The Perfect Space for Creative Minds

Whether you're a writer, painter, photographer, sculpture or textile extraordinaire having a dedicated space for you to let your creative juices flow is quite important. As a writer and someone who dabbles in art, I quite often dream about my ideal space and whilst I have a dedicated space at home, it's definitely me making the most of what I have.

For me, I have used one corner of my living room, right by a window. I have a small desk, a large chest with all my art supplies, a laptop for blog work and Ipad pro for digital art - that's it. I think when we come to move how I would like a spare bedroom which I could turn into a dedicated creative workspace or an outbuilding which could be converted. Right now this isn't on the cards for a couple of years but it has got me thinking about the benefits of creative space and what my ideal one would look like.

Choosing your space

Whether your home is big or small, you can easily dedicate a space of your home to your creativity. Choose a spot where you find you work well, where you’re productive and already gravitate towards when you’re wanting to create. Also, choose a spot where there is lots of natural light as well as being a natural mood lifter, studies have actually found that it increases creativity and learning.

If you’ve only got a nook or small office zone to play with, make the best use of any vertical space available by building shelving units right up to the ceiling and buy a pair of steps to access them if necessary.

If you have the luxury of a separate room, building or the finances to build a garden studio you may have even more factors you'd like to include. Such as, seating, storage an area to showcase work - especially if you're planning on having clients come directly to you.

What is important here is to write down all your essentials and non-essentials and go from there when you're first starting out.

Decorating your creative space

Of course, this is completely down to individual tastes and budgets but there are a few known interior tricks which are believed to encourage creativity.

Light is something I have already discussed and this is a prominent feature for many creatives, not only does it help boost creativity levels as previously mentioned but it may also be a necessary tool - especially if you're an artist, photographer or dealing with textiles. Natural light allows you to see colours clearly which is also ideal when you're editing images.

Flooring is also really important to get right, especially depending on what type of creative activity you partake in. Having something that is durable but also easy to clean it ideal. Which is why we opted for cheap lino flooring because it's so easy to clean and cost-effective.

Walls again this is personal preference but many opt for white walls. Having white walls often act as a blank canvas where you can then use the walls as mood boards depending on the project you're working on. My beautiful friend, Lisa Henshall is an incredible artist and she does this in her own creative space.

Storage is important too, whether you need storage for camera equipment or for large quantities of paint - this is something should really be a priority when designing your space. Some like to have clutter around them, the ease of grabbing equipment and not worrying about having dedicated homes for items - helps the flow of creativity. For others, like myself, I need to have storage solutions to put items away (and out of reach of children) as my creative space is also a shared space. I have found a storage chest the easiest place to store everything. Of course, you could also use relaim items such as this gorgeous pharmacy unit (below) which is being using for threads and sewing equipment.