Studio Space: Fog Linen Work

Today I'm so excited to share the first international studio visit - when I was in Japan I visited the very zen workspace and shop of Yumiko Sekine of Fog Linen Work. Unfortunately, Yumiko was overseas when I was in Tokyo but some of her trusty staff showed me around and made me feel welcome. 

The four-level space was custom designed and built just for Fog Linen and the business seems to fill the space perfectly, with a retail space on the ground floor, event space on the second floor, office on the third floor and a meeting room and storage space on the fourth floor. Never before have I seen such neat filing & storage - I felt like I was in a Muji or IKEA showroom!

FOG LINEN WORK: HISTORY

Around 18 years ago Yumiko visited Lithuania, one of Europe's major growers of flax and producers of linen products. She was disappointed to discover that while being a major exporter of linen products, you could not buy everyday linen products in Lithuania. She contacted a number of linen manufacturers and soon began production of her own product designs in Lithuania.

Fog Linen Work now produces a large range of beautiful and functional everyday linen and household products including kitchen wares, clothing, trays and wire ware.

FOG LINEN WORK: Q&A

How long have you been in the space and where did you work from previously? 5 years. We were in another building in the same area before moving into current space. My boyfriend is the architect and he designed our current building.

How many people work in the space? I have 8 assistants, so 9 including me.

You designed and built your current four-level workspace in Tokyo. Can you talk a little about this - how did you decide how much space you needed, how many floors you needed? There was a height limit and it couldn’t be higher than now for this area and space. When we bought the space, we knew we can make a 4 storey building. So I planned 4 different things to do for each floor. 1st floor : store. 2nd floor : event space. 3rd floor : office. 4th floor: meeting, storage.

How many hours a week do you spend in your workspace? 60 hours ~ more?? Sometimes I work by myself during the weekend.

How, if at all, has the space influenced the way you? We have moved office 6 times since I started my own business. New spaces always brought something new. Before we rent the space, though this building is designed for us. It fits perfect for our store and made good balance and mood.

Which inspire you (personally or professionally)? Travelling. 

FOG LINEN WORK: LINKS

Website: www.foglinenwork.com

Shop: www.shop-foglinen.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/foglinenyumiko

Facebook: www.facebook.com/linenwork.fog

And don't forget to follow Studio Space on Instagram - @studiospace_ #hellostudiospace

LEVEL 1: RETAIL SPACE

LEVEL 2: EVENT SPACE

There was a tea ceremony being held in the event space on the morning I visited. It was all set up when I had a look through and the class arrived just as I was leaving. What a great morning they would have had!

LEVEL 3: WORK SPACE

LEVEL 4: MEETING SPACE & STORAGE SPACE

BUILDING EXTERIOR

The custom designed and built building is in a relatively quiet street. You can see the three main levels and the smaller, fourth storage area at the top. There's also a balcony area which looks pretty great.

Oh, Japan

So I've been on holiday in Japan for a couple of weeks and oh my, I wonder how it is that I've never been before - it's soooo amazing! So many people but so much order, so much politeness, so much good food, so much good coffee, so many adorable pot plants everywhere, so much matcha everything, amazing hydrangeas and ivy everywhere, home of the best sweets ever (mochi!), so much good and simple design in the right places. And the home of Muji - going to the flagship store was a semi-religious moment for me (sad but true!) And I cannot wait to share the latest instalment of Studio Space, and the first international workspace. Here is a really brief edit, in photo form, of some of my highlights so far. Now I'm off to Nippori Fabric Town, home to more than 80 fabric stores. It's going to be a good day :)

Sneak peek of the next Studio Space shoot.

Hydrangeas are one of my favourite plants and are just everywhere, so great.

Delicious matcha icypole from Paletas.

There are so many amazing gardens everywhere.

Simple soba and beautiful ceramic wares.

Ivy is so popular in Japan!

There has been a bit of karaoke! This dapper gent speaks no English but sings very, very well.

So much simple but good everything in Japan, including graphic design.

Patterns: Teeth & Legs

I've had a sore tooth all week, which has totally sucked. But it's inspired me to draw the offending tooth and turn it into a pattern. Can you tell I'm a fan of simple colour palettes and imperfect lines?

So here are a couple of sore tooth inspired patterns and below that - some hairy legs I drew last week, which I kind of think would make a cute tea towel. I hope your week has been better than mine and your teeth are happier than these!

