Kristy’s Lovely Bedroom + Workspace

Name: Kristy Ahumada of Volatile Photography + her trusty assistant Lewey
Location: Petaluma, California
Size/Room: 11ft x 13ft bedroom + workspace
Years lived in: 26 years

Kristy and I met 6 years ago when I was working in Petaluma. She was an aspiring photographer quickly building a great local clientele and reputation for her stunning imagery. Living at home in her childhood bedroom, she invites us to see how she runs a full blown international photography business in a converted closet workspace.

Running a wedding photography business will keep you very busy most of the year. To ease the hustle and bustle of your workflow it’s probably best to have a stress free environment and ample space to lay out your gear and computer software. For Kristy, she enjoys the peace and quiet of her family home and operates out of the very bedroom she grew up in. Kristy was happy to photograph her space for us and share her tech savvy ways.

My intrigue with this space began with how she found such an easy way to make room for her business. Many of us do not have the luxury of a spare room to create an office. She has easily removed the closet doors and installed a full sized desk, all her electronics, then softened the appearance with some clever curtains.

That gorgeous red wall adds ample warmth to where she sleeps, and I’m sure reminds her that her workspace is anything but bland. I love all the nostalgic sentimental photos and decorations sprinkled around the room, especially the vintage dresser which she added new hardware onto. Whether you’re living at home still, or have just moved into your first apartment this bedroom/ workspace offers a wonderful example of how the two can coexist gracefully.

My style: Colorful and bold. The room is a mixture of antique, new, handmade (DIY) and natural pieces.

The inspiration for my bedroom / workspace: I love detail! I can get bored when there isn’t a whole lot to look at and enjoy while at home and at work. I believe my bedroom reflects this part about me.

Favorite element in your space: I work from home and don’t have the space to create a separate office. Because of this, I had to get creative and morph my large closet space into an office. To do this successfully, I had to remove the wooden sliding doors and come up with something else to cover up my workspace at the end of the day. I ended up hanging curtains that complimented the style of the room. This is my favorite element.

Biggest challenge in designing my space: I would say the biggest challenge in designing the space is separating work from regular home life. It can be a little hard to take a load off when your work is staring right at you! I also have a lot of equipment and a large collection of photo products, which are tricky to store while still keeping the room looking tidy.

Area where there is room for improvement/future projects: I would love to have a better system for filing away my documents. This is a struggle with the lack of space, so I hope to figure out something that fits and still looks great.

Proudest DIY (do it yourself) project: I would definitely have to say I am most proud of the fact that I converted my closet into a workspace.

Biggest indulgence with respect to my space: The largest indulgences would definitely be my computers and camera equipment.

What Friends Say About My Space: Friends most often compliment the following: the dark red accent wall, my outrageous collection of wedding magazines, my antique dresser, and my powerful Mac Pro.

Best advice about organizing or incorporating tech into the home: Keep it minimal to avoid clutter, while also keeping eye sores that you use easily accessible.

Dream source for stuff: Bridal magazines, and bridal blogs. I am more old school when it comes to saving ideas I like- I have a physical journal of favorite wedding-related things, instead of a pinterest account. I feel happier when my inspiration is for my eyes only.

Resources

Tech Hardware:
• Apple Mac Pro
• 27-inch Apple LED Cinema Display
• Apple MacBook Pro
• Altec Lansing Speakers
• One Imoega 500GB Iomega External Hard Drive
• Two 1 TB Seagate GoFLex Portable Drives
• HP OfficeJet Wireless for printing, scanning, copying and faxing
• Apple iPhone 3Gs (I use this a LOT for client emails)
• Camera Equipment-
• Two Canon 5D Mark II bodies
• One Canon Rebel Xsi
• Canon Rebel GII
• Nikon F100
• Holga
• Two Canon Speedlite 580 EXII
• Two Gary Fong Lightosphere II diffusers
• Sigma 20mm f/1.8
• Canon 35mm f/1.4
• Sigma 50mm f/1.4
• Canon 85mm f/1.8
• Canon 100mm f/2.8
• Canon 70-200mm f/4
• Canon 28-135mm f/3.5
• Sigma 15-30 f/3.5
• Lensbaby 2.0
….And many more!

Furniture:
• Antique painted dresser from Red Umbrella Consignment in Petaluma, CA. (Knobs on dresser from Anthropologie.)
• Black leather desk chair from Staples
• Bedside table from Marshall’s
• White wall shelving from JCpenny
• White table with shelving from Ikea
(I cannot remember for the life of me where my bed or desk came from! Sorry! Been forever since I got them!)

Accessories:
• Beige/Floral closet curtains from Ikea

Lighting:
• Two Rectangular Paper lights from Ikea
• Silver Desk Lamp from Staples

Organizing Tools/Accessories:
• Small white letter organizer from Marshall’s

Thanks, Kristy!

*For more info follow Kristy’s Blog!

Images: Kristy Ahumada of Volatile Photography