Where can you reduce clutter in your life?

EVERYWHERE. From kitchen cabinets to my basement…my digital life, my mind. I’ve written about less plenty. But!! Today I took a huge step in reducing clutter in my at-home art studio/mudroom (previously known as “the shoedio: where the shoes go”). I had a consult with a local Fairfield, Connecticut Interior designer, Amelia Jo to streamline the space and make it exactly what I need and want.

I’m excited to tie off projects I began long ago & to have a finished space to come home to and make art. Just off the garage, this is the first room I see when I come and go. *Great* as a reminder to keep up my art practice, *not great* in that it’s first in the line of fire for dumping grounds.

Let’s take a look at what it looks like now and where it came from.

The many “before” pictures

When we bought the house, the room was sold as a sunroom. I knew at our first showing it would be my studio because of its location, sunlight, and view of the backyard. Here are the listing photos:

If you think it looks much better before, COOL. I thought it looked like the previous owners had a strange amount of rooms which their only apparent use was sitting. Art studios are often more useful than pretty. Mine will be BOTH.

Check out my teeny tiny baby in the lower left corner, during those early weeks:

I wasn’t offended by the look of the carpet, but….

Apparently a creature was.

Six weeks postpartum, when I had the go ahead to return to physical activity post-emergency c-section, I decided “physical activity” was the same as “physical labor” and went about removing the carpet during nap times.

Was that a bad idea? Hell yes. I was not mentally well. I promptly threw my back out in the worst way and proceeded to need to nurse my baby laying down rather than sitting for weeks, maybe months.

Eventually it was done. When my baby was four months old, a friend flew up and helped me built a bench with our own four hands.

This is the most elaborate woodworking I’ve ever done, and I couldn’t have done it without her. I wish I had a local friend to explore this hobby with because I’m way too scared to go about a project like this on my own.

Without proper storage, it remained a dumping ground.

Even my coat hooks wouldn’t stay where I wanted, so I made a sophisticated plan.

Sophisticated, right?

Weeks before covid began, I purchased a cheap rattan sofa on craigslist with plans to do something about wild patterned upholstery and bought the materials for the aforementioned sophisticated plan.

During quarantine, I made my sophisticated plan a reality.

2020-2021, I began getting more serious about painting and the space got more use.

Seen pictured above: the grout I handpainted. See?

Though it looked better, that grout was deep. It hoarded every bit of dust and dirt. In a mud/mess/art room, that’s a lot. No amount of sweeping was sufficient.

I caved in fall 2022 and bought interlocking floor tiles. My mom flew up and we installed them together.

As we began cutting the tiles, we realized that we couldn’t install the floor without removing the baseboards & the mess of the tiled step had to go.

My mom’s ability to help with the project ended up being short lived. There were some external stressors that made the project more difficult for her. I later cut new baseboards, inspired by the natural pine from the bench we made.

…buuuut. I never finished the job. Two years have passed, I’ve made a lot of things, but I don’t want to be the craftsman behind this job. I love learning new things, but I also love being proud of my work when it’s complete. I don’t love working with power tools on my own.

My Art Studio Now

Hopefully this is the last “before!”

This is the view when you first walk in from the backyard. Whatever painting I’m currently working on greets me. See that hanging worksuit? I wear that when I paint so I don’t mess up my clothes.

There’s that new step that never was!

…and others…

You can see above that there is also a door into my carnivalcore dining room. Below is the view coming from that room.

I use this set of hooks with matching woven bags from the Philippines to store grab & go exercise equipment: spin shoes, running shoes, lifting shoes, dog leash & bags, a hoodie his & her boxing gloves–the kind of stuff we need on the regular.

I keep my rain shoes, crocs, & whatever shoes I’m wearing that day in my cubbie, while my other pairs are kept neatly in my closet upstairs. The other members of my house aren’t as organized. Whatever we have built in this bench’s place next, I’d like for it to have more depth & better hide the visual clutter.

Looking forward to removing this visual clutter from my creative haven. This jury-rigged standing shelf I anchored into the wall sideways can’t get outta here sooner.

This is the view from the kitchen. That door to the backyard is about a 1/2 inch too small for the casing all around. The studio has been about 30 degrees colder than the rest of the house for the last few days. Hot Summer days aren’t great, either.

See that word art with the black frame? That’s from one of the best compliments I’ve ever received, from my old friend Ashley. After sharing art on Facebook, she asked, “Why are you dripping with viscous talent and depth???”

I never saw myself hiring an interior designer. I love designing interiors. Remember the one room challenge at my last house? That was a blast!

I love DIY, art, thrifting, vintage finds, figuring out creative solutions, and reaping the benefits of a well-designed environment.

I don’t love completing shoddy work or feeling underqualified for a task. Expending a lot of energy to learn a new skill poorly when I could improve upon a specialty: nope! I don’t love sourcing contractors that are overpriced and under on quality, trying to explain or defend my designs to said contractors, shopping, continuing to feel uncomfortable in my work space, or trusting…nearly anyone. But I trust Amelia.

My husband argued that it was an upfront investment in my business, so here we go!