Designing my dream studio!

Designing my dream studio has always been a goal for me! I’m a true believer that well-designed spaces can totally change our mindsets. Having a space that inspires you to be your most creative self is so important and that’s why this post is so special to me!

Since I became a freelancer I knew I wanted to design my dream studio. Before having my current space I had an office where I worked all the time. This space was filled with everything I could thrift that I thought it worked and fit. But after 2 years working on it I realized that I’d outgrown the space and that it wasn’t as functional as I needed it to be.

So here we are, 6 months later with my dream studio all complete! I’m so beyond excited to share with you all the tips & tricks I’ve learned along the way and how you can make up a space to fit your needs to keep you inspired, motivated and creative.

Create your dream moodboard

Designing a space can be intimidating so let’s start with the basics. Before even thinking about interior design the first thing I did was a moodboard for the space. This will help you collect all those inspo pieces you want to incorporate and it will help you find out what style you’re going with.

In my case I wanted to have a few statement pieces with bold colors, natural accents. A boho chic glam style with eclectic accessories and tons of greenery.

Plan it out! Design a floor plan

Before making any big decisions design a floor plan! I love picking decor and accessorize my spaces but I knew I needed help with this project. So that’s when my darling friend Kari from @lacasasunshine came into play. Kari helped me with the design of the floor plan taking all of my design inspo and my needs as a photographer / stylist / designer.

Getting the exact measurements is extremely important so every piece you buy and invest in will have its own place to shine! Kari designed the most amazing floor plan giving me 2 work areas where I could enjoy the space.

A more hands on work space with a custom desk + chair and another entire space with a sofa, a gallery wall and a more chilled space for me to work on and display my favorite props and decor pieces.

Invest in statement pieces!

I know we all LOVE those interior design projects where everything is a statement piece to die for! But in this case I wanted to be very rational and invest in pieces that I knew were going to be functional and aesthetically pleasing. So for me that meant investing in an amazing desk and a custom scallop chair.

As a designer we tend to spend our days sitting in our desks and we NEED a good office chair to keep up with those long hours so after looking into all of the options I decided to talk to my amazing Interior Designer friend @maracadesignco to design my custom scalloped velvet chair.

It has made a world of a difference having a custom chair! It’s perfect for my height, my way of working and its the most beautiful piece ever!. The BEST investment ever.

Start with you bigger pieces & go from there!

After getting my desk and chair and sofa I knew I was ready to pull the space together. After a few trips to several thrift shops I found an amazing arch mirror, a media console and a side table perfect for this space.

My best tip for this stage is to not stress if the space is not ready! Finding those unique pieces takes time and they will eventually come. If your budget is a little tight because you just invested in a custom piece, don’t worry. You can wait and save up and be ready when the moment comes.

Stay in the look out with thrift shops, you can find unique pieces with amazing prices.

Mix it up!

The best part of designing your own space is being able to mix it up to make it feel more YOU. I LOVED the first layout but after a few weeks I realized that having my desk by the window made it really hot and bright for me.

So I decided to switch it up and change my sofa & chill area by the window and transfer my desk to my gallery wall and I’m loving it! It’s amazing how a space can completely change with some rearranging.

Having a space for me to work from in these times has been a blessing. Hope these tips are helpful to you if you’re thinking of doing a makeover of a space!

Lots of love my darlings,
Ka