An Artist’s Sculpture Studio

One of my dreams is to have a studio. I love to paint, dabble in sculpture and of course, it would be wonderful to have a dedicated space for my interior design business.

Designer David Coote took a small garden shed and created the most amazing Artist’s Sculpture Studio and Retreat.

Though not very large in scale, it is enormous in charm and function. As you enter you can see a daybed to the right and straight on you can see the studio area. Notice the skylights and windows. There is literally light from almost every angle.

Here is a closer look at the studio. I love that the back wall is covered in old barn board and the floors are stunning!

A small pot belly stove keeps the studio toasty warm in the cooler months.

And there is even a small hot plate when you need to re-charge and have a bit of tea!

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To the right is another bed in a bit of alcove. Notice the lovely window and beautiful open beamed ceiling

A close up shows old brackets and barn wood shelves for storing old casts and an antique wash tub to hold towels and cleaning supplies.

The alcove also has wonderful skylights. I expect the light floods this studio and changes all day creating the most interesting patterns.

There is even a wash basin and water to freshen up – so charming!!

Notice the old re-purposed closet doors which hide all the sculpture supplies.

And these doors swing open to let even more light and the lovely gardens in.

Could you ask for a more inspiring place to work?! So readers, here is one of my dreams – an Artist Studio!

To see more of David Coote’s work click HERE. To see two other fabulous Artist Studios click HERE and HERE.

(All content copyrighted and property of Willow Décor, all photos David Coote)

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Wishing you all a special Valentine’s Day!! May you love an be loved….

xox Gina

(All content copyrighted by Willow Décor – photo Houzz)

Cape Ann Beach Cottage Before and After

I love renovation –moving walls and raising ceilings! Perhaps that is why I am so drawn to architects and spatial design versus fabrics and rugs. Most of my friends and colleagues think I am crazy, but nothing is more enjoyable to me than tearing out old walls and transforming rooms into a new and wonderful spaces. So when the the right architect/build firm comes along the results can be magic! Here is a wonderful before and after by Howell Custom Building Group who also did the architectural plan. The gorgeous After pictures were shot by the famous interior photographer, Eric Roth.

The 800 square foot cottage was part of an Inn, which consisted of the main house and cottages. When the Inn closed the homeowner purchased the cottage as a weekend retreat because of its spectacular location and views. The goal of the project was to increase the living area with out changing the footprint due to zoning restrictions. Above is the Living area/Kitchen Before.

Here is another Before from the opposite angle.The homeowner also wanted to add more windows to capture more of the spectacular ocean views.

Howell Custom Building Group provided a fabulous solution. They opened the ceiling with steel cable trusses to create cathedral ceilings and sleeping/play loft.

Here is the dramatic After. You can see that Howell Custom Building Group is outstanding at transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary!

Also notice their amazing attention to detail. I love the curved loft design which echoes a ship bow, as well as the ships ladder and hatch, that leads up to the play loft! So creative!!

The kitchen was cramped and cabinet space needed to be increased.

Curved mahogany kitchen counters were added and sealed with marine varnish. The design was inspired by the homeowner’s love of the famous Boston’s Union Oyster House Bar.

The bedroom before did not provide very good views

A glass slider was added and now the homeowners wake up views of the sparkling sea.

Usually in renovation the first thought is tear out the old stone and start again, but this stone fireplace was given new life.

They flanked the fireplace on either side with bookcases to add much needed storage and display space.

They also added a window seat for additional seating and a wall of sliders out to a new deck. The new sliders create an impactful and dramatic view of the ocean beyond. For more amazing photos of this cottage transformation to and to see more stunning properties by Howell Custom Building Group click HERE. To see more of interior photographer Eric Roth’s gorgeous work click HERE.

(All content property of Willow Décor, All Photos property of Howell Custom Building Group and Eric Roth)