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I’m always keen to see the spaces where makers and creatives produce their work. How they leave their tools, if there are inspirational images on the walls, whether there’s an admin corner, a tea station, snacks; is it messy?
One of the most interesting creative spaces I’ve experienced is the carving studio and gardens of sculptor Barbra Hepworth in St Ives, Cornwall. All her tools were as she left them before she died in a fire in her studio in 1975. If you visit, you get a real sense of what was done where in her space, with the studio set in peaceful gardens, which have since been staged to showcase her work.
Image source: Bowness via The Hepworth Wakefield
Image source: Loop Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
When I first started Ajoupa Interiors, my ‘studio’ (pictured) was the smallest bedroom-cum-office in our Edwardian home. It wasn’t big but it’s where I cut my teeth. It was packed full of kit: large rolls of lining and interlining, cushion inners, sewing machines, an overlocker, threads, books, magazines – you name it, I probably had it in there, all enabled through clever use of storage and hooks!
In 2022, I finally had a new studio built by a fellow artisan at the London Garden Studios. Any curtain maker will tell you that their table is central to their business, and mine is bespoke, with great storage! Among the practical stuff, I have a wall of inspiration, which includes artwork from close friends and a most cherished photo of my grandmother. Fondly referred to as ‘my shed’, it’s a quiet, reflective space where I make soft furnishings for my clients while sometimes listening to music, podcast or an audiobook.
