Top 8 Tips for Designing Your Own Creative Space

Having a space in your home dedicated to creative pursuits can go a long way to help inspire you and maximize your creative potential. A creative space can have many purposes and functions. If you have a creative career, it can allow you to work from home. If your creativity is recreational, it can be your sanctuary. For some, a creative space may be a workshop for writing or painting. For others, it may be a dance or performance studio. Some people may just want a general all-round space for creativity. Whatever the purpose, here are some helpful tips for designing your own creative space.

1. Location
Consider possible locations for your space. It could be a spare room, study, converted shed or a nook in the corner of another room. Before you start designing you’ll need to take into account your methods of working. If your creative outlet is physical you’ll need somewhere with a lot of space to move around. A converted garage could be great for this. If your work requires meeting with clients or partners, you’ll want an area to sit down for discussions. For this, you could set up a space in the corner of a living area. If your creativity involves a lot of materials with the potential to get messy, you’ll want a dedicated room or corner for this. You could lay down plastic, newspaper or old sheets to protect the floor. You could also convert an unused cupboard or closet into storage for your materials.

2. Limit Distractions
It’s important that your creative space is free from distractions. Try locating it somewhere further away from noisy areas. Establish with your family that you’re not to be disturbed in your creative space. You could even consider making your space a phone-free zone so you can focus completely on creativity. Of course, many creative pursuits use technology to stay connected. If this is the case, you’ll want your space to have a reliable wireless fiber internet connection.

3. Natural Lighting
Good lighting is essential for creativity. Having access to natural light for your creative space is ideal. Artificial or insufficient lighting can lead to fatigue and can be a strain on your eyes. Natural light is refreshing and can help you feel more productive. This is especially important if your work involves looking at a computer screen. The natural light will make it easier on your eyes. Sheer curtains can be used to dim the light if desired.

4. Inspire
When decorating your creative space, you want to surround yourself with things that will motivate and inspire you. Whether it’s wall color, artwork, or framing your favorite quotes, there are several ways to make your space inspiring. If you’ve won any awards or had work published, you could also display these. This is a good way to remind yourself what you’re capable of and what your goals are.

5. Organize
Keeping your space organized will help your creative process go smoothly. This means keeping all your equipment and materials in a convenient place. Find a storage system that works for you. This could be shelves, a filing cabinet or trays on your desk. A certain amount of clutter is to be expected in a creative space, but you want to keep it organized. You don’t want to disrupt your creativity by wasting time looking for something you need. Too much clutter can make it harder to focus.

6. The Right Furniture
When choosing furniture for your space, think about your needs and your process. For writers or digital artists, a good desk and comfortable seat are essential. You may also need a larger surface like a table or bench to layout materials, drafts and research. This could be a great opportunity to repurpose old furniture like sofas, shelves and coffee tables.

7. Space to Relax
It’s important to include an area to relax in your creative space. This might be an armchair or sofa bed in the corner where you can sit and rest when you need a break. Having this little relaxation area allows you to clear your mind and refresh. Staying in the same room is less disruptive and makes it easier to stay in creative mode, even when taking a break.

8. Go Outdoors
Taking your work outdoors can be an inspiring and refreshing change of pace. Ideally you’d have direct access from your creative space to an outdoor area. This way you can step outside if you need some fresh air. Consider adding a small outdoors workspace. Nature can do wonders for the mind and getting outdoors for is a great way to get your creative juices flowing.  

The key to designing a creative space is making sure you have everything you need right there. Enjoy the design process and give the space heaps of personality. It’s all about building a comfortable creative bubble where you can work undisturbed and allow your creativity to flourish.