How I Transformed My Garage Into a Dream Design Studio

How I Transformed My Garage Into a Dream Design Studio


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Where you create, the space where your creative work takes place, the environment you set up and step into in order to dream, design, and generate is like a home for your inner artist.

It is a shelter and a sanctuary, whether it is a spacious workshop or a quiet nook in a peaceful room. No matter what the size, location, or details it possesses, it is your creative studio. It is both a physical location for your work and an atmosphere in which to do it. It houses the materials and methods that you use in a way that tells the evolving story of your creative journey.

A studio, which simply means the place where you create is a companion to you throughout the long hours and the busy weeks and the slow seasons and the transformative years of your creative work or business. And it is a key element of what you do that impacts you subtly, constantly, and profoundly.


In This Episode, We Cover:

  • Studio Evolution: transforming a space into a dream studio
  • Essential Elements: key components for a functional workspace
  • Renting vs. Renovating: pros and cons of different studio options
  • Creative Flexibility: the importance of a multi-purpose workspace
  • Growth and Adaptation: continuous development and evolution


Mentioned in This Episode:


Resources:

  • Join the Poetry of Flowers — holistic floral artistry online courses to empower your creative practice from anywhere in the world

Details From Sponsors:

This episode of the Called to Bloom podcast is brought to you by Nectar & Bloom Mentorships. Through one-on-one mentorships — private design workshops and business coaching alike — you will receive quality time with Jen to connect and go deep into your goals, desires, roadblocks, and visions for building the business or creative practice of your dreams.


Keep in Touch:


Thank you so much for being here, and for being part of this radiant community as we step into these creative callings together. If you enjoyed this episode:

 

Episode Keywords

Creative Studio, Floral Design, Studio Evolution, Renting vs. Renovating, Mentorship, Creative Entrepreneurship, Workspace Setup, Floral Cooler, Multi-purpose Space, Creative Journey, Studio Improvements, Natural Light, Design Tips, Artistic Growth, Studio Essentials, Personal Transformation, Creative Inspiration, Workspace Flexibility, Floral Artistry, Studio Transformation



Episode Summary

In this episode of "Called to Bloom," Jen shares her journey of transforming a simple garage into her dream floral design studio. From humble beginnings in a rental house to a fully functional design house and creative learning space, Jen offers insights into setting up a studio that evolves with your creative path. Discover the essential elements of a productive workspace, the pros and cons of renting versus renovating, and the importance of tailoring your studio to your needs and use. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your space, this episode provides inspiration and practical tips to help you bloom.



Key Takeaways

  • A creative studio is both a physical space and an atmosphere that evolves with your journey.
  • Start with what you have and let your studio grow and change over time.
  • Consider the pros and cons of renting versus renovating a studio space.
  • Essential elements of a studio include a work surface, access to water, and proper storage.
  • Structural improvements like adding storage, partitions, space, and natural light can transform a space.
  • Multi-purpose features and flexibility are key to maximizing a studio's potential.
  • A studio can evolve as you grow and evolve as a creative business owner.
  • Trust your instincts and values when designing a space that supports your creativity.


Sound Bites

"Your studio is a companion to you throughout the long hours and the busy weeks of your creative work."

"A studio evolves along your creative journey, just as you do."

"Don't let the need for a studio to be perfect stop you from creating your art. Use what you have and let things progress around you."

“Things almost always start out scrappy like that. You have to make a start and be willing to clunk around and learn by doing in order to discover what you actually need.”

“I realized that I needed to stop trying to do the new thing in the old familiar way, especially if I wanted to grow.”

"A floral cooler is a game changer for flower longevity."

“There’s always a workaround in floral design.”

"You want a place for everything and everything in it's place, if you ask me."

“Sometimes all we need to do is take something away to improve a space.”

"Make decisions based on your needs, and make changes based on your values."

"Let this be a joyous process that you chip away at over time as you let your dream studio vision start to emerge."




Chapters

0:00 - Introduction to Creative Spaces

2:04 - Jen's Studio Journey

3:00 - Setting Up Your Studio

8:24 - Studio Evolution and Design

13:12 - Structural Improvements

17:21 - Favorite Studio Features

25:31 - Mistakes and Learnings

29:02 - Essential Studio Elements

34:07 - Renting vs. Renovating

38:17 - Mentorship Opportunities

40:32 - How to Align Your Space

46:39 - Closing Thoughts

 

 

Full Transcript


Where you create, the space where your creative work takes place, the environment you set up and step into in order to dream, design, and generate is like a home for your inner artist.

It is a shelter and a sanctuary, whether it is a spacious workshop or a quiet nook in a peaceful room. No matter what the size, location, or details it possesses, it is your creative studio. It is both a physical location for your work and an atmosphere in which to do it. It houses the materials and methods that you use in a way that tells the evolving story of your creative journey.

A studio, which simply means the place where you create is a companion to you throughout the long hours and the busy weeks and the slow seasons and the transformative years of your creative work or business. And it is a key element of what you do that impacts you subtly, constantly, and profoundly.

 

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Welcome to the Called to Bloom podcast. I'm Jen Cavender, founder of Nectar and Bloom, and your host as we explore the tools and holistic methods that empower you to craft an inspired career and a fulfilling creative life.

