Hello All! I’m here with some exciting (to me) news! After years of creating on a small desk surface with my supplies stored all throughout the house – can anyone relate? – I’m getting ready to turn a storage shed into a cozy cottage art studio! The 12’x24′ building has been delivered, but the inside is completely unfinished, a blank canvas (pun intended!) to set up any way I choose.

We recently combined two households into one, so I have some extra furniture that I can incorporate into my new space. On the one hand, this means that I won’t have the brand new white, streamlined “Ikea storage” setup that I’ve admired in so many online craft room tours, but it does mean that the space will feel homey to me, and I’ll definitely have a unique look. I’m going to set up the art/craft studio in the back, and use the front of the building as a lounge area.

Designing a space from scratch is a fabulous opportunity, but it’s also really intimidating! The first step is to put up insulation, then sheetrock and flooring. We’re going to try doing the work ourselves since my husband and brother are pretty handy.

• White Dove – “Unerring style defines this clean and classic white.”

• Simply White – “The slightest hint of warmth makes this clean, crisp white a favorite to use anywhere in the home.”

• Cloud White – “Soft and balanced, this go-to white can effortlessly buoy a space.”

I’ve narrowed my wall color choices down to the above shades of Benjamin Moore paint. At first I thought I might use actual color – gasp! – to paint the walls, but in the end I decided to go with a neutral white. I’m normally a fan of surrounding myself with cool white on the walls, but I’m looking for something with slightly warm undertones for this project.

I’m toying with trying out a new-for-me style for my new space. I usually prefer a look that is light and airy, with lots of leaf green and white, but since this will be my personal retreat space I’ve decided to use some more feminine elements (that are banned in the house!) and softer colors to truly personalize it. I created a style board for the sitting area using Canva and some images I found online. You can sign up for the free version of Canva and get dozens of templates for mood boards, or upgrade to the paid version for access to over 2,000 templates!

The above image is a beautiful blue Spring Style Board template that I created for my readers to use. You can customize it with your own colors and fonts, and you can insert any type of images in the empty frames. And of course a mood board can be used for any type of project: garden planning, interior design, visions and goals, routines and habits, etc. Once you sign up for a Canva account you’ll be able to use this template any way you like!

Completing this renovation project from scratch is a fabulous opportunity, but it’s also a bit intimidating, so I appreciate any advice y’all can offer! I hope you’ll leave a comment and share the most useful feature of your crafting area and/or something you wish you had done differently or would like to change.

And if you want to follow along with my progress – and see posts featuring art, DIY, decorating, and free resources – you can subscribe to this blog to get email notifications whenever I publish something new.