Thursday, July 2, 2009

My creative space... the Hack Station.

Finding a space for my creativity is a creative act in itself. My family inhabits a two-bedroom flat, and I've now had a number of friends and bloggers ask me exactly where I sew. So today I thought I'd show you the Hack Station:


This is the corner of our living room. My sewing machine lives permanently on this Ikea Norden gate leg table, which was a second as it came with only one of its drop-leaves. It makes a fabulous sewing table, with deep drawers on either side, space for the sewing machine to sit out, and a big deep sturdy table leaf when extended.

I used to keep all my sewing notions and tools in various compartments all over the place but it was confusing and frustrating. Plus, I'm not great at packing away and I kept finding sharp objects in the hands/mouth of my toddler and baby! So I came up with a cunning plan which my very obliging Beloved executed last weekend:



Peg board!

Now my most frequently-used tools and books are accessible but out-of-the-way. This board is to be an evolving, mutating inspiration board as well as a storage tool...




In our small space I think it's imperative to make art from clutter, to combine the practical and whimsical, to celebrate the everyday items.


Looks serene, doesn't it?



But let's not gild the lily... here's one I prepared earlier:

Visit kootoyoo to see who is playing along with their creative spaces this week. Edited to add: or maybe not, Kirsty's taking a break? But here's my space anyway!

24 comments:

  1. I love the peg board, and I was completely fooled by the serenity until you posted the 'real life' shots.

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  2. Love a good peg board! This looks so amazing - especially because of the real-life shots! Your corner of serenity and order! :) K

    p.s. I'm doing a creative space too + I've gone a bit loopy on grasshopper photoshopping... good thing Kirsty's away on hols!

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  3. I love a bit of real life action on the blog!
    That pegboard is ace - just need to find a nice strong bloke to install one for me!

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  4. Looks like a magical place to create/destroy/crash! Fab idea that pegboard. Love the idea that it is art - at my place it would not stay that way for long. Lucky I have my own space, unlucky for me it is right near the front door!

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  5. I LOVE IT Gina. It looks amazing... neat and lived in! While it's probably not your 'dream creative space', you have done a fantastic job of making it your own in a place you love, in a suburb you love. Sounds like a pretty good compromise to me!

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  6. The Hack Station looks great! Love the peg board idea - may even copy it myself ;-)

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  7. yeah, that pegboard really rocks. such a fab idea. and with the sunlight streaming through the window, i can imagine so much serene crafting happening (i am guessing you can imagine it too)...

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  8. That is such a great idea Gina. Our situation is similar and I have sewing stuff stashed everywhere throughout our place. Looks like its a nice spot to sit and sew with the sunlight coming in!

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  9. Love it!! I'm in need of some major organisation right now. *sigh* If only we had Ikea here... This is a brilliant idea. Very inspiring!!

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  10. Love that table and the maddness of toddler mess reminds me of my house!

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  11. Given that my hack station is usually horizontal (and on the floor), I'm lusting after some of that verticality!

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  12. What a fantastic idea. I just the love the Hack Station. I often think that the more space you have the more you fill anyway. I should show you my craft space sometime.....

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  13. I love the peg board and what a fantastic way to have it also as your inspiration board. I love knitting with the funky coloured looms too! :-)

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  14. Your craft corner looks great. You're definitely braver than me - when the four of us lived in a two bed flat I did NO craft AT ALL!!! x

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  15. Gina, I know how u feel, I have no dedicated space not even room for a sewing machine and have to tidy up every night, so thats why I dont have much of a stash I just buy to project.

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  16. oh and i've tagged you again for your so lovely blog

    http://marjoryjane.blogspot.com/2009/07/one-lovely-blog-award.html

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  17. the peg board is an amazing idea :) I love the photos of william and charlie and the typhoon of toys they have left in there wake. I love that william seems all tuckered out and charlie has the what? this mess was here when I got here face. oh and your sewing space is still cleaner than mine and I don't have the rug rats to blame ;)

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  18. Very clever indeed - I wish I had thought of that when the four of us lived in a two bedroom apartment!

    Thanks for the comment about the chalkboard - my boys love it (so do guests) - hope your kitchen one gets as much use.

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  19. LOL. Those 'real life' photo's look very familiar. I too have some of those 'let's throw every toy we own through the room and see where they land'- creatures in the house ;-)

    That board looks great and very practical! I bet you'll enjoy it a lot.

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  20. Awesome space! I dream of a craft space like this!

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  21. That's a great space and I love that peg board - such a great way to get organised!

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  22. Ooh pretty! It's fun to contrast serene with the joy of child creating too!

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  23. Want one even more ... now I've seen it in all its glory.

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“Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
~Albert Einstein