I am a floral artist and educator who left an academic career to build my dream floral design studio. Now I empower flower lovers, florists, and creative entrepreneurs like you to find your aligned path and to build your dream.

Together we go deep into topics covering creative entrepreneurship, health and well-being, sustainability, personal transformation,

the art and business of working with flowers and practices for manifesting a life you love.

If you are ready to feel inspired and empowered as you build your next aligned creative chapter, you are in the right place. Now, let's bloom.

 

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A studio evolves along your creative journey, just as you do.

The space you start out with may not be the space you stay with, and it likely will not be the dream studio you have envisioned for yourself one day. Mine certainly wasn't.

In this episode of Called to Bloom, I am sharing with you the journey of my own studio, which went from a tiny room in a rental house with tarps spread on the floor to a bare bones garage that I transformed over the years into the design studio and creative learning space that it is now.

I am sharing my process and the steps I took along the way, as well as mistakes I made, a few favorite things I did or installed, how to evaluate the pros and cons of renting versus renovating, and tips and guidance for how to transform any space into a design studio that aligns with you and supports the creative work you do. Let's go.

First of all, a studio in my book is simply a space where you create. It doesn't have to be a downtown warehouse. It doesn't have to be a perfectly furnished or finished dream space, especially when you're starting out. My point with this episode is to encourage you to set up what you need, to know how to use what you have to your advantage, and to let it evolve over time into a creative studio space that you've dreamed about.

Don't let the need for a studio to be perfect stop you from creating your art. Use what you have and let things progress around you while you grow in your creative work. Get started now. Create all along the way.

And I'll be sharing with you my own journey, not just the features of my studio that I recommend, but also the realities behind where I started and the slow evolution into the studio I have now that I love.

Some of you have been to my studio here in San Diego for a workshop or a mentorship in person, and many of you have also seen glimpses into my space through social posts. or in my Poetry of Flowers online floristry courses, all of which were created here inside the studio.

And because I often get asked about the process as well as the details and features that I recommend about my studio, I'd like to begin this episode with an invitation to come inside where I can show you the story of how it came to be.

When I decided to pivot out of my academic career and into creative entrepreneurship by opening a floral design studio, I feel like I finally had a really aligned dream. Plus, I had that wonderful nonchalance, or sometimes defiance, I think, of a total beginner.

It didn't matter how I got started, I just knew I had to get started.

And in all honesty, I was also completely riddled with doubts and fears, feeling like I was a total newbie because I was. What was I doing? So the first step I needed to take was to get over the hump of imposter syndrome and figure out a location or a simple home base for my new craft where I could start to practice the skills for the new business I had in mind.

And while my passion for my newborn dream was strong enough to make the discomfort worth I genuinely had no clue how a person went from zero to having a design studio.

So I started out with what I had, hoping that it would be temporary and trusting that somehow I would figure out how to make it better along the way.

Things almost always start out scrappy like that. You have to make a start and be willing to clunk around and learn by doing in order to discover what you actually need.

 

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I think of my studio's journey in three stages.

My first studio was just a tiny room in a house that Carr and I rented the year we first moved back to San Diego. The space was more of an entryway to a tiny backyard than a room, really, but it gave me easy access to the hose bib outside for filling buckets with water, and it wasn't really being used for anything specific at that point.

In that first studio space in the rental house, I just spread waterproof tarps on the floor to protect the wood flooring, and I set up a salvaged table and standing shelves to hold my early supplies.

I would go to the local farmer's market to buy flowers and then I'd arrange in my own cereal bowls for my early design practice.

I was thrilled to be able to start, and I was also running into walls and obstacles every day that had me learning constantly.

The light in that little room was not good at all. And that annoyed me right away because when I would design, only the tiniest bit of light was coming through the window in the room, one window in the room, with light that was thinned further by those awful slated blinds that never fully open.

Anyway, the natural light was minimal and I was taking mental note right away of things I would want to change. Also the overhead light was dull and yellow and it casts kind of undesirable shadows across the arrangements when I tried to photograph them with it on. So I started to experiment with photographing my bouquets and arrangements outside in the tiny backyard.

And I found that the natural light, especially in the morning or the evening, looked the best on So I knew I needed natural light. And that that would be important as my studio evolved.

 

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I wasn't in the rental house room for long. We found and made an offer on our house

That's when the second iteration of my studio began when we bought our house in South Park. At first, the next big hurdle was deciding which space could be my temporary studio while I continued to build the business.

I was convinced at the time that renting a studio space was the only way to be legitimate. And so I needed to build my business enough to be able to afford one. I had a lot to learn.

And that's okay. The journey is the learning process.

At first, Carr and I thought the room that is now our bedroom, which has doors that open out onto the deck, would be a good choice for my studio, because it would make filling empty buckets easy again with access to the water spigot outside, and we could put tarps down on the floors again, like we had in the rental house. But this just didn't feel right.

I realized that I needed to stop trying to do the new thing in the old familiar way, especially if I wanted to grow.

Taking up that nice interior room would have been a pretty ridiculous use of space, especially as it would have left us just one small office that was about a quarter of the size of the larger room as the only option for our bedroom.

