Filed under: Fun Stuff
Step into craftswoman and author Cathy Callahan's sunny home office, which inspired her to do the one thing she never expected to do: write a book.
The house my boyfriend and I live in was built in 1962 for a fashion designer (rumor has it she designed for Fredrick's of Hollywood) and a painter. It's a smallish house and one of the rooms we understand was the painter's studio. It has big, north-facing windows (light from the north being preferred by painters) and is about the size of a bedroom. My boyfriend (who is a graphic designer) and I share the space as a "home office" and if we are feeling fancy we sometimes refer to it as "the studio."
This is the room where I write. It's also the room where I make things, store my collections and books, keep my art and craft supplies, and hunt for vintage finds on eBay. There's not much space so to avoid clutter I have had to be really efficient in how I store everything (thank goodness for The Container Store!). Over time, I've figured out how to cram a lot of stuff into a not-very-big space.
I love to be surrounded by all of the stuff that inspires me. The room may be small, but in some ways that helps me work because everything is in close reach. When I was writing my book Vintage Craft Workshop all I had to do was reach (without even having to get up out of my chair!) over to the book shelf to my left and grab whatever I needed to reference. As you can see in the photo, I have shoved two worktables together so I have a "clean" end of the table for using the computer and a "messy" end of the table for paints, glues, fabrics and the like.
I admit some days it feels a little too cramped. I have rolling carts that hold all of my supplies, tools, and fabrics shoved under my desk and my knees knock against them when I work, which can be really irritating. And, yes, some days I dream about having my own separate office space where I could have more room to spread out. But you know what, it was in this room that I was able to do something that just a few years ago I would never in my wildest dreams have thought that I would do: write a book!
Cathy Callahan is the founder of CathyofCalifornia.com and has been featured on the Early Show, the Martha Stewart Show, and in Sunset Magazine. She lives in Los Angeles.
Courtesy of Chronicle Books