Studio Stone Soup (@studiostonesoup)

#7 Build the Wall. What’s so hard about building a wall, right? Just a plain white wall—one of those things you barely notice, but it takes up the most space in the room. Curves are a favorite, but to keep the space more versatile, only the top got a curve. The thinnest 1/8 inch boards seemed like a good idea—easy to bend, or so we thought. Then the moisture from the white paint hit, and the panels started to wrinkle. A lot of time went into smoothing everything out with plaster and joint compound. But now… it’s done. Beneath all the technical problems, one of the hardest parts was making decisions—especially about how versatile the space should be. What we’ve learned? Just make the decision, and change it if needed. Even the wrong turns taught us something. "Just make a decision!"— Peko "Everything happens for the better, no cap. "— Ren . . . #ContentCreatorSpace #NYCStudioRental #PhotoStudio #StudioTransformation #CreativeBuilds #NYCMakers #RenovationLife #BrooklynSpaces #UrbanStudio #NYCInspo #DIYRenovation #BeforeAndAfter #StudioGlowUp #NYCStudios #BrooklynMakers #DIYStudio #StudioBuild #StartupVibes #HandsOnProject #PhotoshootLocation

Build a studio in NY #6 – Build the Kitchen Leather cabinet? Nope—it’s all wood and clay. Ren built the structure using a @woodshopdiaries tutorial on YouTube. Never thought a simple cabinet with drawers could have so many details—or need so many tools to build. Then Peko decorated it with foam sheets and foam clay, followed by a lime wash coat and polyurethane to protect the surface. Everything about this was a first-time. Along the way, we had to fix a leaking pipe under the sink, redo the foam sheets because too many nails made the surface wrinkly, and buy a new sink because the first one was just too small. No matter how much you try to plan for the unexpected… it’s still unexpected. We just needed to figure it out as we went. "Starting to feel like being confident doesn’t mean knowing it all—it means trusting that when challenges come, you’ll have the guts to figure it out." — Peko "Prepare for the worst, hope for the best."— Ren #DIYcabinet #StudioBuild #FirstTimeForEverything #HandsOnProject #WoodAndClay #FigureItOut #BrooklynStudio #CreativeJourney #TrustYourself #StudioTransformation #StartupVibes #InteriorInspo #DesignDetails #StudioDesign #NYCStudios #StudioBuild #HandsOnProject #BrooklynSpaces #CreativeSpaces

Build a studio in NY #5 – Spice up the Stairs and Floors Painting floors? Fun. Making corners out of clay? Also fun. Realizing how long it takes? Not so fun—but hey, we did it. The process was fun and messy. We started with three buckets of paint—reddish-brown, Mustang, and white—plus lots of water. It felt like mopping the floor with a paint roller, blending the colors until it started to look like waves meeting the shore. Then came the small brushes for all the edges and corners. For the clay corners, we tested out different kinds of clay and designs, and eventually landed on the version you see in the video. Of course, we learned a few things along the way: Triple the primer if you’re using lots of water. At one point, water leaked through and messed up the wood underneath, so we had to scrape and redo parts. Always visualize the result—somehow, we didn’t fully plan the staircase corner design. We ended up redoing it three times, trying to balance both looks and functionality. "There’s something about doing it yourself. 🤨" — Peko "Patience, Patience, Patience. "Ren #InteriorInspo #CreativeSpaces #DesignDetails #StudioDesign #NYCStudios #MadeInBrooklyn #RenovationLife #BrooklynSpaces #NYCInspo #DIYRenovation #StudioGlowUp #NYCStudios #BrooklynMakers #DIYStudio #FloorGlowUp #BrooklynStudio #StudioBuild #StartupVibes #HandsOnProject #StudioTransformation