Besides, now we had a garage. And while I thought that would for sure be temporary, we decided it would be much better to set up shop there. This was the chapter of the very makeshift but essentially functional floral design studio inside the garage, with a kind of pop-up style overflow in the kitchen as needed.

That way I could use the sink, the water, and the counters in the kitchen whenever I had events, but I would house my tools and supplies and do some of the messier stem processing and designing in the garage.

Now, to make this part of the studio's evolution more real for you here, let me describe this garage as it was when we moved in.

The best thing it had going for it was its size. It's just barely, but technically a two-car garage, which made it spacious in a way that many garages, especially here in Southern California, might not be.

Otherwise, it had a heavy scroll-down door with only a thin slat of murky glass to let in light. It had a cracked cement floor, one window the size of a postage stamp, and a low drywall ceiling that made it feel like a muggy cave. And our city trash and recycling bids were also sitting inside. Really nice. It was dusty, it was a utility space, it had a lot of weird, defunct electrical work and washer-dryer hookups that went nowhere.

At any rate, while the ambiance and amenities were admittedly a bit basic and honestly pretty much dismal, the space on the whole was a major gift. And I was able to start my business in there with just a few essential updates.

So here's what I built and invested in to make a bare bones but functional garage studio when I started to book my first elopements and small weddings.

First, right off the bat, I bought two sets of simple, affordable track lights from the hardware store and I had an electrician help install them in the ceiling so that I had light inside my hot little cave.

Second, when my dad came out to visit us, I had him help me build a giant wooden work table with a lower level under it for storage. It looked a bit like a wide wooden bunk bed, but it was brilliant for floral work and for stashing buckets and supplies in crates underneath.

Third, I brought in a five-tier standing shelf that I got on sale at a home goods store where I could organize my vessels and vases. I needed somewhere where I could set things up and get organized. This worked fine until I got crafty and installed three levels of wall length floating shelves using simple wood boards and brackets that I could screw into the walls.

Fourth, the biggest investment that I made early on was the mini split air conditioning unit that I had installed. I knew that one of the most important things I would need in the space would be to be able to cool it down enough to keep flowers fresh, especially during hot days of summer. So while it was an investment, it was the best investment I made early on to have that AC unit so that we could keep it cool in the studio space.

And lastly, the second biggest investment I made was installing simple but functional plumbing in the studio so that I could fill in empty buckets and fill vessels with water as I needed. I actually bought an ancient claw-footed tub from the architectural salvage downtown because I wanted something with some character. You can totally just get a utility sink from the hardware store and it will work just fine. And it might even be a lot easier to install. But I wanted something vintage and interesting at the time.

So we put the tub in the studio, up on cinder blocks, left the copper piping exposed. It was all very functional and makeshift, but it worked. And it felt really fun to have something that started to have a little bit of character or vibe in my studio.

 

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From there, the studio began to take its current shape, its third phase, as I remodeled and refined the space over the years to become what it is today.

When I first started, I needed a functional space to begin creating floral designs for weddings and events.

As time went on, I needed to develop it into a design studio, also a production space, and an inspiring home base for learning experiences and creative retreats that I host here.

Essentially, as I grew and expanded my business, I needed the studio to become a multi-purpose space so that it could house the design work, photo and video shoots, workshops and mentorships, retreats and well-being circles, and also my writing and podcasting. And I wanted my studio to feel elevated. Like when you arrive to the studio, you're inside a little design house that is full of light and feels warm and calming and encouraging for creativity and transformative experiences.

So to illustrate this, I'll share with you a few structural changes that I made and also some of my favorite additions and refinements that I added to the studio to bring it to where it is now, so that you can pull from those ideas for your own studio evolution and designing.

I'll also share with you a few mistakes I made as well so that you can benefit from knowing those, maybe have a laugh with me, steer clear of them yourself. And after sharing these examples and ideas from my own studio, I'll also share with you my pared-down basic recommendations list for where to start in a practical way in case you are just getting set up, before you get into all the dreamy possibilities that you can also build in and do down the road.

First, here are the structural improvements and my favorite additions to this third version and current version of my studio.

One of the first big improvements at this point was replacing the garage door with large glass French doors that swing open instead of scroll up. They feel grand and they also let in so much light. We needed them to be wide enough for a car to fit through still to maintain the off-street parking space if needed. So they're big. As in, each side of the door's opening is four feet wide, making the doorway eight feet wide when both doors are open.

Just make sure if you convert your garage that you're adhering to or you're at least aware of your city's potential rules about maintaining off street parking. That's what I had to do. And then if you go for it, enjoy the giant doors. They're beautiful.

Around this time we also took out the low drywall ceiling, which really opened up the space. If you're able to take out a low drywall ceiling, you'll be amazed at the lift and the expansiveness it gives the space.

This studio, actually has beautiful A-frame rafters that were hidden behind that drywall ceiling. So once it was out, there was this lovely vaulted roof. So I had a painter come spray the exposed ceiling rafters the same color as the walls, which also changed the whole feel of the space, making it feel a lot more open and bright and less cave-like.

I also ordered beautiful pendant lights to suspend from the newly visible A-frame ceiling between rafter beams, which also added a nice element to elevate the space from garage into design studio and creative learning space.

