day 25: the studio redesign is complete

{well except for the computer, which is due to arrive early next week}

finally after almost 3 week the new studio is complete and the perfect, bright creative space i had envisioned. i love every single drawer and item in there, right where they should be, lol!

i have also uploaded the individual shots of each drawer and a brief explanation of how i organized my space.

i purposely designed the space so that all of my storage was below, i wanted only art and color on my walls. although i really did like the functionality of my space before, it was beginning to feel too dark and claustrophobic. the redesign is in direct contradiction of how i felt in the room before.

the entire room is basically from ikea: red shelf, island, cabinets, photo ledge, chair, dog bed, rails and hanging baskets.

 

{paisley was a big help!}

i know you want to ask this, so i will just put it out there. How much did it cost?

total cost was around $4500 (includes electrical outlets, painting, window framing, molding/ledge, counters/island and countertops) which i think is an amazingly great price!

feel free to email me any other questions about the redesign, organization or the process, but first check out the photos here. there is a lot of tidbits of info in the descriptions of the space.

Comments

[Valerie Gay]

Awesome! Looks great!

[Jeannine]

Wow! The studio looks beautiful. Great tour. I have one question... Does your IKEA allow dogs??? ;-) I wish ours did!

[CHRISSY GUIDO]

YEA!!! BEAUTIFUL

[KateinCleveland]

Freakin' awesome ... I love it! ... the colors, the art work, the organization, the light ... good for you.

[Ashley Cannon Newell]

Hi Donna! Your new space is AMAZING! I love your color choices and definitely your furniture choices. IKEA is my favorite place to shop for my studio! WOOO HOO It's done! Congrats on your new space!

[Brenda Pinnick]

sweet! now get busy.

[tania]

WOW looks awesome. Did you remeber what the name of the photo ledge? Was searching Ikea and can't find it!
Thanks Tania

[Madeline St Onge]

WOW Donna this looks great, tons of storage and nice and bright compared to your other one. Love it, have fun playing

[Melissa]

What a transformation!!! Will be fun to see what you create in your new environment. It is just soooooo happy and fun looking. Thank you for taking the time to do such a great video along with the still shots, gave me some really good ideas to improve my space.
Hugs!!
ps. Love my new camera lens!! Thank you!!

[TracyBzz]

Love the crystal knobs, the wall color and the art ledge! Beautiful space...enjoy :)
Oh one more thing LOL @ how much did it cost? I'll just tell you :)

[Mandy]

What did you end up doing with the old shelf and island?

[bettyann]

love love the new space..looks like 2x the space very visual..looking forward to seeing your work in this fab space..thanks for sharing..

[Christina Ocampo]

Your space looks amazing! Love everything about it & it does look so much bigger! I love Ikea..that's where I shop for all my storage needs in my house. BTW..can I ask what the name of the picture railing you have on your walls? TFS!!!

[Megan]

I have massive studio envy right now! It is beautiful. I can't wait to see all the amazing things you are going to create in your new studio.

PS - I so want your drawer of bulk prima flowers. Can't wait to see them in some projects.

[Katherine M]

Flippin' Awesome! Love the new colors!

[Laura]

Congratulations! Your studio is beautiful! It looks so light and airy - like the creative juices could just flow all around the room. I look forward to seeing what wonderful creations you come up with in your new space! Thanks for sharing and for the continued inspiration.

[Diann]

What? Ikea? I thought you were using some cube company? Your cabinets and island can be bought at Ikea??? Good news for the rest of us. It looks fun, even though I liked the old studio. =)

[julie b]

Thanks for allowing us into your home for an excellent tour of your new space. It's stunnning! Totally envious of how organized your studio is. My space it well laid out, but I'm messy when I create and fail to put stuff away!
I'm looking forward to seeing posts and video posts of projects created in that lovely new room!
Thanks for opening up your life so freely with us all!

[JudiW]

Love the new island I want one of those! Can see how the all the counter space will be very handy but visually liked the old look better.

[Sheri]

WOW!! I am so happy for you, your new craft space is amazing! What was the music that was playing during the pictures? Thanks for sharing!

[[email protected]]

Love everything about the redesign. Would you mind sharing specifics...paint colors, names of Ikea projects?
Thanks for the pictures

[Aimee]

Yahoo! Looks great! I {heart} it. Now I can say that DD studio is the same colors as mine! =) I look forward to seeing what you create while working in your new studio.

Aimee

[Becky Caldwell]

Congrats! It is just gorgeous! Thanks for sharing your process with us!

[Theresa]

beautiful!!

[Elizabeth]

Heavenly!

[Sheryl]

What a happy place you have created. I am sure you will have non-stop inspirations now!!

[Lisa]

I thought your other space was great but this is beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

[michelle]

Thank you for sharing...great creative space. Love how everything has a home (cricuit, sewing maching, supplies in drawers, etc...)do you stand sewing up? Enjoy!!! michelle

[Cindi]

I have never commented before...but I am a faithful "lurker". I LOVE...LOVE...LOVE the studio. Do you mind sharing what the name of the color on the walls are...and also...where did you get the red shelving unit?

It is GREAT!!!
Cindi

[kim]

what a beautiful place to spend your days creating. Enjoy!!

[SandyB]

OMG...I can't even get the words out... I am so jealous...

[Karin Hall]

I love your new studio ... 5 years ago we re-did our new house and we have those colors in various versions throughout... can't have enough of those Carribbean type hues!

[Fcas]

Talk about inspirational ... I'm inspired by your room!! Your room is definitely alive!

[Renee]

Wow, so beautiful and calming. :) You must be in Heaven in there.

