Design Your Workspace

[Viviane]

Although we’re scattered across different disciplines, media, and fields of research, we Flinterforged all have at least one thing in common: we’re creators. And all creators need a place to create, right?

So, if you could have anything, what would your perfect personal workspace look like? Where are you working? Inside? Outside? On the moon? What sort of tools, mundane or magiqal, are on your desk? (Assuming you have a desk, which you might not. Maybe you have an easel. Or maybe a giant erasable wall mat. Or a tree stump.) What sort of decor do you fill your space with? What kinds of things are you creating? Where are you designing, testing, or displaying your work? Let us know here!

[Sellalellen]

Ooh okay let’s do this! First off, I need a large, comfortable chair. Something I can sit in for hours, but not so nice that I’ll fall asleep in it. A wall of clear plastic drawers would be nice, so I can store large amounts of yarn, sorted by colour. I do want a proper desk, with drawers for origami paper and supplies, and another drawer for crochet hooks. I can probably put my sewing machine on that desk as well. I want a smooth floor, maybe hardwood or something, so I can work there if I want to, but probably also a few small rugs to move around as I need to sit on or just keep me from stepping on cold floors in the winter. Also, a tea kettle is a must. Maybe I’ll have a little setup with the kettle and cups on a rolling tray in the corner.

[Catherine]

I love this!! Hmm…

I’ve always imagined my ideal office/workspace as being basically a big sunroom in a cute little cottage, with massive, sunny windows that look out onto some nice nature space, like a forest or a meadow or something. My desk would be in front of one of these windows, and it would be big enough to spread out materials (a laptop, notebooks, countless mugs – a kettle and snacks are also a must), but small enough that I don’t overload it with too much clutter. Big comfy chair for the desk, then maybe an extra plush windowseat on another wall for sitting and reading. Floor to ceiling bookshelves on any wall space without a window, an endless supply of pens and paper, a nice big basket for my yarn and knitting needles, and…a fireplace? Yeah why not, a fireplace with a big comfy sofa and preferably at least four dogs. A kitchen/steady food source would have to be elsewhere though or else I’d never leave.

[Nimueh]

I love this topic! Been thinking about asking my mum if we can convert her sewing room into something multipurpose for the both of us as I currently game in the living room/bedroom, and am relegated to a corner of our dinning room for my music.

However, my dream workspace would be part musicroom, part library, part games room. I’d have long corner desk I could use for projects (sewing, art, etc.), with shelving above to store materials. In the centre of the unit would be space for a moniter and gaming consoles. The back of the desk you be set up with cameras for streaming (I’m thinking of starting to stream my music dev stuff, projects, and gaming), allowing view of me and the desk. big comfy wheely chair is a must. The short end of the desk would have my keyboard on it, and I could turn and wheel my chair between stations. There’s be a chimly breast on the wall behind I could cover on popculture artwork, maybe those like box shelf things to display some of my collectables. On one side of the chimely would be a window looking out over a garden or something green, a comfy window seat of big chair for me to sit and read. The other side would be one of those old shelving units with a cabinet underneath, books on the shelves, music and instruments in the cupboard.

[Saberlane]

My ideal workspace is Badger’s house in The Wind in the Willows. Warm, cozy, dim, quiet.

[Revenir]

If I could have anything, I feel like my ideal workspace would be a yurt. A yurt near the coast, somewhere very scenic and nice. The space itself has to be bright, lots of natural light, so I can see to paint. It would need to be close to where I live, so maybe I also live in the yurt. My ideal setup would be that half of the yurt has desk space, the rest is more open.

The main two areas would be my rendering area, which has all of my supplies nearly organized. There’s a cart of supplies within easy reach of my desk chair, and then there’s vertical space for odds and ends. A desk organizer with all my pens and things. So pretty much what I have now, except on a larger scale. The other part would be the sewing area, with an industrial sewing machine, a serger, an embroidery machine. There’d be a few dress forms kind of around the area, too, and some shelf space to store fabrics and such. Beyond that, it’ be good to have an area to do digital art, which is maybe separate from my traditional art area. Somewhere with a big screen monitor, a nice desktop, and a Cintiq. And maybe also streaming supplies.

The non-desk area of the yurt would have a chillout space. Like a pullout couch and also some additional chairs, just really comfy and good for a nap. Maybe a TV and also a good stereo system to play music. Oh, and there’d also need to be lots of storage space for my stationery needs.

Now that I think of it, I’m moving to my ideal working location in the fall. The financing yurt though… maybe I will find a rich beau in Cali and he can make my yurt dream a reality lmao.

[metatomato]

My ideal work space is any building that doesn’t paint it’s walls this stress inducing shade of red.

Haha but in all seriousness, I would love to have an open view of the forest from where I work. Any place with a lot of windows and greenery around it would be absolutely perfect. The top of my desk at home doubles as a whiteboard, and the ease it brings with not having to find pen and paper to write stuff down is something I’d be unable to give up. Having enough room to pace back and forth while I’m on the phone helps.

[Viviane]

These are awesome, you guys! I got incredibly detailed with this, and also kind of pushed the boundaries of “possible”, but I kept having ideas and I couldn’t resist them SO…

My ideal workspace would be decorated in warm neutral colors: wood floors, subtly-textured beige paint on the walls, exposed ceiling beams, etc. The north wall would have three large picture windows, each one with a built-in shade to block out glare if desired.