Next, I installed a wood composite flooring over the cement floor. The effect is a nice grayed wood grain that feels warmer and grounding, while the material is extremely durable. It's also scratch-proof and able to get wet and is easy to be wiped dry. It gives me the aesthetic I wanted with the utility I needed for a floral studio.

The floors regularly take water spills and a wreckage of stems and leaf matter during installations and workshops, so while I would love real wood floors, this is actually the perfect compromise for the space. It also gives me a nicer flooring for hosting yoga classes or retreat circles, as a cement floor is always very cold and difficult to get clean. So this gives a nicer, cleaner, warmer option. And it can just be floored right on top of the cement.

Then I decided that my cool salvaged claw-footed tub that I use as a floral sink was actually taking up too much interior space. So why not situate it and plum it just outside the studio. We were already redoing the deck, so we added a lower triangular kind of deck platform just outside the studio on the north side, and we reconnected the tub there.

So it gave me more interior space for the multi-purposes that I need in my studio And outside the tub doubles as an outdoor bathtub for full moon soaks and also a utility sink for filling and emptying flour buckets and vessels. And you're probably picking up on a theme here. I love that kind of multi-purpose utility.

So as you're imagining different changes you can make in your space, think How can this serve me in multiple ways in the creative work that I do?

I also knew that I couldn't really have too much light in my studio. And I found that the tiny side door and the postage stamp window I mentioned were so confining and flow cramping for light and for movement through the studio as well. once we moved the tub outside, I decided to nix the solid little door and the tiny window and replace them with glass sliding doors.

So there are French doors to the front of the building and on the side we have glass sliding doors that lead out to the tub. And this also brought in so much more light.

 

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So now that we've looked at the structural renovations, I want to show you a few of my favorite updates and features that I added to the studio space.

My favorite studio update across the boards for both improved function and aesthetics is the custom floral cooler that we built and also the dry storage shed that we connected to it just outside the studio. And we made it as part of the property line fence. These two structures do so much for the studio.

First, they make the outdoor space in front of my studio into a lovely little courtyard by framing the area on the east side with a kind of aesthetically pleasing storage shed wall.

Secondly, a floral cooler is just a floral artist's best friend. Having a floral cooler brings so much peace of mind for keeping flowers and designs fresh and extending the life of your flowers. Mine is custom-built with greenboard insulation and also textured vinyl wall paneling to make the walls waterproof and also easy to wipe down.

We added strong coated wire shelving for vessels and buckets, a light switch and a simple can light in the ceiling for use after dark, and most importantly a CoolBot digital temperature controller paired with a mini split air conditioning unit to create the cold temperatures.

So if you're thinking, wait, what did you just say? Or if you've never heard of this, I'll walk you through it. If you don't know about custom cooler building yet, you can learn all about it on Coolbot's site, Coolbot. This is not an ad for Coolbot, but maybe they'll sponsor my podcast in the future.

But Coolbot helps brewers, hunters, florists, and anyone needing auxiliary walk-in refrigeration. They help you build these cooler spaces that you need. They have kind of prefabricated kits and they also have guidance for how to build your own.

And the Coolbot is what you connect to your AC unit to basically override the maximum low temperature, so that you can make an air conditioning unit create refrigeration temperatures.

My air conditioning mini split can go down to 66 degrees Fahrenheit, that's the lowest it can go, but with the cool bot attached to it, it can go down to 43 degrees Fahrenheit, which is perfect for flowers.

So that's the cooler, then the dry storage. I knew as a floral designer and a workshop host that I would need dry storage for a lot of my supplies too.

Some of my tools and supplies are organized in the studio, but there are also a lot of other types of materials and supplies like candles and candle holders, some of the vases and vessels and tool kits and styling materials, all that is needed to be close by, but isn't as necessary in every single day. So having that just outside in the dry storage was really helpful. It's in the same area, connected to the same structure that houses the floral cooler, but it gives me a place to organize and store those materials, and especially since I have a limited interior space that I wanted to maximize.

If you have a smaller space and the option to create a storage shed outside, it's helpful to give you more interior space to work with rather than annexing some of your work area inside for a closet.

My second favorite feature that I added to my studio are the rolling carts. So simple. I have two and each one is a little taller than a table or a desk, which is really nice for us tall folks. And each can be rolled around anywhere in the studio or outside without a lot of fuss.

I can also push the two carts together to create a larger workspace, or I can roll them against the wall to create a long countertop. And since I use my studio for multiple uses, as you know, it's so helpful to have this flexibility.

The giant wooden table that I had my dad help me make served me well for years, but eventually it just became too big of a block in the space. It couldn't be moved, it was very heavy, it took up so much room. So I disassembled it.

And actually built my own raised planter beds with it during the pandemic, where I grew a little garden of hope and sanity flowers. So the wooden table got a second life, and I got more movable space in the studio.

At any rate, a cart or table upon casters so it can be wheeled around is a game changer for a small and multi-use studio space. I got the cards from CB2, although I don't think that they make the tall version anymore. You have to check. But I'm sure you can find something comparable at other office and home furnishing stores.

My next favorite feature I added to my studio is the shelf wall. This feature allowed me to create a nice little nook for an office in an otherwise open box space without creating a solid barrier or a normal wall.

