Waldron Designs New Studio!
I’ve been waiting to write this post forever because… well, it’s not quite done. We have a few finishing touches and when those are finished, we will do a professional shoot of the new space. In the meantime, here are a couple quick cell phone shots to share what I’ve been dreaming of- a design studio designed by me, for me. Who knew I would EVER be able to design my own space?!
With each of my designs, I like to tell the story and the goals. It seems strange to tell my own story, but here goes… Many of you know my previous office space was in a beautiful, old, and mysterious building on the island. I always said it was the most beautiful building on the island. As a whole, it may quite possibly be. However, when things started going sour behind the scenes, I was faced with a situation that gave me 30 days to find a new office AND get moved into it. I found my new office within days, but it needed a lot of work…
Click the photos and read the story of deconstruction and the beginnings of the new space.
The big lesson we learned here is a couple things:
I need to have the confidence to stick to my guns. I am good at this when it is for a client, but I backed down easily for myself. I wanted a raw, unfinished concrete floor. My contractor was concerned (and caring enough to be concerned) about gouges, cracks, and bumps in the floor. In my rush to get things done, I agreed that we could paint the floors when I should have just said to leave them alone. Now, they are painted… with gouges, bumps and cracks. Painting did not repair the problem, it just made a failed attempt to hide it.
Get everything in writing. Always. Without getting everything in writing there are misunderstandings in the communications. In the end, the bill was significantly higher than I had anticipated. I have seen this happen with clients as well, and this is absolutely something that often happens and is to be expected in construction. However, without getting it in writing, we may end up with bills we can’t pay.
When I notice something that makes me wonder, ask. I kept wondering why the bathroom wasn’t being done at the same time as the rest of the space- why was the floor still in that space and not being treated like the rest of the concrete? Maybe it was because we were supposed to be the ones removing the existing flooring. Maybe it was because there was some assumption that a different flooring was happening. Had I asked right away, I might have a bathroom closer to completion.
With enough determination and refusal to back down, deadlines can be met. I had a grand opening and First Friday event, and when I showed up to the job site the morning before the event, it looked like this:
I’m pretty sure everyone involved was sure that this was not happening and I was facing disaster. I stayed in the space with them until it was done though and was persistent that this WAS happening.
Six hours later: Almost done!
I still had a room full of boxes, a wobbly table, som missing lights, a missing shelf, and a whole lot of panic, but I think we pulled it together pretty well in a pinch.
My first day working in the new office was so peaceful and such a moment of pride, I had to snap a quick shot. The empty wall to the right is designated for artists to display and sell their work from the space.
We set aside space on our display shelves for local potters such as Dorotea Ceramics (shown here) to display and sell their work.
One thing I always needed at my other office was a place for storage. I have office supplies, boxes and bags of tile, etc. and need a good staging place. How convenient that this space could also allow my two greyhounds a little getaway as well as serve as a future office space for a design assistant!
A hidden surprise is important to me for every space to have. This hidden surprise is simply a sparkle of color in an unsuspected space.
No, I did not stage this photo. I was too excited to have running water and thought the drying coffee mug was a thing of beauty. Kudos to those who find the ‘handle’ for my cabinets!
Final celebration with the ribbon cutting ceremony!
I do hope everyone reading this gets a chance to come visit my light, airy, cheerful space! It’s been a lot of work, a lot of frustration and is not yet perfect, but as a whole I am very proud of what was accomplished in just 30 days (FYI- this is NOT a reasonable timeline and I will never again take on a project with this short a timeline!)
Please come visit us at the new office located in the Vashon Village! Our goal with this space is to create an artistic hub for the community. I want to work with artists, architects, designers, and other businesses to make this a collaborative space. Please, touch base with me to find out how we can work together, serve one another, and have fun here! We are excited to host workshops, pop ups, Q&A Sessions, brainstorming sessions, and more!
