'Studio' - creative spaces for creative people - by Sally Coulthard - reviewed by Jane Foster
I recently took a trip to Falmouth with my family and on the way back, we popped into the wonderful smart Lemon Street Market in Truro.We fancied a little peep around the new Atrium gallery and cafe. My partner Jim started looking at a selection of coffee table books whilst I chatted to the friendly owner. Jim brought a book over to show me that he thought I might be interested in and turning through the pages to the introduction I spotted a photo of my old studio in Brighton! It was such a lovely coincidence I decided to buy the book. It's an absolutely super find as not only do I love looking at photos of other people's studios, I discovered the book shows some that belong to some of my favourite artists. Artists such as Lisa Congdon who I've been a fan of since 2008! It's a true feast for the eyes!
Here's what my old studio in Brighton looked like in 2008
My Brighton studio in 2008.
It was really a large bedroom in our house that I used as a studio as we were lucky enough to have an attic bedroom. At the time, I was still a music teacher but spent every waking second I wasn't teaching (and lesson planning!) working away in this room creating various products, sewing and designing. This space was a hive of activity and full of colour. I utilised every bit of wall space to add my inspiration - pictures by Dick Bruna, a framed magazine page of Lucienne and Robin Day and other inspiring postcards and book covers. The little cupboard with the sliding doors came from Ikea and I remember carefully glueing some red and white Orla Kiely stem print wallpaper to it as I couldn't believe she was finally branching out into wallpaper! The white lamp was an original Habitat Mac Lamp, one of many we collected over the years and the birch ply stools were bought second hand from various boot sales and eBay. I have such fond memories of working in this space as it was here that I planned my future career and exit from being a full time music teacher. 2008 was the year I left teaching and adopted my daughter, signed a contract with The Art Group and had my work published and sold in Habitat- I've very fond memories of her playing with my fabric scraps on the floor or sleeping in her cot whilst I made bags from pieces of fabric I'd screen printed.
The book contains real life case studies from crafters, writers, designers and artists. The book is packed with beautiful photos and I really enjoyed looking into each studio at great depth, scrutinising collections, noticeboards, storage solutions and of course a variety of artwork. Amongst my favourite studios were ones belonging to other illustrators and textile designers.
Here's Lisa Congdon's fabulous workspace - I love the clean white lines and her long desk space.
Lisa Congdon's Studio Space
I've also been a fan of Sarah Campbell's fabrics for years so it was very exciting to see a few pages dedicated to her work spaces.
Mari Andrews, a US based artist and sculptor has a truly fascinating workspace - I wanted to knock on her door immediately to visit and look around! (a dream)
Mari Andrews Live - Work Space
I love seeing people's storage such as this super metal locker to store yarn.
Below is a corner of Cadence Hay's furniture studio which she also shares with other artists, painters and potters. Such an inspiring space. You can find her beautiful Instagram account here.
Cadence Hay's studio
Another designer I've been fascinated in over the past few years is the French designer Nathalie Lete. There are several pages dedicated to her work spaces and here's just one of them below.
Nathalie Lete's studio space
The book is by Sally Coulthard and she's also written several other fabulous books which you may well own already! You can find her website here and her Instagram here. The book is called STUDIO and it's published by Jacqui Small. You can buy it from my shops including online from Waterstones
It's an interesting, inspirational book that I shall treasure and enjoy dipping into for years to come.