Sarah Mouchot is the designer behind Bibi Carton, a clever cardboard furniture line. She recently made a move to Melbourne and needed to somehow fit in her furniture business at home. Not surprisingly, she got creative and turned a narrow walk-in closet into a well equipped and colorful mini studio workspace...
Here is Sarah's story behind the project:
I had moved into a bigger and more expensive apartment and couldn't afford a separate studio anymore to make cardboard furniture. I was resigned to work in the living room, when I thought about this walk-in closet we were going to use as a laundry room. 2 hours later, I had purple paint on my nose! I didn't want it to cost too much so I tried to get everything for free/cheap. I had the table/chair/red shelf from my former studio and I found the white bookshelf in the street. I cleaned it and gave it a fresh coat of leftover paint from my HE and SHE furniture. The table had a lot of glue gun marks and paint stains on it so I sanded it to make it smooth, and covered it with a silver sticker cover I found at the dollar store. Although I didn't make the room actually bigger (still 32 square feet, damn!), by maximizing the space as much as I could, it became a cozy but efficient space where I could spend my days off reading, thinking, drawing and creating my cardboard world :)
And some info on Bibi Carton:
Bibi Carton is the name of the company under which I have been making cardboard furniture for the past 10 years. From France and having lived in Vancouver Canada for the past 3 years, I'm currently based in Melbourne where I take orders for furniture and teach my techniques through workshops. Made from recycled cardboard and surprisingly very durable, cardboard furniture responds to a need for greener and more unique home furnishing.
Thanks, Sarah!
Images: Nico Alary
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good job!!!
What makes it work is the small window - though I'd prefer to have the closet for storage.
Looks great! I love the color, and the window is very nice. Very well done :)
(The guestbook has two misplaced apostrophes!! Noooo!)
Good for you!
I'm equally impressed by the furniture featured at your website.
Such a great idea! I know what you mean about resigning to the living room - I've done so for a long time, and I can't wait to move into a space with room for me to have a designated workspace.
Thanks for giving me hope!
---www.bymaggie.com---
A window in a closet is a dumb idea. This space makes much more sense as a small office.
That using your noodle.
your closet is as big as my living room...
Good job but girl I hope you have another walk in for your clothes and shoes! lol
*sigh* this makes me miss my old victorian apartment. 3 huge walk in closets & one had a window and was big enough to fit a twin bed.
Slowdown, windows in closets are more common in older building. Dry cleaning was less common back then and people washed their clothing less regularly so venting closets were sometimes necessary.
Gorgeous!! This gives me ideas for the tiny study I started in my walkin closet.
What color/brand paint was used in this project? I like it.
www.hautblog.wordpress.com
AMAZING!
great color!
Now I want to paint my studio area purple...and that window is the most adorable thing. My windows are made of metal and are ugly/gross/hunter green in colour.
Haha! Yes no worries I had lots of other storage for my clothes and shoes :)
Thanks for all your comments!
LauraInCancun, thanks, glad you like it! Can't see the misplaced apostrophes though... Where?
bodicegoddess, having your own space, as little as it may be, is such a precious thing, good luck with finding yours!
mcqueendom, this room was 32 sqfeet, the size of a double mattress, keep faith!
marekl, awesome! Can't wait to see the result :)
amberart, I used Benjamin Moore paint but can't remember the exact colour. Something eggplant I think!
what color did you use on the wall? I have a purple desk that could use a fresh coat of paint and i LOVE that purple!!
I like the purple. However I'd go with a slightly darker beige above the dado line to make the white trim look brighter.
Turning your enormous walk-in closet into a workspace--most women would NEVER do this! BUT you did a great job!
It looks great, love the color! The window totally makes it - I think I'd find it too cave-like without one.
I have to admit, when I first read "cardboard furniture" I had the worst image in my mind. But it's actually really awesome, such cool ideas!
wow! fantastic!
Beautiful color. Would love to see what other great ideas we can copy from your home. I think you should offer us a tour.
@Comicgeek: Where did you learn that? I was told by a friend of the family who is a builder and history buff that the windows in closets were for light. None of the ones I've seen in old houses opened, so I always assumed he was right. Ventilating a closet never occurred to me, since I do know that they used to wear several layers of clothing, and the lighter under garments were washed frequently while the outer layers were washed less often. I tried some cursory Google searching to check both of our ideas, but I couldn't find anything.
awesome color! the brights work so well with a wood floor. Fantastic job Sarah
Wow! Now that's utilizing a small space. Love the purple!
Brilliant use of space! The purple is wonderful, it reminds me a bit of my tiny rooms in college, but my tiny thinking nooks were always my favorite.
The window makes it. :D
@BodiceGoddess: You'll get there, I promise. ;)
Does anyone happen to know anything about the silver sticker paper she mentions? Would love to use something similar and any help would be appreciated!
@oohkoo: I used a roll of aluminium covering. You just have to measure what you need, take off the protective paper to get the sticky side, and apply carefully making sure it's straight and doesn't make any bubbles :)