A Light-Filled Artist’s Loft Has Touches of Home

In 2014, Jenny Vorwaller made the big move. She went from creating her oil paintings in a makeshift studio that doubled as her dining room to having a true painter’s studio in a light-filled loft in Seattle’s historic Ballard neighborhood. After 13 years of painting at home, which she took up just after becoming a mom for the first time, she knew it was time to give her art a designated space.

She’s since found that the luxury of having a bigger creative space allows her the freedom to leave her pieces in progress, and the location has given her the opportunity to get to know the other like-minded artists who rent spaces alongside her. “The community we have in the building is pretty great,” Vorwaller says. “A lot of the other artists surrounding me have had a lot of experience and are fantastic for talking shop and sharing ideas with.”

The same design philosophies Vorwaller put into play when decorating her family’s Seattle home are echoed in her choices for her studio. A handful of spots have been carved out within the loft for sitting and reflecting or for reading a good book on a little break, just as in her colorful Craftsman home.

One of her favorite places to enjoy a peaceful moment is in her blue and white metal-frame rocker from Assembly Home Goods. A vintage South American textile from an estate sale keeps the seat warm and cozy.


Whether Vorwaller is decorating her home or her studio, her taste remains largely the same. “I love things that are comfortable, eclectic, with a sense of history,” she says.

Vorwaller also enjoys having the ability to host studio visits that are set apart from her domestic life. She brought in the Finn sofa in Eucalyptus from West Elm to set the tone for the loft’s sitting area, where she often enjoys chatting with visitors.

Rug: Pink Rug Co.; white shelves: Ikea


A ritual that Vorwaller, seen here, brought from her home to her new studio is making coffee in her Chemex. She keeps it on the shelf behind the sofa so it’s readily available for an early-morning or midafternoon caffeine fix while she’s painting.


Vorwaller has a deep love of plants and one-of-a-kind ceramics, and both are well-represented in collections throughout the space.


Shelving set between the windows of the historic building serves as a makeshift gallery and catchall for bits of inspiration and a display area for her quickly growing collection of greenery.


The inspirational pieces include a collection of colored pencils, pictures of coastal landscapes and vintage Mason jars.


The cool color palette creates continuity throughout the space, from the bright blue antique tool divider Vorwaller picked up at District in Seattle’s industrial Georgetown neighborhood to the eucalyptus-colored sofa and cushioned-lined metal rocker.


The cool colors combined with pops of bright color in both the furnishings and the artwork complement the loft’s tall white walls and ceilings.

Go-Cart Mint rolling desk: CB2


A small, informal gallery wall next to the entrance to the studio displays some of Vorwaller’s finished work.

White rolling desk: Ikea


Moving to the loft has given Vorwaller more freedom in creating her works. “It’s great to spread out and to be able to work on a larger scale and to be able to have several canvases going at once,” she says. She considers this one of the many advantages of moving her creative space out of her home.


For her, the biggest advantage of having a creative space that is devoted wholly to her work is having the freedom to reach a stopping point each day while working on a painting, and returning the next morning to pick up right where she left off. It has allowed her to be more productive in her own creative cycle. “Being able to come back the next day, walk right in and get straight to work helps me stay in the flow,” she says.

Green metal stool: Overstock.com


The oil painter also loves keeping her home a haven apart from the sometimes messy creative process in her painting space. She certainly doesn’t miss having to spend time packing and unpacking her supplies every day.


Having made this move, Vorwaller has some advice for artists and other creatives who are still working from home and contemplating making the move to a separate studio. “I think there are clear advantages to having both a home and away-from-home studio, but the most important thing is making the practice — whatever that looks like for you as an artist — happen every single day, no matter what,” she says. “Do what feels right for your work and growth as an artist, and take the risk — you never know until you try!”

Sawhorses: Lowe’s


Vorwaller poses for a portrait with some of her works in progress.

Desk chair: antique, District

See the artist’s family home: My Houzz: Seattle Craftsman a Haven of Inspiration

My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.

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URL: A Light-Filled Artist’s Loft Has Touches of Home http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-26740.html