Baton Rouge Woman's Art Studio Shed Transformation

It’s a place of her own.

“There are things you can’t do in somebody else’s building,” says Westbrook, who had been working and teaching at a studio with other artists on Choctaw Drive, miles from her home. Westbrook’s classes often involve using a dye vat and a blowtorch, which were not allowed in her old studio.

On the recommendation of her daughter, Courtney Calhoun, Westbrook ordered a 12- by 24-foot Tuff Shed from Home Depot and had it assembled in her small yard.

“I picked out the higher-tier Tuff Shed,” she says. “I ordered French doors on the front and as many windows as I could have because I wanted the light.”

It took two days for a crew to install the shed, which they painted the same eggplant color as the exterior of Westbrook’s home.

Because the interior was completely unfinished, Westbrook hired a carpenter to install bead board on the walls and ceilings.

“I had it wired and plumbed. I had good lighting and central air and heat put in,” says Westbrook, who had an art table built inside the room. “It’s too large to get through the door.”

She connected the studio to her home with a brick courtyard surrounded by a garden area.

Westbrook gives private lessons and teaches all sorts of classes.

“I have taught art in one way or another for years,” she says. “I have a small following of very loyal students.”

The new studio is the perfect size.