See How an Old Garage Became a Colorful Art Studio
Using reclaimed materials, an artist in Ojai, California, converts a dark 1926 structure into a light-filled workspace
The enormous Thomas Fire that ravaged Southern California in late 2017 came dangerously close to artist Juana Guevara’s property in Ojai. The wildfires had surrounded the normally bucolic valley town, where art, citrus and olives rule. But Guevara’s home and the art studio she earlier had converted from a garage were spared. After evacuating during the fire, Guevara returned after the danger had passed to find her home and studio intact. “It is good to be home again,” she says.
“What I like most is all the light and the ability to open the studio up to the outside,” Guevara says. “I have many days when my studio has butterflies and birds flying through the space.”
Glass folding doors open wide at the studio’s entrance from the home’s backyard. To increase the ceiling height, the roof was raised to 12 feet at its highest point. Its gentle slope allows for water runoff. The exterior got new stucco and the entire studio has denim insulation in the ceiling and walls.
Glass folding doors open wide at the studio’s entrance from the home’s backyard. To increase the ceiling height, the roof was raised to 12 feet at its highest point. Its gentle slope allows for water runoff. The exterior got new stucco and the entire studio has denim insulation in the ceiling and walls.
Before. Here’s a look at the garage in the process of becoming an art studio. “We knew space and light would be key,” woodworker Graham says. “We never wavered from our ideal and achieved an art studio that became art in and of itself.”
The arched windows were recycled from a Hope Ranch home in Santa Barbara designed by architect George Washington Smith. Graham found an old copper still, cut it up and created a frame over the windows. He also created the live-edge table with a built-in planter in the foreground of the photo.
Repurposed doors stacked horizontally serve as windows along one wall of the studio. Guevara and Graham scoured Craigslist and dumpsters to furnish the space. The floors are original concrete.
Graham took down the garage’s original redwood ceiling, planed the wood and reinstalled it. “My studio would not be the amazing space that it is without Ian’s amazing artistic, creative and woodworking skills,” Guevara says. “He was a major accomplice in sourcing high-quality wood material to repurpose.”
Before. The crew hung plastic bags from the ceiling to stand in for where the pendant lights would go. It was just one of the creative ways the space came together. “It was a unique artistic collaboration that resulted in this unique, one-of-a-kind magical creative space,” Guevara says.
Lustado says she appreciated how resourceful the team was in using recycled and reclaimed materials rather than generating more waste during construction. “The finished building is much more unique and interesting than new buildings made with standard off-the-shelf materials,” she says. “It saves natural resources and is kinder to the Earth.”
The Thomas Fire came within a half-mile of Guevara’s property. Firefighters set backfires to prevent the flames from advancing into Ojai. The fire has destroyed more than 1,000 homes and burned more than 280,000 acres, making it the largest wildfire on record in California. Shown above is the view from Guevara’s street.
This is the view Guevara had of Ojai Valley from the top of Highway 150 as she evacuated. “We did not think anything would survive,” she says.
Woodworker Graham’s home, in fact, did not survive. He lost it and a tiny house he was building in nearby Santa Paula. Friends have started a Gofundme campaign to help him rebuild.
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Woodworker Graham’s home, in fact, did not survive. He lost it and a tiny house he was building in nearby Santa Paula. Friends have started a Gofundme campaign to help him rebuild.
More
14 Home Studios That Nurture Creativity and Art
World of Design: Artists and Artisans and Their Inspiring Studios
Find home improvement supplies
Studio at a Glance
Who uses it: Juana Guevara
Location: Ojai, California
Size: 400 square feet (37 square meters)
Designer: Vina Lustado, owner of Sol Haus Design
With the help of designer Vina Lustado and woodworker Ian Graham, Guevara transformed her dark 1926 garage into a studio space filled with light, textures and color. It’s here that she paints and creates her encaustic art and mixed-media works. In the building of Guevara’s studio, everything except two structural beams was upcycled or reclaimed and given new life.