Studio Set-Up

[Nancy S.]

Greetings, all! It's Springtime here in PA, so I'm working on the cleaning/reorganizing of my small "studio" (a corner of an outbuilding). My previous set-up sort of worked, but I feel that it could be vastly improved upon. So! Tell me how your workspaces are set up if they work out well for you. Is there an arrangement that seems to work better than others?

 

Also, I have space for shelves (which I plan to install this season) on the wall. Any suggestions on shelving?

 

Also also, I personally don't keep my glazes in the studio (since it's unheated/uncooled), but for tools and bats and other doodads, does anyone have any awesome suggestions on keeping everything organized? I have sooo many little things and am struggling with keeping them handy enough to use but organized enough to keep them out of the way when I don't need them. (Incidentally, I have an old dresser that's missing a drawer and I am seriously considering converting it to a pottery tool chest...)

[Marcia Selsor]

I recently posted about Antoinette Badenhort's use of a wall hanging shoe storage for tools. I cut one up and hung one 1/3 section for brushes, one with 2 courses for by my wheel, and one over by my tiny wheel that is set up with a diamond grinding wheel where I use it for storing things like safety glasses, kiln glasses, work gloves, , etc. 

Marcia

[Pres]

Run a pinterest search on pottery studios and small pottery studios. Tons of ideas on there to help you with your new plans.

 

best,

Pres

[dhPotter]

You can make your own shelves out of 3/4 inch construction grade plywood - C/D. Make a box with the plywood cut at 12 inches then cover the rough plywood sawn edge with a 1x2 fir strip. I made my shelves 14 inches apart. Also, put a 1x2 strip along the underside of each shelf - this is your support and enables you to screw the shelf to the wall thru the 1x2 support. As for tools, get a piece of masonite pegboard, cut about 2ft x 2ft. Place 2, 2x4 on the wall then use screw with washers to attach the pegboard to the 2x4 supports. Use store bought hooks with the little holder to keep the hook in place OR make hooks from coat hangers and hot glue the hangers in place on the pegboard. Place your trimming tools, ribs, ruler, etc on the little hooks.

[GEP]

I see lots of people using utility shelving from big box stores in their studios, but I always thought utility shelving doesn't quite work. The shelves are too deep and spaced too far apart vertically. Deep shelves invite things to get lost in the back, which makes things hard to find, and leads to a buildup of clutter. The things potters store are really not that tall, so why waste all that vertical space? 

 

I have always used "closet shelving" instead of "utility shelving." I like the kind with vertical tracks that you install into the wall, with shelf brackets that can be hooked on at any height on one inch intervals. Here's an example, but there are several brands other than this one. 

 

Here is one of the storage areas of my studio:

 

 

 

If your situation does not allow you to install things into your walls, this is another system I looked at while designing my studio. You can get fairly shallow shelves and configure them however you want. 

[Guest JBaymore]

Steve Branfman's "Potter's Professional Handbook" has lots of studio ideas.

 

best,

 

.......................john

[Marcia Selsor]

I agree. Also Virginia Scotchie wrote a book on small studio set ups.

I like some storage units on wheels. Not always practical but can help the space be versatile.

My studio is 22 x 22 with the kins in a separate shed.

Marcia

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I have a ten by ten foot former bedroom as a studio. Anything that can do double duty is your friend, have your large buckets on wheels, and stack stuff. For cheap and dirty adjustable shelving, I found this image of Molly Hatch. I think those are 2x4s mounted onto the wall studs that have holes drilled at intervals for dowels to fit into and hold the shelves. Genius in its simplicity.

[oldlady]

nancy, the best setup is one that works for you, whatever you are making.  if you throw tall pots a lot, you do not need the kind of shelving that works for flat work.  think about what you need to do and what area of the studio that will work best in.  if you store clay on the far right side of the studio, having the wheel or slabroller on the farthest left side is a waste of energy.  if you want to put wet pots up on shelves to dry, wire mesh is not a good idea unless you like ridges on the bottoms.

 

we covered this topic a year ago or so, there were photos from lots of people whose spaces fit them perfectly.  show us what you come up with.