Essentially the shelf wall is a backless bookcase made from what I'm pretty sure my contractor called "two-bys" Lumber measurements are so weird, but essentially the boards are about one and a half inches thick, and about 10 and a half inches wide and about eight feet tall. So they're long enough to fit into the exposed ceiling rafters where they kind of anchor and they anchor into the wall they come out of.

So to describe this a little more, the shelf wall sticks out perpendicularly from the wall with the horizontal shelves themselves disappearing into the wall. And because the square spaces formed by the shelves are open front and back, it lets light flow through while it gives the semblance of a delineated space, where on the other side I can have my office, which is where I'm recording right now.

If you have an open box space like I do, a garage or a large square or rectangular shed, and you want to make it feel more spacious, consider how you can create gentle partitions or semi-separate nooks to actually make the space feel larger and more diverse. The shelf wall does wonders. Plus, I store some of my beautiful inspiration books and I have plants and crystals, so it kind of becomes a decorative artwork as well as a functional structure.

My fourth favorite feature is the rolling chopper. What's that you say?

I never quite know what to call it, but it's basically a large brute bin for stems and green waste that's up on a little wheeled cart with a stem chopper blade attached at the top.

Whenever I've shared about this little contraption on my Instagram or when I've shared a video about something else, but the chopper is just in view, I get so much engagement and so many questions about this delightful device, I'm so happy to share.

The first time I saw this kind of florist contraption was at the flower market. And then I saw one again when I was helping out my friend Natalie of Native Poppy one day in her warehouse. And I thought, this is brilliant. You can bulk chop stems right into a bin that can be rolled around and repositioned anywhere you need as you process stems and work in the studio. And I think it was Nat who told me that she had had someone at the flower market make hers. So I found this welding wizard at the flower market and I ordered one too.

If you know someone who welds, or if you can weld yourself, you could make this cart. I'll describe it. I had my own brute bin. It's a standard size, which you can get from somewhere like Uline. And I ordered the stem chopper from Amazon.

The guy at the market made the base with three caster wheels underneath it to roll around and a metal pipe frame that kind of goes along the back where I could attach the stem chopper at the top.

I'll include a link in the show notes to a video of this amazing little floristry helper stem chopper thing of mine so that you can see visually what I'm describing here too.

my favorite feature that I've added to the studio is the dreaming window seat looking over the canyon garden. It's a place to sit and meet for a cup of tea. It's a place to gaze out into the canyon garden. And it's a feature with three large storage drawers built underneath into its base.

So it gives me ample room for things like my floral clippers and tapes and tools, putties and wires, spools of ribbon, shipping materials for Tarot of Flowers decks and my podcasting equipment too. It is so nice to have extra storage and to have it built underneath a seat or underneath a cabinet or underneath a feature that has another use is even better.

So now that we've looked at the structural changes as well as my favorite additions to give you ideas and inspiration, now I want to share for fun a few learning moments. So here are three mistakes that I made and learned from that you can benefit from too.

Number one, doors and windows take forever to order. Most people who have remodeled know this already, but if you're remodeling a studio and it's your first time ordering windows or doors, as it was for me, make sure that you order them as early as possible. The delay they can cause can really set you back. I don't know why, it just takes a very, very long time for them to manufacture and ship.

One time I had to host a group workshop in my studio without a window.

Just a big ugly rectangle cut out of the drywall because the window delivery was so far delayed. And I never would have imagined the project wouldn't be finished by then because I had intentionally scheduled the workshop so far in advance, but there we were. Of course, nobody cared, and I softened the issue as much as I could by draping the window with fabric and making the big table of flowers situated in front of it, but if I could tell myself in the past one thing in this situation that I want to recommend to you that would have been helpful, it would be to order the windows and doors first thing. So just give yourself lots of time for those to come through.

Number two, mistake number two, when we built my custom floral cooler, my contractor asked me how far apart I wanted the coated wire shelving that I chose for inside. So I took a big flower bucket into the cooler and I marked the distance based on the size of the bucket. So the shelves are stacked with the bucket size in mind. But I forgot that when flowers are inside a bucket, it gets quite a bit taller.

So, in short, the shelves are fine for finished floral arrangements in vessels or vases, and even for shorter buckets of flowers. But tall buckets with tall stems will not fit. So silly. There is always a workaround in floral design, as many of you know. So I just make it work by placing two wooden boards across one of the middle level shelves from left to right, and that temporarily connects across the middle to make a kind of center shelf, with nothing above it and I can put tall buckets But my note to you is that if you build your own cooler, measure your shelves by how tall buckets are with flowers in them.

And number three, the third mistake and learning experience I want to share with you has to do with that dreaming window we put in the back studio wall.

So the back of the studio faces the canyon garden below. And when it was just a garage, this was just a solid drywall wall. And I knew that putting a window into that back wall would bring in so much light and also that verdant magic of the canyon trees. So we ordered a large-ish, I thought it was pretty big, awning window, but the funny thing was that as soon as we put the window in, it immediately felt too small.

Somehow what had seemed like a large window, when placed into a larger blank wall, now felt cramped. And I remember standing back once it was installed with my husband Carr standing there cocking our heads to the side and tapping our chins and eventually both saying, It's too small, isn't it? So I put it in the plan for the next renovation a couple years later to move that lovely awning window to the adjacent wall where my little office nook was going.

