Work

Art Room 2.0

A good workspace is both functional and a reflection of the people that work in it. Succeeding by that metric, we have today’s featured workspace filled with everything from computers to paint.

Lifehacker reader Cain needed a space where he and his girlfriend could get creative work done and have all the tools they needed on hand.

The table is a 65″ peice of beech with Ikea legs, all made for under $US100. [The big art supply shelving unit is also from Ikea.]

The main focus of this room is productivity and inspiration, which for me means a lot of natural light from the window. Though I do get distracted in this room, its usually by another project and not by television, games, etc.

The table looks sturdy and pleasing enough that you wouldn’t readily guess it was so reasonably priced. Easily overlooked in the picture is the HP Mini sitting on the shelf doing double duty as a novel clock and music station. Cain notes that it’s quite a workhorse for its size, a web surfing station in the living room one minute and a jukebox hooked up to his external hard drive the next. For more pictures and notes, including before pictures of his current workspace, check out the link below.

Art Room 2.0 [Lifehacker Workspace Show and Tell Pool]

Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)

  • carleeto

    @carleeto: To add more evidence to that...the walls on the left are crooked too.

  • carleeto

    @amigokin: I think its just uncorrected geometry distortion from the wide angle lens used to take that picture.

  • phrancis

    I see a whole lotta IKEA in there, but where are the meatballs?

    phrancis

  • cainnovacaine

    @amigokin: No, but I was drunk when I took the picture, probably.

  • cainnovacaine

    @drfaustus71: That might be an infection.

  • cainnovacaine

    @idogis1: It's an artist room if people use it for art

  • cainnovacaine

    @DesignHobo: The setup just has an apple keyboard because the keyboard is so well made. The computer is a Dell Inspiron 531 with a dell monitor as seen below the desk. The Powerbook G4 is just what Sasha uses to watch sewing tutorials, it only has an 867 Mhz proc and less than a gig of ram.

  • Runnin-Ute

    Very nice, clean lines and well integrated too!

    Runnin-Ute

  • SamburgerHandwich

    @[lifehacker.com]

    SamburgerHandwich

  • tok3n ninja; is Emmitt Smith

    @DesignHobo: Let me move into my apartment and I'll make something to make your smile :)

  • SamburgerHandwich

    @darundal: looks like carl rove off-camera

    SamburgerHandwich

  • tok3n ninja; is Emmitt Smith

    @idogis1: If you wanna be a prick about it, yeah.

  • tok3n ninja; is Emmitt Smith

    @AnonJr: That's 5 P.M. for you U.S. 12-hour people.

  • idogis1

    So it's an artist's room if it has an Ikea desk and a Mac.

    idogis1

  • AnonJr

    @amigokin: "Am I drunk or that shelving unit is crooked?"

    Both?

    @Jason Fitzpatrick: "I think a better question is what you're doing drunk in the middle of a business day ;-)"

    Its 17:00 somewhere... and it makes the meetings so much easier to endure. :)

    AnonJr

  • DesignHobo

    Why does every featured workspace show case a Mac. I have yet to see one that has a regular PC. I mean, Mac's are pretty but seriously, as a paid designer who's never had, nor used a Mac, I know I don't need one, and neither does anyone else.

  • Sean Masters

    @amigokin: it would appear to fit the same perspective that the monitor and bookshelf are a part of.

    i.e. it looks crooked in the photo, but it most likely not crooked in reality.

    Sean Masters

  • Jason Fitzpatrick

    @drfaustus71: According to the notes they are made of pancakes.

  • meow-mixer

    @Jason Fitzpatrick: In a world where everyone lives in the same timezone, there is Jason Fitzpatrick. =P

    meow-mixer

  • Jason Fitzpatrick

    @amigokin: I think a better question is what you're doing drunk in the middle of a business day ;-)

  • archa1c

    Yessir... penis painting indeed

    archa1c

  • Nabeel

    @amigokin:
    Since I don't drink and I think it's crooked too...no, sir, you are not drunk.

  • drfaustus71

    Is it just me, or do the people in that painting/print look a little penis-y?

  • sammyc53

    I like this! Not like most of the dorm room looking workspaces featured here :)

    sammyc53

  • Anonymous816435

    @darundal:

    It looks like 3 wieners O.o

    Anonymous816435

  • darundal

    What is that a painting of?

  • 037

    It's extremely clean for an artist's room that works in real world mediums.

  • amigokin

    Am I drunk or that shelving unit is crooked?

    amigokin

  • webmissy

    I actually like this! Love the color scheme. Very clean as well. I recognized a lot of the Ikea purchases (thanks to being a poor college student). :)

    webmissy

  • cainnovacaine

    @ShrimatiAliquippa: Anywhere that sells and cuts custom countertops. Menards, Home Depot, Lowes, but this beech cut was very cheap at Ikea, purchased from the kitchens department

  • cainnovacaine

    @Erin Cummins: It's a Bernina

  • gpzbc

    @archa1c: my thought exactly!

    gpzbc

  • wewillchange

    @drfaustus71: Freudian slip?

  • ShrimatiAliquippa

    Where can I pick up a piece of beechwood like that?

    ShrimatiAliquippa

  • Erin Cummins

    Is that a Brother sewing machine? That's what I have and it looks similar from the back

    Erin Cummins

  • Mark Zegarelli

    @DesignHobo: Look at the flickr page. Not a mac.

    Mark Zegarelli

  • cainnovacaine

    @centralasian: That is why the table is so long- ends up working just fine.

  • helixed

    This is extremely well designed for what it does. I'm a software engineering major, but I've lived around a bunch of design majors in the dorms and I've seen how messy projects can get. This is very impressive, especially for what it does.

    helixed

  • redcrayon

    I wish there was IKEA in New Zealand! So many lifehacks seem to use hardware from IKEA.

    redcrayon

  • centralasian

    As inspiring these layouts are fresh I'd be interested in seeing how they look, especially this one, in actual use. How does the one type when there is material draping over the table that the other is sewing?

    centralasian

  • Tempura

    Seems like all good workplace got shown already. Now it's just the boring leftover :-/

    Tempura

  • brumey

    i want the clock!

  • cainnovacaine

    @Alfonzo: Windows 7 RC & Ubuntu 9.04 w/ UNR. The clock is done with the FLIQLO screensaver and it is for Mac & PC

  • cainnovacaine

    @virgilstar: No, it was only $55 for the block and $10 per leg

  • virgilstar

    I don't buy that the table was $100. Yes maybe $100 for the legs alone, which are from Ikea. A big peice of wood like that (if it's real wood and not laminate/veneer) would cost several hundred$ - or did you find it by the side of the road? Still, it is a beautiful desk.

    Regarding keyboards - agreed, the mac keyboard is both beautiful and functional - I use on on our media center PC because the aluminum matches the case and blends in well with the stereo/hifi components.

  • joeenuk

    @joeenuk: *I love "the" clocks,...

    joeenuk

  • joeenuk

    I love clocks, both the digital one and the analog. Who new it was an HP mini. I need to add one of those to my wish list.

    joeenuk

  • bardophile

    @redcrayon: Hear hear. I wish there was IKEA in Pakistan. Or an IKEA equivalent. Or even just a decent DIY shop. sigh.

  • Alfonzo

    Hey cainnovocaine, what do you have running on the netbook in terms of OS, and what app is the clock?

    Alfonzo

  • Erin Cummins

    @cainnovacaine: But where is your fabric stash?

    Erin Cummins

  • eKiTeL

    I've broken 2 of those Ikea chairs just by sitting on them very much. At least they're dirt cheap.

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