I've got a studio!

Introducing The Rookery.

I outgrew my current studio space a couple years ago. But the appeal of very little overheads kept me here.

For the last five years I’ve been working in the spare room. We put down lino to make it easier if there were water spills and for sweeping up leaves. We also put up shelving for all my floristry equipment. (‘We’ meaning our friend, Charlotte, because DIY is not in mine and Scott’s wheelhouse.) But there’s also the sofa bed that would regularly be used when friends would come and stay. So I’ve been fairly limited with what I can do with the space.

I wasn’t looking for a space. Scott stumbled across it by accident. It was perfect location, perfect size. I knew it would be snapped up soon, even though I wasn’t intending on finding a studio at this current time I knew I had to get it.

As soon as I got the keys lots of people had lots of ideas about what to do with the space. They meant well. But I had a vision. I knew the aesthetic I wanted to create.

I know my priorities may seem wrong but I started with finding a dresser. This is the hero piece of the studio. It’s gorgeous but also practical. Floristry requires lots of stuff; secateurs, scissors, ribbon shears, knives, pins, tapes, twine, ribbons, sharpening tools. All easily misplaced. The dresser is their home now. It also had stunning, sizeable mirrors so I can see the bouquet I’m creating from all angles.

The second I got the keys I went on Vinted. Before I’d even bought the paint for the walls and ceiling I’d ordered several pieces of artwork. I do my best work when my space feels like home. One of the first pictures I hung up was a black and white image of a wild rat. It’s weird and I love it. (Again, I mean Charlotte hung it up for me.)

I had a pretty big wedding and a series of workshops, that gave me a very definite deadline to work towards. It was shattering. The paint I bought wasn’t dark enough, so I ended up doing four coats, with two different colours. There were many 11pm finishes.

There’s a few practical things that need doing. The bulk is sorted though. I got some second hand shelves for £25 that have bare MDF. So I need to line them before they soak up water. I’ve not fully sussed out where I want my flower stand to be, and I need a couple more workbenches. The long term plan is to have bespoke wooden benches made, but that will need to wait a couple of months.

The whole time I imagined my studio I called it the Rookery. My business is named Rook Botanics, so it fits with the bird theme. Rooks love to congregate and chatter. There’s a few other female owned businesses in the yard where my studio is and we love to congregate and chatter. It’s very fitting.

The next thing on my list is to purchase a few taxidermy rooks.

With lot of love,

P.S. If you’d like to follow along with The Rookery find me over on Instagram.