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Rooms to Pursue Your Passion
By Renee Houston Zemanski

Like many of us, Linda Gosman used to pursue her hobby-watercolors-at the kitchen table. When she realized that painting was much more than a hobby, Gosman moved her creative endeavors to a spare bedroom, but she was frustrated by the room's lighting. That's when she knew it was time to build her own creative escape.

Similar to Gosman' s passion, Annapolitan Doug Palmer's fish-keeping hobby grew to such large proportions that he knew it would need a separate space. And like other crafters, Beth Olsen spent way too much time searching through her home for materials instead of creating. Now she has designed a room where she has everything she needs at her fingertips.

Pianist and teacher Celia Wyatt had two grand pianos in her living room and little space for anything else. Her husband, Malcolm, a tutor at St. John's College, casually remarked, "We can't even have an end-of-seminar meeting in this house." In the fall of 2004 she asked her artist son, Bee, to draw a sketch for adding a conservatory to the main house. By March of 2005 the conservatory was completed by a local design-build firm, and in July a new and even larger piano, an Imperial Boesendorfer, arrived. The firm's largest concert grand at 9' 6", it resides in the 20' by 24' wing along with a 7' concert grand, also made by Boesendorfer, and an antique clavier, a silent piano used by concert pianists while traveling by train during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

All four of these locals did something that many of us only dream about doing-they designed rooms in which to pursue their passions.

"The most fun part about designing these kinds of spaces is that they're 100 percent for you and there are no rules, " says Kristan Cunningham, lead interior designer on HGTV's hit show Design on a Dime. "It's your time to be innovative and creative. It's a space that should reflect you and what your hobby or passion is all about. It doesn't have to be a showplace."

Palmer, who has kept fish since the fourth grade, will be the first to admit that his room isn't a showplace. "It's not done in a way that looks very sharp or professional, but when I enter the room, I can actually feel my blood pressure drop," he says. "Looking at the fish is very relaxing."

When he moved into his first apartment, Palmer bought an aquarium. Later, he took his hobby to a new level, converting a spare bedroom in his current house into a mini-aquarium where he keeps and breeds freshwater tropical fish. The idea for a separate room bloomed when Palmer acquired several tanks from a friend. He then designed and built an automatic filtration pump system, which he modeled after several pet store systems, to accommodate his fourteen tanks.

"There's a fair amount of chores involved when caring for tropical freshwater fish," explains Palmer, a computer chip designer by day. "You have to change water regularly, keep it clean and filtered, and when you're doing that, you're not doing fun things. I decided to eliminate a lot of those chores by setting up a system that would change water automatically. But there's no point in doing that unless you're doing it in a big way."

A big way is the best way to describe the room crowded with two levels of tanks in its center. The tanks stand about 6 feet high so Palmer, who is 6' 4", can view the fish without bending over. A water valve turns on automatically twice a day to circulate about 20 to 40 gallons of water. The room includes two narrow corridors for viewing, a vast plumbing network, a sink, and two refrigerators.

"The room is a work in progress," says Palmer. "You learn as you go, and you can always find another way to improve it. It's a perpetual quest for the perfect fish room."

Like Palmer's passion, Linda Gosman's art hobby grew into a passion over time, but unlike in Palmer's room, in hers aesthetics were a priority.

"The design of the room was important to me," she says while relaxing in her light and airy artist addition. "I wanted a creative retreat, not just for my watercolors, but also for any creative avenue that I wished to pursue."

Gosman took many things into consideration when she designed her creative sanctuary. Her primary goal was to create a space that would both nurture and inspire her. Living in a busy Severna Park neighborhood made this even more of a challenge, but Gosman persevered.

The result: an artist retreat complete with high transom windows, skylights, and glass doors that let in the light but partially obscure the view. The design of the room even extends outdoors to her patio. The sliding doors across from her easel and drafting table look out on a peaceful garden complete with fountain and plants. Indoor solar chimes and a babbling fountain bring nature indoors and perfect the serenity. But the room is not without function-Gosman's supplies are within easy reach. Her papers and artwork are housed in an antique map case and the bathroom accommodates a full-sized kitchen sink so that she can soak her watercolor papers. A nearby closet holds the rest of her supplies.

"I designed it to incorporate everything I thought would enhance the feeling that I was trying to create," she explains. "I can't go to a mountaintop so I come here. I tried to close out as much of the suburbs as I could so that nature was the priority. I wanted it to be more than just a place to create; I wanted it to be a place that inspires me to create."

A place to create is exactly what Beth Olsen, a crafter of many talents, is now designing for painting, drawing, designing ornaments, and making scrapbooks. Olsen, an Annapolis resident for 2 years, started painting terra-cotta pots for birthday presents when she lived in Nebraska. That hobby then expanded to painting seasonal pots and prayer candle holders and boxes.

"It's therapy for me," she laughs. "I used to do many creative things when I was growing up and somehow along the way, I just stuffed it away. Then in the last 8-10 years, the creativity has surfaced again.

"When we moved here, we used the study to homeschool our four children," she says. "There was a spot for me to do my crafts, but I never really felt that it was my area."

Now that the kids are back in public school, Olsen is working with a designer and contractor to create the crafting room of her dreams. She is adding floor-to-ceiling shelves and cabinets to contain her supplies and show off her creations. She's even having a desk custom-made-it will be on casters so she can move it around to take advantage of her Magothy River view.

Olsen has planned on lots of storage space because she's learned from experience.

"Think about the future," she advises. "Build those extra shelves or drawers even if you're not using them right now."

Personality Plus

Although function is vital, a comforting, creative, and nurturing environment can help provide the motivation that you need to complete your projects. HGTV's Cunningham says to surround yourself with objects that inspire you.

"Use your imagination; gather decorative glasses or vintage tins to hold pencils, pens and art supplies," suggests Cunningham, who recently used a cup and plate rack to stow sewing supplies in a hobby room.

You can even use your supplies to enhance the decor. For example, lining up different colored paint jars can create interest without effort.

"In my personal office, my T-square and triangle are hanging on my wall, and rolls of blueprints under my drafting table are a graphic element," says Cunningham.

But if your supplies aren't something that enhances the decor, it's just as easy to hide them, as the Design on a Dime team did in a recent room makeover. A small craft room, created for a mom and her two stepdaughters, uses bookshelves, drawers, and pegboards to hold supplies while other materials are hidden from view under a long table skirt.

Color is also important to Cunningham. "If you have a neutral-colored home, this is the place to take a chance with color," she says.

Her advice: Use your favorite color or, if your particular hobby lends itself to a combination of colors, incorporate them into the room. If your hobby space is shared, highlight the hobby area with a dramatic color to designate where the existing room ends and the hobby area begins.

No matter what color you decide upon or where you decide to pursue your passion, everyone has this advice: Don't wait; do it now.

Renee Houston Zemanski is a freelance writer whose passion is interior designing; her hobby room encompasses her whole house!

Passion Perfected Thinking about creating a hobby space of your own? Here are some elements you'll want to consider: Lighting: Install both task and overhead lights. Adjustable lighting will let you focus the light where you need it. Consider using a magnifying light for detail work such as beadwork or building models. Flooring: Depending on your hobby, you may want a vinyl or commercial grade floor that doesn't stain. If you stand while you work, you may want a carpeted area for comfort. Work Surfaces: Consider how much surface area you need to do projects and what type of surface is best for you. Storage: Use shelves and shallow drawers to hold materials so that you can see them-items could get lost in deeper drawers.