| THE EVENING MUSE #6 Now that I had my beautiful studio to work in, the hoop house we had built as a gift shop was looking pretty shabby. When it came to designing and building a “proper” gift shop, two criterion had to be met. It had to be something we could build ourselves, it had to serve a future purpose and it had to be cost effective. We have always endeavoured to find interesting alternatives. |  |
What we could build ourselves and what we could afford to build was basically a hoop house. Knowing that we could not continue to maintain our lifestyle for ever, we decided to take in to consideration any future needs for living here. We insulated the 20X24 foot concrete floor and added infloor heating lines throughout.
The idea was that sometime down the line, the young couple who had shown interest in buying this place on a rent to own basis, would take over the main house and we would build a small “granny flat” using the base of the gift shop for a perfect tiny house! We would remain on the land we love and they would provide us with a down payment to build our flat and a yearly income on which to live.
Meanwhile, the gift shop needed furniture. Once again, Tom and I followed our passions. I designed shelving units for him to build and over the course of one winter, we constructed, painted and installed them. The flexibility of the design allows me to move them around to present a new look whenever I feel the need.
We repurposed many items for use in the store. Our original kitchen counter became our “sales desk.” Parts of a table were used to extend the counter and leaves from that table became a counter top. A storage unit Tom had built for his dad found a new home. It became both a display surface and a storage unit. Racks Tom had built for the quilt shows we used to hold here, became side walls and back drops for my paintings. Recycled doors became walls to hide the stuff needed to make it all work.
It doesn’t have to be costly to follow your dreams. We worked with what we had. Imagination and a little creativity goes a long way.
The idea was that sometime down the line, the young couple who had shown interest in buying this place on a rent to own basis, would take over the main house and we would build a small “granny flat” using the base of the gift shop for a perfect tiny house! We would remain on the land we love and they would provide us with a down payment to build our flat and a yearly income on which to live.
Meanwhile, the gift shop needed furniture. Once again, Tom and I followed our passions. I designed shelving units for him to build and over the course of one winter, we constructed, painted and installed them. The flexibility of the design allows me to move them around to present a new look whenever I feel the need.
We repurposed many items for use in the store. Our original kitchen counter became our “sales desk.” Parts of a table were used to extend the counter and leaves from that table became a counter top. A storage unit Tom had built for his dad found a new home. It became both a display surface and a storage unit. Racks Tom had built for the quilt shows we used to hold here, became side walls and back drops for my paintings. Recycled doors became walls to hide the stuff needed to make it all work.
It doesn’t have to be costly to follow your dreams. We worked with what we had. Imagination and a little creativity goes a long way.
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