No Studio? No Problem : 5 Studio Alternatives for Small Spaces

Do you picture yourself creating art in a massive, gorgeous studio with white walls and natural light pouring in, illuminating every inch of the room? Me too. Are you waiting until you have just the right space before you begin your creative journey? NOT ME! I know that one day I will have the perfect, pinterest-worthy studio space, but in the meantime, I always find a way to make it work!

I have never had a ‘real’ studio outside my home, but my experience creating art in my makeshift spaces has been incredibly real. If I can make space in a two-bedroom basement suite with four kids, I know you can too! I’ve painted in the kitchen, the laundry room, the living room, a bedroom (while my three boys shared a TINY room and my baby slept in our walk-in closet).

Don’t be afraid to take up space in your home. Kids can share rooms, families can eat a picnic on the floor a couple times a week. You have the ability to arrange your space in unconventional ways in order to do what’s best for you. And in my experience, what’s best for you is often best for your family. It’s good for your kids to make small sacrifices, see you take up space, and watch you become the joyful, creative person you want to be.

Not having a studio is one of our favorite excuses to let ourselves off the hook and pretend that another day, when things are different, will be a better day to connect with our creativity. In reality, we all have a little space for creativity, it just takes an open mind and a recognition that any type of art made in any type of space is infinitely better than no type of art made nowhere!

So let’s cut through the excuses right now! Here are five studio solutions for smaller spaces.

1. THE TRAY

Use a large tray, even a baking sheet. Keep your paints, palette, and small surfaces there and store it on top of the fridge or on a high shelf. Pull it down whenever you get a minute to paint then pop it back on top of the fridge when you have to stop. If you use acrylics that dry quickly on the palette, you can spray your paint with a bit of water and cover it with an upside-down cup to keep it wet, allowing you to come back several hours later and continue working (or invest in a stay wet palette). You can also mix your paints in old yogurt or sour cream containers. When you have to do a quick clean up, just pop the lids back on to keep the paint ready for later. The point is, everything you need to make art is in one place, ready to pull out and put away at a moment’s notice!

2. THE SHELF

This is my favorite small-space solution, and one that I used for several years when we lived in a tiny, 2-bedroom basement suite in Vancouver with four kids! Before I had the genius idea to use our freakishly large laundry room as a studio, I had a thrifted metal cabinet/bookshelf and an easel pushed up against one wall of our kitchen/living room. On top of the chest-high cabinet I kept a palette, water, brushes, tiny panels, and some paints. It was out of the way enough from tiny hands that I could leave my stuff out all the time (which is huge!). I could just walk up and paint on tiny panels, right there on that little shelf! Additional supplies were locked inside the cabinet. If you can’t get a little cabinet, you could literally just hang a shelf chest-high to keep all of your supplies on and use as a standing table to paint small pieces on.

For larger pieces I kept an easel right next to the shelf. If you don’t have an easel, hammer a couple nails in the wall and hang your canvas or panel right on the wall while you work. I often commandeered the kitchen table as well. It wasn’t totally uncommon to have a picnic dinner on the floor. Even with little kids running around, they learned not to push my easel over or climb up to my shelf. I worked this way for three years, and created several series of work that I am proud of.

3. THE DESK

Just about any desk will do, but one with large drawers would be ideal. Store all of your supplies in the desk drawers (use child locks if necessary). Work on the desk surface for small/medium works, and put larger works on the desk leaning against the wall while you paint (or use the easel or nail trick from option 2.) This desk could go literally anywhere…the front living room or dining room, the kitchen, your bedroom. Art spaces are beautiful spaces and add interest to any room. I felt proud to have my work space right there in the kitchen where any visitor could see.

4. THE CLOSET

Do you have a closet in your space that could possibly accommodate a tiny desk or table? Consider removing the closet door to give it a little more space and make room for a chair to live there. Put in a few shelves on the walls for supplies. Hammer a few nails to hang your canvases. There have been multiple times when we have opted to use our bedroom closet for something other than hanging clothes! We utilized dressers for most of our clothing, and items that needed a hanger were hung in a different room.

5.THE BEDROOM/SPARE ROOM/OFFICE

If you are fortunate enough to have more than one or two bedrooms, you have the ultimate studio opportunity! If you have a guest bedroom…that’s a no-brainer studio right there! Store a mattress or do a pull-out couch for the few times you have company, and occupy the space for your work the other 360 days a year!

Kids sharing rooms to create a studio space is totally encouraged. As I mentioned above, my best studio to date was in a three-bedroom house we rented for 18 months. My three older boys shared a tiny room. The oldest two slept in a bunk bed, and the toddler had a mattress on the floor! (I always intended to get him a trundle bed but never got around to it!). Our baby slept in a walk-in closet in our bedroom. And the largest bedroom in the house was my studio, which doubled as an office for my husband.

The boys had ridiculous amounts of fun sharing a room and they never once questioned why I was occupying the biggest room in the house for painting. I understand this is a huge privilege to have that space at all, and to have a family that is so supportive and accommodating. I know this is not the case for everyone, but I also know this…we often sacrifice and accommodate for others, it’s okay to ask others to do the same in return.

Only have one bedroom?? I have even known people who painted in their bedroom…keeping an easel next to their bed and storing the supplies under it! These things can be done!!

These are just five solutions, there are certainly hundreds more…garages, old sheds, balconies, laundry rooms, art bags for on the go…it’s all fair game. Get thinking about your unique space and how you might use it more efficiently. And ultimately, it’s less about the actual space, and more about having a system in place. We need to eliminate excuses and make it so choosing art at any given moment is as easy as possible.

My advice would be to start small, like a supply tray in the kitchen. Little by little, as your work expands, so can your space. You will feel more confident justifying the use of more space in your home if you have shown that you are committed to your craft.

I know you want that big white studio. I know these 5 solutions are not ideal. But do you know what’s really not ideal??? A creative person who is not creating!! You deserve to live creatively, and you are so much more likely to do this if you have a dedicated space. Dedicated to YOU. Your craft. Your goals. Even if it’s just a tray, that tray is now dedicated, and so are you.

Sending love, and dedicated space :)

Denise

P.S. I would love to hear about ideas and solutions that have worked for you!

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