Ana on making her creative space
Ana dropped me (Lydia!) an email back in summer 2020 offering to come and help out in the studio. As soon as we met I knew she was going to become an integral part of MMW. She has a beautiful eye of detail and is always meticulously improving the systems we have in place to get your orders shipped out. She brings the best Brazilian tunes to the studio and is constantly reassuring me 'We are more organised than we think we are!'
I'm delighted to share this blog with my team so over to Ana...
“It took me a while to realise that everything I learnt can be applied to anything”
As a recent graduate, I moved back home to take some time to figure out what I was going to do with my life. During this time, Coronavirus hit and shook the world, leaving me even more uncertain. With my textiles degree, I learnt so much about colour, texture, scale and overall feel of design but didn't learn how to be a professional or even what a professional textiles designer would look like.
It took me a while to realise that everything I learnt can be applied to anything - one specific area is in interior design, an area I have always had an interest in but never approached seriously. Another thing I also learnt with Corona was that spending most of my time in my a 10m² bedroom/ studio during lockdown was not working.
So, I took the opportunity to improve my space and give interior design a go. Packed with Rita Konig's online interior design masterclass and my determination to transform my space, I embarked on a journey.
The crucial change was to separate my bedroom & studio, I couldn't work with my bed just behind me or sleep with my desk just in front of me. Luckily, I also had a small closet room to work with. So, I tackled these three spaces learning so much along the way. From technical lighting plans to poly filling walls and from negotiating with carpenters to sourcing antique furniture. It was important to me to have the spaces feel relaxing, comforting and fresh, different to how the spaces had felt before.
Here are some of my highlights:
The flooring had to go, as I had a dark grey lino down which was just cold and plasticky, I hated it. With a big investment I chose a wonderful wool carpet from Alternative Flooring, that softened the whole space. Every time I step on it, it makes me happy.
For my bedroom, I wanted the space to feel like you stepped into a little nook of warmth and cosiness, so I painted all the walls, ceiling and woodwork the same Bone colour from Farrow and Ball. This instantly transformed the room! It's such a beautiful colour that changed throughout the day from a neutral stony grey to a light olive green, I'm obsessed with it.
Initially, in the studio, I was going to rework a desk I already had and just stick with it. But it had always annoyed me how thin it was, which was a nightmare to cut fabric and work on. So, instead I bought a much bigger reclaimed wood table... but when it arrived it was awful! Full of bright blues and greens painted on it, but the original wood was brilliant. So, I decided to work on it, with a chemical paint stripper and a lot of scraping. The final result is a wonderful, textural tabletop that I'm really proud of.
Now, I can happily say that as I write this, I am in my beautifully lit studio, on my reclaimed wood desk, in front of my antique bookcase and most importantly... Not next to my bed!
I'm still in the process of completing these rooms, but I can't tell you how proud I am of this journey. It was a long process, with lots of bumps along the way but I look around now and it just makes me soo happy. I feel like everyone during lockdown has discovered the importance of their home and feeling settled, I can now say I do.
Ana is our Studio Intern follow her on Instagram at @anaclark_studio
