A WOMAN has transformed a dull garden shed into a colourful home office for free.
Tattoo artist Nic Smith, 47, from Andover, Hampshire, up cycled furniture and made her own curtains to turn her boring “white box” into a home studio.
Nic designed the building to her ideal specifications and the curtains were either gifted or handmade.
While she already owned the furniture and just polished up the pieces she wanted to include.
It’s now her dream workspace with the unique look that she wanted.
She did though fork out £800 to a local upholster to get some work done on the existing furniture.
Nic has been tattooing for 13 years and has always been attracted to the maximalist style of design which inspired her colourful studio oasis.
She said: “I wanted to create a smaller, private studio on our property here, so I could work from home.
“We had a wooden building constructed at the end of our garden.
“I mainly work in an ornamental, illustrative style, lots of mandalas (circular designs), and shade with dot work.
“I love working in this style and am lucky that it’s pretty much all I do these days.”
Nic has had her own studio Songbird Tattoo for over a decade but just last year she made the switch to working from home and she created the studio of her dreams in her garden.
She added: “We had the building out in January 2022 at a cost of around £30,000.
“I haven’t spent anything on the renovation, the furniture was already mine.
“I had a local upholsterer redo the sofa and I made the curtains.
“It was really just the decoration that came down to me as I’d had it built to my exact specifications with the bathroom in one corner and the windows where I needed them.
“It was always going to be a maximalist style.
“My eyes are always happiest with patterns, be that on me, on my walls or in the tattoos I create.
Purpose Built Building: £30,000
Furniture: Free (already owned)
Curtains: Free (gifted and hand made)
Wallpaper, Fabric and Cushions: Free (gifted)
Upholstery Work: £800
“Everyone loves it, I think it’s an unexpected hit of colour.
“Truly I love every single part of it, I designed it so what’s not to love for me, it may not be everyone’s cup of tea but walking up the garden towards it brings me joy.
“The only part of the build I struggled with was my own impatience.
“Once I had the idea I just wanted to get going but there was a four month wait on the building.
“Looking at it now I am amazed, how it went from a white box to what it is now, colour makes such a difference.
“My family and friends love it too, it is my sanctuary for work but it also doubles as a summer house so it’s a fabulous multi-use space.”
