warmth in winter is an issue for me too…and the fact that when people come over I have to direct them to a space under the house that is open, without walls, and that occasionally has laundry hanging in it! X
Beautiful studios!!! We are converting the workshop at the back of our garden into a studio for writing/escape. I have specifically asked for ’some type of pleasant-looking mesh or leafy camouflage on the windows’ in the architect brief so I can hide from the family when I really need to get stuff done!
Head out towards Kyneton where there is a massive paddock filled with old school portables. You can buy them and bung one in your backyard! There are cute weatherboard ones with massive windows. You can get them with toilets and kitchenettes! I dream of one in my backyard for studio/storage/escape space…
I’ve been looking for a shared studio space and have been checking out photos of creatives studios like the ones on these sites: *drool*
http://harxest.com/
http://www.wheretheycreate.com/
There’s one on readymade mag – it’s a project where you can build your own outside space. http://www.readymade.com/projects/gimme_shelter_build_a_modern_bungalow_in_your_backyard – here are the plans. good luck!
I would LOVE a little granny flat out the back studio… perfect. Working from home is HARD! It’s even harder to leave the house now it’s getting cold.
i can totally relate to this post! It’s funny – because when we all used to work in offices, the dream was wishing we could work from home. Now when we do it, it’s not so rosy. I do love working from home – we have a studio at the back end of the house, but with 2 kidlets they mess it up and i can not get a thing done in the day, only in the wee hours after they go to bed can i work. I think the idea of a studio separate from home is a good idea. It would take a while to adjust, with housework etc – but you could be more productive, esp once you get a little mini routine down (eek!). I’m sure you could still do some work from home at night if you had deadlines etc. OMG i would love one of those green houses – those top 2 are divine!!
p.s. did i tell you i got your print in the mail? OOH wow, it’s super perfect! Have to find a nice frame for it still – thank you soo much lovely xoxox
Woah! Chutzpah is my baby blog, and it’s an enormous compliment that you like it. Good luck on the home/work continuum stuff.
I am so glad that I found you. Adore these images! I worked from home and still do part time. I can tell you it was a true treasure to do that. I was much more creative.
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
Do Come and enter my Great Giveaway from Serena & Lily!
You will love it!
I think that your very own studio/shed in garden idea sounds awesome! In the meantime if Raph finds a suitable warehouse then I guess you could work from there but still do any necessary night work in your home studio. I’m a terribly messy person but at the moment I’m also the only one that has to put up with it!
Your studio ideas look beautiful, especially the one with all the greenery. I share a studio with my husband, but occasionally work from home when I need a larger table to spread out my stuff. However… here I am ‘working from home’ today, and I am reading your blog whilst stirring a pot of chicken and rice soup… Don’t tell the hubby… I do think closing a door and ‘going to work’, even if it’s in the backyard, is much more productive. But you may eat more take-away.
glad i’m not the only one who thanks those who work in hospitality/customer service/retail etc as sometimes they are the ONLY time i get to have an adult conversation. seriously. i’ll talk to anyone. does anyone want a customer survey done? some feedback? i’ll give it. old nonna who doesn’t speak much english on the bus? i’ll have a conversation with you anyway. so thanks for your word spew. makes me feel a whole lot more normal. at least our internal monologues can be a source of comedic gold.
as for your studio dilemma? garden studio is obviously the right choice for you. just pluck the money off that money tree also growing out back (come to my place if you need more off my money tree) then start building. simple!
thanks for all your helpful comments. i have had a few studios away from home before so i know what it’s like to have a separate space. i am still undecided! its nice hear all your opinions though.
mel – thanks for the readymade link – such a great option – especially my dad is a builder. totally showing him the plans next time he is over!!
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