Crafty Project: Ceramic Pens

Recently I've had a hankering for some quick and easy crafty projects (ie: ones that don't involve a millions steps, like hand making ceramics that take weeks to be ready, or screen printing with emulsion screens that also take a bit of time to make up). Projects that are a bit different, where you end up with a practical, usable object at the end of it. 

When I discovered ceramic pens (via Beci Orphin's book Find and Keep) my mind was blown. You can use a texta to draw on finished ceramics, put them in the oven and then have your own design/drawing on a cup/plate/bowl/whatever? Amazing!

You can get the pens from craft shops or online. They come in different colours and sizes. I chose to stick with black and got one with a 0.7mm nib and one with a 1.2mm nib. Once you've painted your object you let it dry for 24 hours, then bake in the oven for 35 mins at 150 degrees celsius. So fun! 

I found some plain white porcelain mugs at the supermarket and painted a really simple grid pattern. I also gave a mug to my 5- and 3-year-old niece and nephew to paint, which kept them entertained for at least 3 minutes!

For the mug on the left I used the 1.2mm pen and the mug on the right, the 0.7mm pen. I love the wonkiness of the lines most of all.

Studio Space: Fox & Ramona

Fox & Ramona is Melbourne-based brand creating bold and unique hand painted concrete planters, homewares & jewellery. The person behind the brand is Kristy Tull and I had the pleasure of visiting her studio/workshop this month. Kristy's been in her current workshop, situated in the inner west, since earlier this year. It's amazing how well she's settled in and how she's filled the huge space with all her creations, especially as she was working from home before this!

Kristy started out making resin and polymer jewellery while working as an assistant in an architecture firm. She began experimenting with concrete to make small planters and didn't look back - two years ago she quit her day job and started working on Fox & Ramona full time. It seems she's come full circle, having just introduced some fabulous concrete jewellery (here and here) to the range.

FOX & RAMONA: Q & A

How long have you been in the space and where did you work previous to this? I’ve been here for almost 4 months and beforehand worked from home. I’d taken over my garage, living room and dining table so it was time to move out!

How many hours a week do you spend in your workspace? About 30 hours a week in the workshop. Most computer/admin work I take home and do in the evenings - hence why I always send emails late at night…!

How, if at all, has the space influenced your work? I wouldn’t say it's influenced my work as such but it has definitely made life easier, being able to spread out and get messy. If anything it's given me a chance to work on some new projects and designs which I wouldn’t have been able to do at home.

What would your dream workspace look like? Concrete floors, white or exposed brick walls, bright, light and with a big roller door. Preferably in Spotswood, so I could walk to work from home!

Do you prefer working alone or with others? A bit of both. I love having company at the workshop and often have my recently retired Dad pottering around me, which is really nice. It’s also good to have some downtime, thinking time and design time without any interruptions.

Which other creatives inspire you (personally or professionally)?

• Rachel Castle - I love the way she uses shapes and colour.

• Marnie Hawson - my photographer/stylist extraordinaire - she always captures simply gorgeous photos.

• Gorman - Their use of colour and out-of-the-box designs.

FOX & RAMONA: LINKS

Website: foxandramona.com.au

Shop: foxandramona.com.au/shop

Etsy shop: foxandramona.etsy.com

Instagram: @foxandramona

Facebook: facebook.com/foxandramona

And don't forget to follow Studio Space on Instagram - @studiospace_ #hellostudiospace

Large painted concrete planters. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Small marbled vessels, planters and plates. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Grid concrete planter. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

A selection of the larger-sized concrete planters in the Fox & Ramona range. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

The back wall of the studio. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

THE best packing station, complete with massive rolls of bubble wrap and every other thing you could ever need. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Packing an order. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

So many paint brushes! Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Testing new colours and patterns. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Kristy hard at work. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

White Wash planters all lined up and in size order. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Hand painted. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

The exterior of the studio. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

So many beautiful plants! Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Some mugs Kristy made for an upcoming workshop. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

So cool! Made by Kristy for an upcoming workshop. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Jack B Nimble

Some of my ceramic pots are currently on display at one of my favourite cafes, Jack B. Nimble. This place has the best fit-out and look at all the plants! And a tip: the food here is so great, definitely worth a stop if you're in the neighbourhood. UPDATE: Jack B. Nimble has just been added to the Broadsheet Melbourne Directory. Good work!

Jack B. Nimble 132 Mitchell St, Maidstone