Look how the artist, writer, photographer, actress and mother Sarah Greenman created an art studio over the weekend, spending at the same time not more than $ 300. That's what she told us about her project.

"Each choice of design in my house is dictated by the budget. I work at home as a free artist, I have two children, so most of the interior items came to the studio from charity shops or just from a dump. I often work for large-scale works of art, and my office, which was simultaneously used as a guest room, was simply too small. I needed a larger space.

Armed with a tight limited budget of $ 300, my husband and I converted some of our rooms during the weekend into an art studio. We set up a former 5.8-by-5.8-meter garage, originally intended for two cars, in a creative room, using existing furniture from other rooms in the house. The total cost of my repaired garage was $ 274, including about 10 liters of paint and four new dining chairs.

Before the transformations, we used this room, a former garage, like a telegraph room and a room, which fell into one pile of toys. The room was wretched and dim.

The previous homeowner renewed the garage - laid a garage door, installed a cover and peeled the walls with artificial wood. Since he did it himself, there was no insulation material, the walls had voids in some places, which made me fight periodically with spiders and geckos. The landlord said that the redevelopment of the garage cost him about $ 600 a few decades ago.

After our redevelopment and arrangement of the home office, the garage room turned into a cozy studio where I can work, creating works of art and photography, conducting classes and seminars.

The carpet is laid directly on the gently sloping cement floor, which makes the composition of paintings on the walls more interesting. I painted the walls with paint "Black Suede", because I like dramatically designed works of art.

Tip: Most art studios have white walls that provide extra lighting and help keep the focus on art. But the dark color scheme of the room can also be an excellent background for artwork.

The garage is not insulated, which is sometimes a problem with the hot Texas summer and cool winter. Air conditioning in the corner often comes to the rescue. Sofa creates a cozy atmosphere in the living room and a zone for communication with clients during seminars.

Most of the furniture is purchased in second hand and commission stores, so some items have a shabby feel, making you feel old. Gold brocade on the armchair is torn off on each side, but a piece of artificial sheepskin and a pillow with graphics gave him a new life.

When I work in my studio, I like directories and beautiful things at hand, which spur on my imagination. A coffee table, bright pillows, a pot of flower, books and works of art create a modern interior design.

The antique table is in the center of attention. I use it for meetings and seminars, work and sometimes for supper, when I stay here. Metal chairs were my only purchase of new furniture.

In the corner, I set up a work area that includes my library from the bookcases that follow me from around the college. A small soft box is for the toys of my 3-year-old son, who often joins me when I work. I equipped two pendant lamps above the table, using factory hooks and a very long extension cord.

Tip: Become more organized with two notebooks, like those that hang on the wall next to my desk. One of my lists includes work for the current day, another list is for the next day.

I arranged convenient storage systems for necessary things. All my everyday files are easily accessible in a portable file station, which is an old basket. I can move it to the table when I need more space.

I do not write in a particular place, so I brought a small portable table, which contains all the materials at hand. Ceramic vase from the lean shop is used for brushes and tools.

Cloths, art supplies and an easel are always ready. Lampshade is my last project, displaying the poem "Sonnet XVII" by Pablo Neruda, written by a permanent marker. The poem starts from the top and repeats in a spiral again and again, moving gradually into the shady lower part of the lamp.

Tip: A used kitchen trolley can be used to store paints, sprayers and other art tools, giving a new life to the old object.

I transferred the piano from the dining room, which gives me the opportunity to play at any time without waking up my family. A quote that hangs over the piano, "A stool is a family heirloom," the words of beloved writer Louise Bogan. - I bought a faded second-hand signature on the sale bazaar for $ 5 and created a script using acrylic colors.

The old antique typewriter is holding my sewing machine and dividing the space with the cork bust that I found in the dump of one of the shops. "

A great solution, how to create an ideal workshop from an unnecessary space!