I don't know about anyone else, but, I would love it if you would post a list of all those books on your bookshelf.

[Alice Wahyuni]

Dear Donna,

You are truly blessed!! Congratulations for the new studio and thanks much for sharing it, especially every details in your drawer...WOWWWW!!! I envy you!! =DDD

[Michelle]

Oh my word! Love everything about it--the colors, the white, those AWESOME drawer pulls, that fabric drawer, the island. I am totally feeling your excitement right along with you!! LOVE it all. Thanks for sharing your paint colors. Now I've got the itch to redo my stUdio! My hubby will NOT be thanking you :)

[Lisa]

What a gorgeous space! Congrats on surviving the remodel...it will be SUCH a fun place in which to work! Love Paisley in the IKEA cart (I have one of my daugher sleeping in the cart while I shopped. gotta love IKEA). :)

[sarah w.]

too stinkin cute to have that adorable dog in oh so cute vera!!!

[sara s.]

love the vera bradley!
i got the backpack in that print, but FUNNY, when i did i looked and looked to find the picture with yours....i remembered you could fit a water bottle on the side.....thought it would be a better size.
get called a mom a lot with it, but oh well! i am one.

[Alex]

wow, your room is sooooo awesome! I love the colour, can u tell me what it is please?!
Alex

[Debbie McIntyre]

Such a beautiful new room!! It might be hard to sling paint around with everything so new and clean.

[lilith]

you're lucky to have a room like this!
I guess your creativity is flowing and you can't wait to start using your new studio!:))

[ErinLeigh]

Oh,stop it! Are you kidding... this is mydream come true. really, really gorgeous. I mean it. really.

[Kimberly]

Gorgeous Transformation! I love the lighting and your space is so functional and stylish.

[Lillian Child]

Absolutely stunning! The colors are so cheerful and the space is awesome. Love all the little bits of color here and there ... and it even looks functional! ENJOY!

[Michelle Giaimo]

You are living my dream!

[Sandi M]

It looks beautiful. Of course, it's my fave color on the walls so you could have put stacks of wood boxes in there and I would like it. But, the white IKEA storage is even better :) IKEA is the best. I did my space with their products also.

[Shannon in Savannah]

Your space looks beautiful! I, too, have white cabinetry and blue walls. Just a great place to work. Wouldn't mind having an Ikea nearby though. ;)

[Cathy Wegner]

Just beautiful! Your studio always seems to be filled with sunshine. Maybe I should move there. I really like your ladder bookshelf. I looked in my ikea 2010 catalog and couldn't find it. Do you know what the name of it is? Thanks

[Teresa]

Love the space Donna. Congrats! Did you know why dogs are the best shopping companions a girl could have? Because they think that all of our ideas are fantastic!

[Fletch]

Love it, its so you. Fresh and spunky... where do you keep all your stamps now? in a few drawers?
Congrats to you!

[Lindsey]

i seriously cannot wait to have my own home, so i can create a space like this! it's beautiful!!!

[Tiffany N]

Impressive. I hope to copy it. The new studio looks so much brighter than your other one. Thanks for sharing so much of your life with us. Would you mind sharing some more?: maybe a list of those great books you like (the ones on the shelf). I would greatly appreciate it.

[A2lyn04]

AMAZIIIIING your new studio!!!!
It's GREAT ! GREAT ! GREAT !

[Huyen]

I'm so excited to see all the inspirational work that will come from your new space! Congrats on the beautiful room! Love it!

[Kell]

Love it Donna.. not only is it pretty, but it is clean, practical and organised = heaven! I liked the old one too.

[{vicki}]

LOVE the room--thanks for sharing with us!

[morning Dove]

i so love the color and your setup is fantastic. great job, looking forward to seeing your work in the new room.

[Julie]

What an awesome transformation! Congratulations! I'm so happy you're done... and now begins the REAL fun.

[Dayami]

Love how everything turned out! Just perfect! These are the colors of my scraproom. Wishing you thousands of creative days in your new place.
Enjoy.

[Betsy]

Congrats on your new studio, wishing you the best inspiration!!!

[Shir Benovich]

Gorgeous! Love your room, very inspiring, relaxing and fun!!!

[Susan]

Your new studio is lovely. I think the best part is that you can work in an 8x10 space. That's great news for all us hoarders who think we need an entire basement ... thanks! I love clean and simple (even though I haven't figured out how to live that way). Very nice.

[Missy Paciorek]

I seems like you purged a huge amount of product for your renovation. I just did the same thing, I feel lighter already having made decisions about what I wanted and didn't want anymore, but my problem is what to do with all the perfectly good scrapbook materials? I don't want to be wasteful and I'd love to give them to an organization that will use them. I'm just at a loss. Any ideas? What did you do with your purged items??

[Maggie Fisher]

Please let me know if I win this gorgeous band!@

[Maggie Fisher]

Can't believe you don't have a roll-around chair in there especially with wood floors?? And just what is that little critter with the perky ears in the basket? Is he/she the one who really does all those designs, your secret brain trust no less!!!!

[Deirdre]

So inspired by your space! Thanks so much in sharing each step along the way...just like the weight loss story, it is so much more helpful to see it takes steps and time.

My ?: does it bother you at all to have your back to the entrance when you are on the computer? My room is an attic with slanted ceilings and I'd have so much more space if my desk/counters and computer were up against the wall...but right now I can see when someone enters the room...would love to hear your feedback on this. Thanks!

[donna downey]

thanks dierdre!

i guess i never thought about my back to the door...it has always been that way. but i rarely sit still i am always moving around the room when i work, maybe that is why?

donna downey
donnadowney.com
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