Originally Posted by
grandmahoney
Make it as big as you can afford. You never can have to much space for a sewing room.
I agree!!
I suggest getting some graph paper out and doing some figuring. Computers are nice but I prefer it a little old-fashioned. Decide on a scale, and make little cut-outs of all of the furniture you're going to have in the room that are all to scale. Start arranging them and that should help you figure out what sort of room size & shape you'll want. Don't forget to leave yourself generous walkways and a nice big wall space for a design wall! Don't forget to take the height of things into consideration as you plan - putting a tall cutting table in front of a low-silled window is probably not the best route, for example.
When you're doing your layout, think about steps you'll need to take - I mean how you will actually move around the room. Try to mentally put yourself in the room and walk yourself through making a quilt. Is your design wall in a sensible place compared to your sewing machine or are you going to have to cross the entire room over and over as you're assembling your quilt top? Do you have a pressing station near enough to your machine? Is your cutting table in a spot with good enough lighting?
Plan for a ton of storage!! The wall of closets/cabinets is a great idea, you will never regret having extra storage. Also since you're starting from scratch, think of clever outlet placement (such as perhaps in the floor or ceiling to reach any islands you're designing; or at counter-height and tied to a switch for an ironing station) Lighting - don't skimp on lighting!
I also like speakers that are installed in the wall; I don't care for TV in the studio but if that's your thing make sure to plan a space out for that, too. Do you want a PC in the room? Wifi is awesome but can be patchy and regular ol' cable is a lot faster; consider getting the house wired up with cables for internet. (I wish my house had this!)
Have fun!! I love planning rooms! And the more you plan, the happier you'll be. It's a lot easier to correct a problem when it's still made out of graph paper than when it's made out of walls and heavy furniture!