Creative Spaces for Creative Ideas

How do artists produce exquisite art? Part of the answer is that each one must discover and create their own particular working space, harnessing inspiration from their surrounds, be it from the humble backyard shed, a beautifully refurbished industrial space, a room inside the home, a loft, or an architecturally designed house/studio set on a cliff, overlooking the natural beauty of the landscape. Some artistic souls thrive in seeming chaos while others must have an ordered studio space about them. In each instance, the role of the “studio” plays an important part in stimulating the artistic process.

This book offers an intriguing and exhilarating peek into the often secretive and off-limits creative spaces of thirty artists and practitioners. Whether it be for photography, music, sculpting, painting, architecture, writing, film, or furniture making, this selection of highly illustrated case studies from around the world reveals how these artisans and practitioners have crafted and designed their unique working environment. This beautiful collection of works also provides practical advice and innovative ideas on the architecture, interior design, site, and setting of workspaces that help these artists flourish through their creative journey.

Pieter Graaff is a Dutch architect and founding partner of architectural firm and design agency Open Kaart. After studying at Delft University of Technology he started his career in research and providing solutions for assisted housing for those in need. He puts the insights he acquired there into practice in his Rotterdam-based firm, which specializes in transforming living environments. As an architect and researcher, he is committed to including the experience, inspiration, and energy of users in the process in order to achieve better planning and design solutions. He shares his findings as an author and guest lecturer at Delft University of Technology.