Each corner of the room would be a different use area. The northwest corner would be my sewing lab, with all of my machines, dress forms, an industrial iron and ironing board, etc. The west wall in this corner would have a mounted TV screen so that I could cast pattern instructions, notes, or videos to it and read or watch them from wherever I am. The southwest corner would be supply storage, including open shelving and bins to display my fabrics, a drawer for knitting supplies and yarns, printing supplies, stationery, figurines, and whatnot.

The southeast corner would be the reference library, containing all of my craft manuals, historical reference volumes, look books, mythology collections, encyclopedias, foreign language dictionaries, inspirational volumes, etc. Anything I might want to look at during a project would be on those shelves. And, to complete the space, a cozy rug and a bean bag chair, or maybe one of those ceiling-hung swing chairs, to provide a space to recharge for a bit.

The northeast corner would house my writing and planning desk, complete with the comfiest wheelie chair imaginable (probably green), and a stereo system that can play Bluetooth, auxiliary sources, CDs, cassette tapes, or vinyl records. Everything from classical to rock to books on tape to electronic focus music is in that multi-media library, or I can stream music straight into my headphones if I need to focus. (Or if I want to hear over the serger.)

In the very center of the room would be my dream worktable - 6 ft. by 6 ft. with a self-healing corkboard surface covered in cream muslin. That way I can pin pretty much anything to this surface: cutting patterns, maps, models of rollercoasters, whatever. And yes, there might be a small refrigerator/snack cart/tea service in a corner somewhere, as well.

[Ignis]

All your ideas seem so large and beautiful, and here I am preferring practicality over aesthetics. (My number one reason why I dislike most steampunk, but that’s another conversation).

My dream workspace would be small, but not cramped; probably focused in a corner. My work desk would be placed under a window, black out curtains above it. Over it would sit a few shelves for books and knickknacks, origami of my own making. Underneath would be drawers for my various pens, markers, pencils, and the cases I keep them in to keep them organized. And of course the chair; something soft and supportive, but also sturdy enough that I can lean back and not have that thought of Oh gosh, I’m gonna fall and DIE.

On my desk would be enough space for my laptop - probably in the corner - my sketchbook(s), and at least one piece of reference material. The surface is probably wood, but I might add one of those self-healing measuring/grid pad things because I’ve always enjoyed drawing architecture. Behind my laptop space is a desk lamp, the maneuverable long flat kind because the circular bulbs focus too much light in one area.

And there would definitely be some circular and geometric designs over everything; as personal labels for drawers, as protection charms across the surface, as greetings and thanks messages sewn into the curtains (as soon as I learn how to sew). Always thank those that help you, unless they’re of the old Fae family. You already owe them, don’t make it worse by sounding grateful.

[Cj_Heighton]

oh boy. My ideal workspace…

I dont even need music to write this one, ive already got it in my head.

So basically, my ideal workspace would be much like my current one, just more put together. Id have a massive table in the center of a bachelor apartment, with 5, 6 cheap 20-30 dollar tablets i bought off facebook permanently installed into the table. Id use this as a dnd gaming table, with a felt padding across the entire middle drilled into place, but it would also function as a drafting table, and id have an attachable whiteboard i could slot into place for all my idea-taking.

In one end of my room, id have a flatscreen tv connected wirelessly to a computer tower. The tower sits under a long table, taking up the entire back right corner of the bachelor space. It has another whiteboard above it, and a corkboard taking up the other half of the space above the table. On the table is a streaming pad, an xbox 360, an xbox one, a ps2 and 4, and a switch. Each are hooked up to a switchable box i can use to change what is broadcasting to the tv at any time, and if all are off it automatically boots netflix.

In the other corner of the room is a fully kitted out sewing station, complete with my personal sewing machine, a large cupboard with cube-shaped apothecary drawers, each with their own labled item. Half for thread and equipment, half for various types of fabrics. Id have several massive rolls of wool in 10-20 different colours, each various shades of grey, brown, green and purple, each unique in texture, shade, and quality.

id have a fully kitted out music station in the third corner, with both my amps, all my guitars, a video camera set up on the wall and a streaming deck connected to my laptop as well via cable, if/when its necessary.

finally a bed and kitchen in the last corner of the room.

Id use the storage closet to keep all my assorted things, in a large cubic cupboard.

If it wasnt a bachelor pad, and by some miracle i end up being able to afford a house, expand all of those things to their own individual room, give me a storage room, and a bedroom.

The bathroom, you say? The bathrooms a bathroom, no need for anything fancy.

[Calm]

If I was to describe my ideal workspace I guess I would have to describe two. Harmony is in balance of expression.

The first space would be the largest area. A communal space for learning and interacting. I guess it would be a space I find peace; a dojo. I think simple cream and amber mats edged with beechwood boarders, frames and beams open and uncluttered. The space exists for movement and interaction, maybe a few kettlebells, maces and ropes.

The second smaller space would be a space for solitude and reflection. A small study simply adorned with beechwood floors, rugs, a few simple paintings of plants, a shelf for books, a small stove, a desk and a few chairs. The stove would always have a kettle ready for tea to welcome people and enjoy with a large selection of teas and coffee. The desk hopefully not to busy would have room for a few plants and room to make notes and tinker with small projects, tinctures and repairs. Maybe some collections of living tea trees and curious fungi spread around the room. On a small sideboard I would want room for a record player and records along with a Bluetooth speaker to fill the air with a gentle stream of music such as Nujabes, Eastghost, Cigarettes After Sex, Grizzly Bear or Electric Presidents.