New Studio Build Out

Earlier this year Jess and I made the tough decision to give up our beautiful shared studio. We loved working together (and still plan to!) but with young kids the cost and commute were no longer working well. She found a great little office space closer to home and Eric and I decided to embark on a shed/studio build-out for both LHD and Hanson Renovations. It’s been really fun doing a project for just us and the kids have loved being a part of it too.

Here’s an early progress shot during framing. We were limited by conservation and zoning to this location in our back yard – offset, but close to the house. It’s been a blessing with all the rain we’ve had this summer and down the road we plan to tie in a patio with the back deck.

The footprint is 12 x 16 and I wanted as much natural light as possible so we did a large triple window facing the woods and 3 smaller windows around the perimeter. A wrap around desk is going underneath these windows with built-ins on the other side.

Eric’s built everything himself, but he called in help for the electrical work, drywall and mini-split. I planned to find reclaimed wood flooring, but my dad had some extra ash boards kicking around from his lake house project so he helped us supplement those with new stuff from his friends at Holt + Bugbee. Most of the flooring is from old ash trees in Andover that my dad’s company removed and had milled (and turned into flooring) so we were really happy to use it.

We’re further along than this last photo (Eric’s been much better at posting progress to IG than I have!) but we still have to finish the cabinetry, paint, lighting, etc. I’ve been really thoughtful about the details (and storage especially) so I’m excited to wrap things up and move in this fall.

For now, here’s some of the original inspiration we pulled from! I have always loved this little white cottage and our exterior facade is similar with two windows on the left and a door on the right. (image via Pinterest)

Our house is a deep blue-green and we’re going to match the paint on the shed, but take it a step darker on both for the final coat. Obsessed with this pretty exterior via Katie Wolf Interiors.

The interior plan is creamy white walls with a soft grey-green contrast trim and cabinetry like this room by Steven Gambrel. I also really love the idea of a taller baseboard for this space.

Simple shaker cabinetry (with an Ikea hack that I’ll share later) and a pretty curtain to conceal storage and add softness — similar to what Light + Dwell did so beautifully in their studio below.

Some minimal/modern shelving for mood boards, samples, art, etc. I’d like to be able to easily switch things out depending on what we’re working on, the season, etc. Still working out the details for this one. Image via Pinterest.

A darling little mail nook inside the door. I want the kids to be able to leave us notes and also it’ll help Eric and I organize what’s incoming for both businesses. Image via Pinterest.

Love this simple little shelf detail too. Since we wanted to insulate and make this a year round space it was too expensive (and time consuming, frankly) to fully panel the interior walls. I’m hoping the other details we’re adding will help infuse some of that character and warmth. Image via My Scandinavian Home.

We’ve started some of the exterior work (cobblestones and pea stone around the perimeter) and plan to add window boxes and simple climbing plants like this. Image via Pinterest.

A peek at a few more of the details we’re planning on — white oak butcher block desk tops, unlacquered brass hardware, and simple built-ins with a window seat between. Paint colors linked below.

Overall we want it to be simple, thoughtfully organized and inspiring, but not precious by any means (work boots will likely be in here on a daily basis — never mind wet kids running through or asking to do an art project). For a deeper dive into the overall vibe of the project check out my home studio board.

I’ll post another update in a few weeks along with my ideas/plans for organizing our library.

interior walls: BM cloud white matte
interior trim/cabinetry: BM horizon gray satin
exterior: BM midnight blue (or similar)