A space in tune with Mike’s life
WHEN Mike Lowe bought a house which needed to be renovated the first room he turned around was the garage.
While the entire house had to be redone, his main focus was transforming the garage-turned-gym into a music studio.
Mike, 48, of Llandaff North, Cardiff, mixes and produces music for local bands from his home garage and uses it as a space to keep all his music equipment.
Mike said: “The room was half converted into a gym with a sauna when we bought the house. The very first conversion job we did was to get the studio built. I stripped all the inside and put double plaster boards on the walls, installed double glazing windows and a double door with a steel security system.
“The acoustics are great and the insulation means I can make noise SPRING has sprung.
And aren’t we glad! Surely this is the prettiest time of year and for lovers of the outdoors, spring/summer 2017 is all about bringing the outdoors in.
This may sound like a cliché as this is not a new concept for this time of year, but what is getting me so excited this time round, is the scope of the products now available to the market to achieve this.
Greenery is the easiest way to do this. During a recent buying trip to Paris, I honestly had occasions where I struggled to tell the difference between faux and real foliage as the likeness is now uncanny!
Perfect for introducing maintenance free greenery into the home, ideal for warm areas such as garden rooms and orangeries.
Top Tip for 2017 greenery: think ferns, and the bigger the until 2am without disturbing the neighbours.”
Mike, an analyst programmer, said he has been in and out of bands over the years and as a teenager played in a heavy metal band.
His favourite item in the music studio is the guitar he played when he was just 17 years old.
“I sold the guitar to a friend,” Mike explained. “But I said that if he ever was to sell the guitar in the future, I would like to buy it back. We lost contact and he sold the guitar to someone else.
“A couple of years ago I managed to track it down. It was battered and chipped so I cleaned it and restored it back to how it used to look.
“It’s my little piece of nostaliga in the room.”
The studio includes a sofa and is filled with music equipment –from an electric drum kit, guitars and keyboards, a work station and a computer and a monitor for mixing music.
It is the place Mike goes to escape and spends much of his time there.
On top of the wooden floor is an old-fashioned, ornately patterned rug which is often seen in better!
I could talk tiles all day long if given the chance, and it is because they are just so versatile. Tiles are more frequently being used both indoors and out, and with many designs offering smooth and anti-slip finishes that are perfect for areas outside.
The now popular bi-fold doors which link rooms such as kitchens to outdoor terraces, show so much of the outdoor space that having a continuous flow of the same flooring from drummers’ recording studios and Mike said he felt the room had to have a drummer’s rug to feel complete.
Mike added: “People compliment me on the feel and the look of the room. What I like the most about it is that freedom I feel when I walk in. The acoustics mean the sound is excellent and the insulation means I can keep mixing until the early hours.
“I’m very glad I converted the garage and did it first in the house. It’s the most important room for me in the house.” the indoors out can really open up spaces and increase useable space.
Tiles can also be used to clad walls in outdoor spaces, porcelain is inherently frost resistant so will see you through all seasons seamlessly. Schemes for modern homes which feature patio/bi-fold doors, can be simplified by using the same tile in and out, and furniture can also be linked by using the same colour palette in and out for items such as cushions and throws.
Soft furnishings have also evolved to embrace our newly found love of outdoor living. Designers Guild and Zoffany, together with other design houses, all now offer fabrics designed for external use.
Shower proof and highly resistant to powerful rays of the sun, they are perfect for use on outdoor furniture. Furthermore as they feel like a traditional fabric they can be used inside of your living room sofa when the weather becomes inclement.
Have fun merging the indoors with out and vice versa. I know I will be firing up my outdoor pizza oven every weekend from March onwards. So come winter I will write a piece on home gyms inspired by too much outdoor cooking!