See how an artist, a writer,photographer, actress and mom Sarah Greenman set up an art studio over the weekend for no more than $ 300. Here's what she told us about her project. “Every design choice in my home is dictated by the budget. I work from home as a freelance artist, raising two children, so most of the interior items came to the studio from charity stores or just from a landfill. I often work on large-scale works of art, and my office, which was also used as a guest room, was simply too small. I needed a larger room. Armed with a strict $ 300 budget, my husband and I converted some of our accommodations over the weekend to an art studio. We are 5.8 by 5.8 m, originally designed for two cars, in a creative space, using existing furniture from other rooms in the house. The total cost of my renovated garage was $ 274, including about 10 liters of paint and four new dining chairs. 
Before the transformations, we used this room,the former garage, as a TV room and a room where toys were piled into one heap. The room was shabby and dull. The previous homeowner renovated the garage - mortgaged the garage door, installed flooring and cladding the walls with faux wood. Since he did it himself, there was no insulation material, the walls had voids in some places, which forced me to fight periodically with spiders and geckos. The homeowner said the garage remodel cost him about $ 600 decades ago. After our redevelopment and arrangement of a home office in a cozy studio, where I can work, creating works of art and photography, conducting classes and seminars. The carpet is laid directly on the gently sloping cement floor, which makes the composition of the paintings on the walls more interesting. I painted the walls with Black Suede paint because I love dramatic artwork. Tip: Most art studios have white walls, which provide additional lighting and help keep the art in focus. But the dark color scheme of a room can also be a great backdrop for artwork. 
The garage is not insulated, which is sometimes a problemhot Texas summer and cool winter. Air conditioning in the corner often comes to the rescue. The sofa creates a cozy atmosphere in the living room and a zone for communication with customers during seminars. Most of the furniture is purchased in second-hand and commission stores, so some items have scuffs, making you feel the old days. The golden brocade on the chair was torn off at the sides, but a piece of artificial sheepskin and a pillow with graphics gave him a new life. 
When I work in my studio, I likereference books and beautiful things at hand, which spur my imagination. A coffee table, bright pillows, a flowerpot, books and works of art create a modern interior design. 
Antique table is the center of attention. I use it for meetings and seminars, work and sometimes for dinner when I stay here. Metal chairs were my only purchase of new furniture. 
In the corner, I arranged a work area that includesmy library from bookcases following me everywhere from college itself. A small soft box is for the toys of my 3-year-old son, who often joins me when I work. I equipped two pendant lights above the table, using factory hooks and a very long extension cord. Tip: get more organized with two notebooks, like the ones that hang on the wall next to my desk. One of my lists includes work for the current day, another list - the affairs of the next day. 
I arranged convenient storage systems neededof things. All my everyday files are easily accessible in a portable file station, which is an old basket. I can move it to the table when I need more space. 
I do not write in any particular place, sobrought a small portable table, which contains all the materials at hand. Ceramic vase from a thrifty store is used for brushes and tools. 
Canvases, art supplies and easelalways ready. The lampshade is my last project, depicting the poem “Sonnet XVII” by Pablo Neruda, written with a permanent marker. The poem begins at the top and repeats in a spiral again and again, moving gradually to the shadow of the lower part of the lamp. Tip: A used kitchen cart can be used to store paints, sprays and other artistic tools, giving a new life to an old item. 
I brought the piano from the dining room, which gives meNow you can play at any time without waking your family. The quote that hangs over the piano, “The stool is a family heirloom,” is the words of a favorite writer Louise Bogan. - I bought a faded used signature in the yard sales for $ 5 and created a script using acrylic paint. An old antique typewriter keeps my sewing machine and shares space with a cork bust that I found at a dump in one of the stores. ” A great solution, how to create an ideal workshop from an unnecessary room!
Turning the old garage into a home office studio
