Thoughts on the Clubhouse in the Front Yard

I’ve got a small mountain of homework to accomplish this weekend, and along the way I’ve considered turning my childhood clubhouse into a simple study space (or, as I’ve termed it: “My Super Secret Study Spot” – new title pending). Yesterday, I started by clearing away the cobwebs, dusting shelves, sweeping, moving board games into boxes, and setting aside all the fluffy stuffed animals that were placed there by my sister years ago (2^nd or 3^rd grade?). I couldn’t yet bring myself to clear it all out, but I might eventually.

Today, I’ve been doing a little “blue sky thinking,” considering layouts, furniture, fittings, etc. Not much may be done in the long run – I’d rather avoid putting much time or expense into it, but no harm ever came from playing with ideas. (If only I could add a skylight!)

It’s a very, very small space, and as such, my first thoughts on layout wandered to IKEA. I know there is quite a mix of opinions out there on whether or not IKEA equals good design, but for the most part I’m impressed with how they’ve turned small spaces into eye-friendly, useful environments. So, my first idea was to visit their catalogue (http://onlinecataloguecanada.ikea.com/2011/ikea_catalogue/CAE/). I got a couple ideas: 1) to consider wall space; 2) bring in more lights.

Well, this is all very interesting, and I may return to this source with a little feng shui study thrown in, but I admit I got distracted when I came across this video while googling “ikea layouts”:

http://youtu.be/NkePRXxH9D4

It’s a fascinating lecture by a London professor on IKEA store layouts and shopping districts’ space usage.

AND speaking of urban design… I’ve picked up a copy of Victor Gruen’s The Heart of Our Cities, which apparently influenced Walt Disney in a big way. Check out this article (parts 1 & 2) to read about it:

http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/samland/1771-walt-disneys-epcot-heart-our-cities.html

http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/samland/1777-epcot-heart-our-cities-part-two.html