And that's when I dreamed up the window seat for that back wall. So the moral of the story here is twofold:

One is that you can't measure enough or mock up or mark off enough before you decide on a window size.

Two is that you just don't know until it's installed. So if it's just not right, keep an open mind and remember that things can move around, even if it's eventually.

 

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Now, all of these ideas and changes I've shared with you from my own studio journey are fun and they're good inspiration for your own space. But I can imagine that some of you are wondering what are the essential building block recommendations for a design studio so that you can get started or realigned confidently while you dream up your future renovations down the road.

So now that you've got a collection of ideas to inspire you, I want to take a moment to simplify and outline what I have found to be the basic, most essential elements of a design studio that I recommend for you. Keep in mind that this can be for a floral artist, or it can be interpreted and applied for other types of creative studios too. And remember, the multi-purpose space is key.

If you're just starting out, or if you just want a checklist to know what to get organized or in place to make things easier, here's what need for a design studio space.

One, shelter from the elements. This might seem obvious, but you'll need a space that you can keep cool and out of the sun. Or if you live in a wintry place, a space you can keep temperate and tolerable while it's windy and cold outside. A garage, a shed, a barn, or a spare office or a room will always do.

Number two, a work surface or a table. Make sure you have enough room to spread out stems, set your clippers down, have a bucket nearby, and be arranging in a vessel all in one place. It's also helpful if your work table is waterproof or at least water resistant. having something non-porous makes it even easier to wipe down.

Number three, a sink or a tub with running water to fill up and empty your vessels and flower buckets.

Number four, stackable watertight buckets for flowers and a few watertight arranging vessels, at least to start.

Number five, either a cool space like a stone barn or a cellar or a room that stays cool on its own, or an AC unit to cool down your space when it's warm. Some of you know this, but I always joke that our work as floral designers is to help flowers die as slowly and beautifully as possible because they are cut from their life source. So we're just giving them water and cool temperatures and trying to help them stay as fresh and elegant as they slowly pass on. Nothing like a hot muggy space to make your cut flowers spoil faster than you can believe.

Number six, a floral cooler, if you can get one or have one built, because it will make this a thousand percent easier. The floral cooler is really the number one game changer for flower longevity and peace of mind.

Number seven, a broom in a dustpan, maybe a mop too, to clean up stems and processed leaves that are inherent to floral design. This might seem so obvious, but it's so helpful when you're getting set up to have these little things in place. Floristry is the beautiful mess.

There will always be stems and piles and leaves and things to clean up. So it's nice to have the right tools to make that easy. I also have these hilarious claw scoops that you can put on each of your hands and scoop up piles of stems.

They're actually leaf scoops, I think, for cleaning up your yard, but they work great for scooping up flower leftovers in the studio or on site at the events. I would bring them along with my pop-up reusable trash cans to events to help my team clean up as we make our way through the designs and timeline.

Number eight, storage. Ideally, drawer space in a closet or an armoire or shelving for organizing your tools, your materials, your vessels, and your inventory. You want to have a place for everything and everything in its place, if you ask me.

Number nine, your essential toolkit. If I had to choose just a good selection of the essentials for floristry, here's what I'd recommend you have.

Bypass pruners, so the clippers that are a lot stronger and can cut through branches, 

Floral scissors, 

Ribbon scissors or fabric scissors, that's important to make sure when you're cutting your ribbon that it actually stays a nice cut. 

Wire cutters to cut your chicken wire, floral pin frogs, also known as Kenzans,

Floral putty to mount the pin frogs,

Floral bind wire, which is kind of a paper-coated wire,

Paddle wire,

Chicken wire,

Floral bowl tape, which is similar to duct tape but in these kind of 1/8 and 1/4 inch thicknesses and most often green in color.

A lighter for candles.

A small first aid kit, you never know. It's easy to cut a finger or whatever, get a splinter, nice to have that in your kit.

Gardening gloves to protect your hands.

An apron or pruning shears holster, which is what I like to use, and

A portable bin or toolbox with a handle to house all of these tools and materials in a way that's easy to find and to take with you to events.

I always love to be thorough with things. I gave you all of my favorite essentials here. But honestly, if I had to choose even among these, a very bare bones list, it would be the toolkit, the work table, shelter, storage, and access to water.

And make sure that your shelter or your space can stay cool. With that, you can make a start. Everything else you can plan for and build toward as you go.

 

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Now let's say you're thinking about renting a space, like I was early on. There is something very attractive and sometimes necessary about renting a studio space. If you don't have a space to renovate where you live, this might be the only current option.

Maybe you do have a garage or a barn or a back room you could turn into your studio, but you want to know the pros and cons for each option. Is it better to rent? Is it better to renovate? So let's explore those as you evaluate.

First, let's look at renting a studio.

The pros for renting include you might be able to get a much bigger space, you could share a larger space with another florist or an industry friend, which could be really supportive and fun and make it more affordable.

Depending on your lease agreement, you could sublet the space for small events or to other designers when you don't need it and generate some income to offset your rental costs. You would have a landlord to take care of things like plumbing issues or light and electrical problems or any other repair or issue that might come up. And your space would be more anonymous, as in you wouldn't be having freelancers or workshop attendees come to your home depending on your setup.

