Over the years I’ve had a handful of studios. My first studio was at Bench next to Hardy Coffee Roasting. This was in 2018. I remember the smell of coffee as I would draw in North Downtown Omaha. Shortly after Bench I moved to a cute little live/work space on 20th Street across from Liberty Elementary School. It was such a great space, but a bad breakup led to a sad moving out of that space. My studio on Cuming Street was my come back in 2022! I converted it to both a store and a studio. I had found this space as I was picking up prints from my printers and inquired about the office space next door to their office. To my luck I was able to move in & learn alongside my favorite people. It saved a lot of errands! The lessons I learned leasing from my printers were invaluable. I took away so much knowledge from them—things you don’t learn in grad school about the printing business! I am forever grateful for each of these spaces and all the lessons I’ve learned in each spot. Having had so many spaces, I really gained perspective on the type of studio that fits my needs
Above - a photo of me in my very first studio at Bench. PC: Ahmad Jaffery
Last spring, my husband and I bought our first home in Benson, fulfilling a dream we have had since we married in 2021. I envisioned creating my own home studio in our garage, despite it being unfinished. I saw potential for shelving, workspace for packing orders, and a space for our kids to play. The garage was perfect for my "she-shed".
A few before photos of our garage.
Interior garage before.
After moving, the garage was where the movers put all of our boxes. It was raining on our move-in day, so EVERYTHING went in the garage. As we slowly unpacked and brought boxes into our home, the garage became a storage unit for all the holiday decor, toddler clothes, and things that really belong in a shed (which we didn’t have at the time).
I knew we needed to declutter before we could start the studio renovation. We hosted a garage sale, donated items, and built a shed to move the lawn mower and other yard care items to the backyard.
More of a storage unit than a garage.
Before renovations!
In this photo you can see the original windows which we kept & had sanded & painted for a fresh look!
We rented a storage unit 5 minutes from home and moved all of my prints and cards out so the renovation could begin.
We began by addressing the electrical work, rewiring all the electrical conduit to ensure safety for installing drywall. Once the drywall was completed, we moved on to painting and adding floor coverings. We wanted the polyaspartic floor coating because their were cracks in the original floor. The concrete also showed signs of water seeping in after each rainfall. To tackle this issue, we contacted Hello Garage to assess the foundation. They sealed the exterior foundation and filled some voids beneath the slab’s surface. The finished coating looks exceptionally professional, concealing the cracks, and it gives me peace of mind to bring my kids into the studio while I'm working. Now, the floors remain dry after rain, and I feel confident storing my paper in the garage.
Our garage floors after a rainfall. I knew we couldn't DIY our floors because I wanted the job done right & to seal out any water from outside.
Floors prior to cement coating.
Additionally, we had a mini-split system installed to ensure the studio remains comfortable throughout the year. I also hired a carpenter to complete the framing around the four windows. He painted them a vibrant chartreuse green and assisted in sanding and repainting the original windows. Although the original windows were lovely, they had some chipped old paint. Nate did an outstanding job!
The last step in the renovation was having a new garage door installed. The door we had was showing a lot of signs of its age and actually stopped functioning. We used Precision Garage Door and went with a carriage style door to match the style of our ranch home. We live in the oldest house on the block (according to neighbors), so we wanted to keep a matching aesthetic to the exterior.
Inside of garage door before.
After
Another service I hired out was the Container Store for custom shelving. Originally, I used free-standing shelving from Target; however, with kids, I worried about the tipping hazard. I wanted something professionally installed that would last for years. I contacted the Container Store, and a consultant came out and gave us a free quote. They measured the space and looked at my inspiration images. I showed them what kind of products I needed shelving for, along with the dimensions apart and the depth they would need to be.
The Container Store measured and mocked up the Elfa shelving I chose and even accounted for workspace. The workspace is great for packaging items and shipping wholesale orders
. I love my new studio. It’s the perfect proximity to home and suitable for raising kids simultaneously. I hope you enjoyed reading about the renovation!
Here is a list of who I used for my project:
- Electrical and Mini Split - John Henry’s
- Window Frames - Nate Pentagulio of Benchmade Woodworks
- Garage Floor and Foundation - Hello Garage
- Drywall - Superior Drywall Inc.
- Shelving - The Container Store
- Garage Door - Precision Garage Door