about 2 months ago the local newspaper that occupied this big office space in the front of my building moved out. i secretly have always coveted this space because of its huge windows and natural light not to mention the street presence and space. so bill started asking questions and by the end of his conversation, i am elated to say we are the NEW tenants (the address even remains the same after we move)!!!
my current studio now sits in a smaller office space off to the right of this picture, attached to this building tucked quite a bit back off the street the building is 80 years old and in its former life, was an old FORD dealership. it has charm and character, but it needed to be overhauled on the inside...too many walls, ugly ass floors, and YELLOW...LOTS OF YELLOW!
with bill working his magic, the landlord agreed to modify the building to all my requests (i was shocked!)
first up was to knock down the walls as you walked in the front door. because it was used as office space it was sectioned up and felt like walking into a dark and walled coffin.
with the walls down, WOW!!! look at that light! i LOVE THE LIGHT!!! to the left will be the new classroom (the room with the chandeliers...one of the only random things i am keeping) and to the right the new shop!then the floors were next to go...the black and white checkerboard was not only icky, but lifting and well...just icky
so so the demo guys came in to started ripping up the decades old tiles
and two weeks ago i made my final decision on the flooring treatment...a white wash over the cement floor that was revealed under the tiles. in my head i have this vision of industrial meets authentic. i am a bit excited to see it when its done because of the potential character that may be revealed from the old floor as it was decades ago it laid in an old FORD showroom.
last week the flooring company came in to start sanding down the residue and prepping the cememnt floor below for a white wash.
the new space even has a kitchen! perfect for INSPIRED events and Grandma Cookie's (my moms) catered lunches and snacks. there is even more space to the right, a small kitchenette nook as you walk into just beyond the doorway here of the kitchen. i am thinking a candy display or snack spot for our INSPIRED events.
the arched doorway leads to another small room...we are calling this "jenny's room". this will be where my neighbor and kit maker extraordinaire assembles and stores all the supplies needed to make the kits for when i travel and teach workshops
this might seem silly but the new space has 2 incredibly large bathrooms, WITHIN THE BUILDING! see in our current space they are down and around the hallway separate from out actual space. they are big and screaming for a creative idea and i happen to have a few up my sleeve (more to come). we are even getting a mud sink put in one so we can clean out our supplies!
these are just the first round of pictures of the changes being made...looks like we may be in by august 1st and i will continue to document and post updated photos the changes of the move and the process from transforming the space from "drab" to "donna downey studios".
we have been so excited about the changes and the possibilities that will now open up for us in the new space, it has been so difficult for me to keep the secret, lol!!
BIG THINGS are happening here in in my small town of Huntersville NC and i hope to take you all with me on the journey!
more to come!
