Sewing Sanctuary Shed

Love Chic Living has teamed up with Tiger Sheds for a wonderful design challenge, and it's got me all fired up to create my perfect haven at the bottom of the garden.

At the moment, I have the smallest bedroom in the house as my office/workspace/craft room/sewing room, and to be honest, the space isn't working well for any of those functions.  It's just too small, and has become a bit of a dumping ground if I'm honest.  It certainly doesn't inspire creativity.

We've been talking for a while about having a garden office and some of the cabins on offer at Tiger Sheds would be just perfect.  But given that I often work late into the evening, I'd rather keep my upstairs office and give the new outdoor space entirely over to my other passion of making and up cycling.

I love vintage pieces, but I'm not a slave to any particular era, I'll happily mix Victorian with Art Deco, shabby chic with urban style.

I guess this vibe is vintage industrial, which fits well - given that I'd want to be industrious in the space!  I'd need a huge table, much bigger than my current desk, to work on.  To hold my sewing machine but still give me space to cut out fabric and pin patterns an up-cycled work station like the one below utilising old sewing machine table legs would be just perfect.

 

I'd team the table with a comfy vintage swivel chair, with a pop of bright colour to inspire my makes.

A vintage utility trolley would be stuffed with plump feather cushion pads salvaged from boot sales, ready for a new lease of life with covers made from my stash of fabrics.

Clever storage for all my salvaged fabrics and cotton spools would be key, again repurposing industrial looking items.

A steel filing cabinet would host fabric 'filed' over suspension files, meaning I could always find the piece I was looking for.

Image: http://sewmanyways.blogspot.co.uk

My vintage wooden cotton reels would be displayed practically on an old printers tray mounted on the wall. Spools of ribbon, stored on rails so they're easily accessible.

Image: http://curlypops.blogspot.co.uk

Image http://craftstorageideas.com

To warm the space, I'd add a cosy rug like the Teraki wool rug from Made.com but the pride and joy would be the incredible and beautiful vintage French Godin wood burning stove.  I've often marvelled at these beauties on trips to France and visits to antique stores and actually you can purchase them quite reasonably.  Having seen wood burners installed in summer houses, I know it can be done providing you have a fireproof backing and hearth, and just the thought of cosying up on a winter's day, mug of tea in hand, stove burning and freedom to create.

Just the sound of the birds in the garden, the whir of the sewing machine and the crackle of the fire - perfect!

For more details on the products and credits, please see my Pinterest board.

Follow Liz Burton's board Sewing Sanctuary Shed on Pinterest.