Cons to renting include, the biggest one is the overhead. You will be making monthly payments for the duration of your lease, and you will need to make sure you can cover those comfortably. Also, commuting, you may have a bit of a drive to get to your studio rental. Impermanence, you could be evicted for whatever reason on the landlord's part. It also might not work out a certain year or a certain season, and you need to be able to move and find a new space.

And there are limitations to what you can do in a rented space. You can't necessarily renovate or make desired changes structurally since you don't own the space. Or if you can, you might be pouring a lot of your own resources into improving a space that you pay to use and will give back at the end of your lease. So you're putting a lot of equity into something that you don't own. So those are looking at some of the cons.

Now let's look at renovating.

Pros of renovating. You have freedom. You can make the space what you want and how you want it. You're also investing in an asset. What you invest into your space improves something you own, and that both improves your property value and your day-to-day work experience. Also, location. You don't have to commute to your workspace, which saves you time and gas money and mileage on your car. You have less overhead,

If it's on the property where you live, so you're not adding an extra expense to your overhead. And accessibility. You don't have to wait to find a space to get set up and begin. You can just start working from where you are and improve the space as you go along.

Now, cons to renovating. It's an investment. You will need to make a few investments to make your space the way you want it to be over time. So it will require some resources. You are your landlord as well, so you need to take care of repairs and maintenance, but you might already be doing that anyway, if this is a space you own.

And of course, you can always hire a contractor so you don't have to build everything yourself, unless you're really into DIY.

And there's proximity. The studio is where you live, so you'll need to make sure that you create boundaries and separation between your work and your personal life, delineations between where work things go and when you're on the clock, and then where your home life is protected and separate.

This list is not exhaustive and there is no single conclusion to be drawn here as though there's one right answer because it's going to come down to your circumstances and your values. So tune into what matters most to you and trust your gut.

In my opinion, if you have a space, a room, a part of a room, a shed, a garage, somewhere where you could set up and start where you already live, that's always going to be advantageous in a way because there isn't any overhead to begin with, and there isn't any barrier to access. You already have that space. But again, most importantly, tune into what you have, what you need, how you'll use it, where you could get started, and

Don't let anything stop you. It's so important that you get to pursue the art and the work that you're here to create and to bring that into the world. So let this pros and cons list just be a helpful exploration to open things up as you develop or refine your creative studio, your situation, and where you can go from here.

 

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Mentorship is a transformational experience. When you work with someone who believes in you, who understands what you are trying to bring into the world and can see the way forward, someone who can help you hold the vision and strategize the steps to take now and next When you have that, the dream, the big leap, the expansion, they all start to happen.

You are here listening to Called to Bloom because you are a creative who is ready to evolve and you are ready to up level into alignment and expansion. So I want to make sure to let you know about the mentorships that I offer so that you know about that as an option.

They come in two containers. The first is a Studio Mentorship, and the second is Remote Coaching.

The Studio Mentorship is a multi-day in-person private workshop here in my studio in San Diego that is tailored to your goals and interests across an array of floristry topics from floral design techniques to hands-on experience, business and branding strategy, holistic well-being guidance, and how to build an authentic and successful pivot or expansion or path forward. Studio mentorships are available to you whether you are a seasoned professional or an aspiring beginner. If you're ready to dive in and build this dream, a Studio Mentorship might be perfect for you.

The other mentorship option is remote business coaching. This I offer in one-hour single sessions or one-hour multi-session containers to meet you online in a video call to provide focused coaching on business, building your next level, clarifying your goals, strategizing steps forward or strategizing through a project that you have coming up, sharing resources to support you, and guidance for your expansion.

This is a really accessible option, allowing you to receive mentorship and coaching from anywhere you are in the world.

I also offer a 30-minute discovery call so that we can meet and discuss options and chat over details and answer your questions so that you can find your best

If you are ready for mentorship or you want to look into it a little deeper, visit my website at nectarandbloomfloral.com and head to the mentorships page.

I look forward to connecting with you.

 

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And now I want to round this out together by giving you a method to help you transform and align your space, no matter what it is or where it is.

First, I have a helpful set of questions for you that you can use as a journaling prompt, which you know I love, or just re-listen to this section and pause to answer in your own head or in a note in your phone as you clarify and plan how to improve or align your studio space.

So ask yourself the following:

Number one, VISION — What is your dream studio space? If you can't picture exact features, what does it feel like? That will help you calibrate what you want and what is needed.

Number two, CIRCUMSTANCES — What space and resources do you already have that you can use? What features does it provide for you? How much flexibility do you have with improving it?

Number three, NEEDS — What do you want to do in your space? What do you need in order to be able to do that? List the types of daily or project based uses for your studio. With those in mind, you can identify what you need to set up or to bring in in order to support those tasks and workflows.

Number four, RELEASE — What do you not need? What could you remove or take out or let go or give away or rethink to make more room, more space for what you do or what you want to do. Sometimes all we need to do is take something away to improve a space.

Number five, ASSETS — What feels great about your current studio or current creative space so far? What are its assets or perks? What do you love or appreciate about it that you want to keep or build on?

Number six, DISTRACTIONS — What feels yucky or stuck or like an energy suck about your space right now or so far? What would help clear up that energy? What could you get rid of or update or bring in to improve this aspect of your space?

