Walls down, floors & painting done!

Now, we wait!  The floors need to 'cure' for a couple more days and then we're back into the space.  The floors are a gorgeous honey color and have a funky, uneven color like before but better!  Decided not to stain them, once again, and it works.  The whole space with natural light is so beautiful!  It is worth all of the lost weekends to get it done...haven't had a day off in...8 weeks between traveling to teach workshops, and work and then the remodel at the studio - I need a couple of days off in the countryside!  The feel of the studio is what I envisioned and more; it is getting to be ready...!

Transformation

The wall behind me in this shot has now come down.  The studio is changing!!  So far, clients are really happy about the changes - I have received wonderful feedback and suggestions.  The space has been, literally, thrown open and I welcome the transformation.  Woke up Sunday morning after about 4 hours sleep (singing karaoke until 3:00 am - thanks for a great time Emily & Chad!!), and couldn't wait to get to the Studio and tear down the walls!!!  I loved my studio space, though it was tiny!  Most Saturdays my BalleCore class was starting to remark that the space needed to be bigger and if they were going to welcome it, well then why not do it?!

As with all things in life, the transformation had to begin with visualization.  I began to see the studio with the walls down to the point that the walls were getting in the way of how I thought the studio should look and, most importantly, feel!  There were so many things that were right about the Studio space:  The intimacy and quiet and the natural light in the equipment space and the larger interior space also had an intimate feel and the lack of windows and soft lighting was soothing and cool in summer and cozy in winter. 

The office, however, was a small reception area and the rest of it had just become a cluttered storage area and I could never seem to get ahead of the boxes!  Most of which had been put there when I moved to Pasadena in 2008 and took all the paper work from my home office to the Studio...and there it sat!  I would rummage through them when I needed something, but at some point I had to finally accept that if I only needed something in them 'from time to time' for 3 years then they really had TO GO and most of what was in them!!  I am now dealing with it all and feel an excitement about getting rid of outdated, unneeded stuff and delighted to find the few gems that have been lost in there for years - like my old Pilates and BalleCore certification module notes and manuals, photos and some articles and books that are impossible to get online!  It is astounding just how little there is to salvage, though. 

I started to look at the stack of boxes in my office like it was filled with energy that was trapped.  Opening each box is like a blast of that energy is being released back into the world!!  The whole studio started to feel like that too...and so the walls had to come down, just like those boxes had to be opened once and for all.  The results so far?  Energy, light, space and freedom MOVE!  Still, the quiet, private feel remains; I'm so happy to say.

More Before and then some After pictures are coming soon!