Build a studio in NY #4 – Build the Mezzanine We wanted more space. With two pillars near the corners of the studio and a 12-ft ceiling, it felt like we could do something to make it more useful. So we decided to build a mezzanine. Storage underneath, and a cozy extra room on top. Neither of us had ever done anything like this before—but what the hell, we were gonna figure it out. We watched a bunch of youtube videos, used 3D software to mock it up, and counted exactly how many wood panels we’d need (saved us a lot of headaches). We even built a 3D scene and a VR headset to feel the design. To save space, we ended up cutting into the mezzanine itself to fit the stairs. It might not have been perfect, but it worked—and it felt right for the space. "Perfectionism is the enemy of progress...:)" — Peko "How much weight can it bear? 🤔" — Ren Huge thanks to @ianccccccc for helping us! Also, shoutout to @kordare_ for the YouTube tutorial on building a mezzanine—super helpful. #MezzanineDreams #SmallSpaceBigIdeas #StudioDesign #NYCStudios #MadeInBrooklyn #RenovationLife #BrooklynSpaces #NYCInspo #DIYRenovation #StudioGlowUp #NYCStudios #BrooklynMakers #DIYStudio #FloorGlowUp #BrooklynStudio #StudioBuild #StartupVibes #HandsOnProject #StudioTransformation

Build a studio in NY #3 – Remove Old Ceiling Tiles Sometimes you have to strip it down to build it up. The patched tin ceiling wasn’t exactly appealing. It was kind of classic, but way too old. We didn’t actually plan to remove it—it just kind of happened, one thing after another. It was surprising how much dust and debris were up there. There were tons of buttons—turns out this building used to be a textile factory. We even found some old coins—maybe they’ll be worth something? And bones?… No idea how long those had been sitting there. This ended up being harder than redoing the floor. The ceiling was tin, the nails were smashed in randomly, and we had to cut through a lot with an oscillating tool. Definitely needed a respirator for this—everything in the space was covered with a thick layer of black dust. But the result? Totally worth it. We love the exposed wood beams. "Thank you, Ren. For doing all the hard works." — Peko "I hope that coin is worth $2000. " — Ren #RenovationLife #BrooklynSpaces #CeilingGoals #UrbanStudio #NYCInspo #DIYRenovation #BeforeAndAfter #StudioGlowUp #NYCStudios #BrooklynMakers #DIYStudio #FloorGlowUp #BrooklynStudio #StudioBuild #StartupVibes #HandsOnProject #StudioTransformation

Build a studio in NY #2 – Refinish the Floor Refinishing the floor is definitely harder than it looks on YouTube. Much respect to all the floor pros out there. We thought we could just rent a truck from Home Depot to haul everything. But here’s the thing: you need car insurance to rent their vehicles… and we didn’t even have a car, so no insurance. So, yeah—there was this one time Ren had to bike through Brooklyn with a 41 lb (18.6 kg) floor edger strapped to his back—just to save on shipping. That really happened. For the machine, we rented both drum floor sander and floor edger. They were really heavy and loud. People will probably tell you to hire someone to do it for you, totally agree. But if you’re on a tight budget? Do it yourself. It’s the kind of experience you’ll probably only want to try once—but you’ll never forget it. "Doing the floor felt like giving the biggest manicure ever. Prep the base, sand it, polish it, then paint on that protective coat." — Peko "So, how much did the floor guy tell me? I pay!" — Ren #DIYRenovation #BeforeAndAfter #StudioGlowUp #NYCStudios #BrooklynMakers #DIYStudio #FloorGlowUp #BrooklynStudio #StudioBuild #StartupVibes #HandsOnProject #StudioTransformation

Build a studio in NY #1 – Find the Place We thought it’d be easy to find a space in Brooklyn. It was hard—and sweaty. We spent a month biking around, looking for the perfect place. Some were too old and too small, some were too expensive and still small. One had holes in the floor—you could literally see the level below. One broker was 30 mins late. Another showed us a completely different place. Then we realized, maybe it is not about finding a "perfect place". It is about meeting a space that speaks to you. When you know, you know. "Wear eye goggles if you want to bike in Bushwick." — Peko "Check the floor plan and contract again!" — Ren . . . #BrooklynStudio #NYCSpaces #NYCStudios #CreativeBrooklyn #StudioTransformation #BushwickVibes #BrooklynSpaces #StudioHunt #StudioInProgress #StudioTransformation #FromTheGroundUp