Number seven, BALANCE — Is your space all utility and functionality, but not comfortable or enjoyable or inspiring for you? Or is your space comfy and inspiring but disorganized and not useful? Having a look at this will help you know where you might need to soften or adjust or make a shift or what needs to be brought in to improve that sense of balance.

And number eight, ACTION — What is one thing you could do today to clear out old energy and make more space for the studio flow and the creative work that fits your vision?

With this journaling prompt, you can better clarify your vision for your dream studio, how you want to use it, and both what you need and don't need. And with that, you can start to plan your approach.

One helpful guideline to use if you have a million ideas and dreams for your studio, but you aren't sure where to start is to go with functionality.

What do you need in order to do your work? Walk yourself through a day and note what is needed to do your creative work and where you get stuck or where things feel lacking or clogged. Put your attention there. For me, getting more air, space, and light into my studio were so important. So that was my priority.

But the aesthetic aspect of that came after I put in place the functional essentials, a work table, a way to keep the space cool, and storage to keep my tools and materials organized. So go with functional essentials first, then improvements based on your use and values, and then final touches that bring more balance and joy into your space.

Personally, I'm a very sensitive human, and I think a lot of creative types are this way, and you might be too. And I'm highly affected by my environment and surroundings. Clutter feels noisy and distracting. An excess of stuff feels heavy and agitating.

If a space is messy and neglected, I find it physically draining to be inside it. And I imagine that you can relate.

As an experiment, next time you enter a room or an office of any kind, check in with your body and notice how you feel in there. This can help you know what is physically and energetically supportive or draining for you in a creative work environment.

I have been told by many kind people that I have a calming voice and a calming energy, and I'm definitely drawn to all the calming things: poetry, yoga, floral design, Ayurveda, retreats. But I think that's because I'm actually pretty intense and fiery by nature. So I need these calming practices and I need a soothing and organized workspace in order to feel at ease and in alignment to do my work.

Depending on your constitution and your nature, you may feel similarly, like an organized, soothing space makes you feel clear and calm and ready to work.

Or you might have a different constitution and you feel more like you need some pizzazz to energize you. This will take shape in the final touches in your studio, including the colors, the types of surfaces, seating, artwork, and other lived in touches.

If you want to know more about your constitution from Ayurveda, which is a holistic science that I've studied and completed certifications in, because I find it so wildly life improving, have a listen to Called to Bloom Episode 5, "The Holistic System That Reshaped My Life and Business," to learn more about your constitution and what elements help bring you into balance and harmony.

Also stay tuned because I've got a follow-up episode to that one going into more depth on how Ayurveda can help your business and creativity coming up later this season.

My point here is that there are essential aspects of a studio that you need, and there are elements of a place where you work and consequently spend a lot of your time and life energy that will be personally supportive to you. Listen to your body for those instincts and inklings.

Trust your gut when it comes to how much light or space, how much airiness or earthiness, how much soothing or energizing, or how much austerity or coziness that you might find optimal to support your creative energy in your creative studio.

 

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And as a few quick closing reminders and tips, make decisions based on your needs, as in what do you actually need right now? Make changes based on your values, as in what is important to you.

Remember that you can get started literally today by just taking a moment to review the bare bones essentials. Do you have those in place? And then by dropping in to see how you feel in your space, as well as how you want to feel in your space, to help guide what you change or bring in first. Do you need more organization, more space, more flexibility, more energy, storage, less things?

Base what you do first on what makes sense now, knowing that things can and will evolve along the way.

So good. Such a fun episode to make space to talk shop about studios with you and to put together these details to answer so many questions about my own studio that you guys have sent me over the years. It's a really fun project building and renovating and updating a studio, refining it to become the creative space that you want, even if it takes time.

Let this be a joyous process that you chip away at over time and let your dream studio vision and then reality start to emerge.

Check the show notes from this episode to find links to videos that will show you visually what I've shared in this And feel free to reach out if you have questions about the studio or updates you want to share with me about your own studio evolution. I would love to see, I would love to hear.

You could connect with me directly on Instagram @nectar_and_bloom or @calledtobloompodcast or by email at jen@nectarandbloomfloral.com.

And if you decide to come in for a transformative mentorship or a workshop experience, I would love to show you around.

I look forward to hearing from you and hearing how you bring new life into your studio or creative space.

Let me know how you go and happy home base making for your business and your art.

 

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Beautifully done. You just completed another episode of Called to Bloom, another step forward on your creative journey.

Finishing any resource that nourishes your growth is one of the most empowering things you can do for your business and your creative calling.

Now, to expand your experience, hit follow so you never miss an episode. And also please leave a quick review. Your words are so powerful in helping other creatives like you to discover the podcast, plus they just mean the world to me. Then head over to calledtobloompodcast.com to find show notes, resources, discount codes, and details from our sponsors.

If you're ready to deepen your practice with classes and immersive experiences in flowers and well-being, head over to nectarandbloomfloral.com and explore my workshops, one-on-one mentorships, poetry of flowers holistic online courses, well-being experiences, and my original Tarot of Flowers deck.

You can also find me on Instagram @nectar_and_bloom for more inspiration, tools, creativity, and like-minded community.

For now, keep blooming. The world needs what you are here to create.

 

 

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