Thoughts on designing an inspiring hobby room
Hobbies may once have been considered the pastime of children. Au contraire, these prized personal preoccupations are all grown up, occupy their own category on your resume and contribute to a happy life. Decor expert Leanne
Brownoff and stylist Shelley Cronin offer suggestions for designing a dedicated space for your favourite activities.
WHAT’S YOUR MUSE?
■ Surround yourself with artistic inspiration to stimulate your passion.
■ Keep journals ready to write down ideas that pop into your head.
■ — Develop, display and maintain a private library on your favourite subject matter.
■ Pin objects or photos that inspire.
ARTISTIC STORAGE
■ Balancing artistic casual clutter with proper placement is all about storage.
■ Old ladders are perfect to fashion into bookcases.
■ Repurpose containers such as jars, old paint cans and buckets.
■ Stacking is fine for objects that can be recognized and retrieved at a glance, but ensure it doesn’t encroach on floor space needed to manoeuvre.
LIGHTING MAKES A DIFFERENCE:
■ Natural light inspires creative projects. Northern windows provide more consistent light, but any natural light is appreciated.
■ Task lighting is a must for fine technical processes. Desk lighting that provides a tri-switch and an adjustable head is most effective.
■ Ambient lighting may not produce adequate light to perform detailed tasks alone, but it does set the mood for inspiring creativity.