ByJordan Ferney,As Told ToKate McGregor,Photography byBelle Morizio,Styling byNaomi DeMañana
PublishedSep 22, 2026 1:01 AM EDT
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My husband, Paul Ferney, is an artist, and though we’d originally planned to find him a studio, pandemic lockdowns suddenly put that out of reach. So rather than squeezing him into a corner of the bedroom, we shifted the dining table into the living space of our New York apartment and set out to track down storage for all his supplies. The challenge was making this area inspiring while also reflecting his personality. I wanted it to feel as beautiful as his paintings. Here’s how I did it.
Look Beyond Gallery White
The room gets great light and has big windows, but design-wise, it’s fairly simple. The one thing Paul and I knew was that we didn’t want stark-white gallery walls. The colors he paints with need to pop and read beautifully, but the walls shouldn’t feel cold. We wanted something in the muddy gray family, so we went with Valspar’s Soft Pelican.
Organized Doesn’t Mean Out of Sight
When you’re in the thick of working, you make a mess, and it can happen fast. So thinking ahead, the main issue we knew we’d face was keeping a controlled mess—and that comes down to functional storage. I put everything Paul reaches for daily out in beautiful glass jars and assorted bowls, which makes them easier to grab but also looks deliberate. Now you walk into the room and see all these brushes and paints. They stir up the same feeling you get as a kid—or even an adult—with a fresh pad of paper and sharpened pencils: it’s exciting to get to work.
Stock Up on Matching Cabinets
Keeping high-use items out in the open is great, but making sure there was plenty of closed cabinetry was just as important. Anything he didn’t need within easy reach—from cardboard shipping boxes to canvas-stretching tools and spare frames—we tucked inside IKEA Ivar units. We lined the entire workspace with them; they’re wonderful because they stand 32 inches tall, giving you plenty of modular shelves to work with. They’re also the perfect height to lean a canvas against for display or drying, since there’s no room for a full easel. For larger pieces, Paul paints with the canvas propped against the wall from a thrifted counter stool.
The other nice thing about the Ivar units is that they’re stackable. You can line them up in a row or turn a couple into a bookcase. We painted ours the same shade as the wall to make them feel more seamless.
Keep the Storage Simple
After Paul finishes a painting, he needs plenty of open air for it to dry, which can take several days, so picture ledges or the tops of the Ivars alone weren’t going to cut it. We built a plywood rack in a single weekend using standard hardware-store 2-by-4s. That was a huge, huge win for getting organized. It’s one of those projects you mean to tackle forever, and we finally just made ourselves do it. The form is really simple, but you can pack a lot of paintings into the slots. I’m a practical person first and foremost, so this room was less about a design transformation and more about understanding how he’d use the space. Now he’s in there constantly, and every nook and cranny has been (very quickly) filled with both old and new works.
IVAR Cabinet
Soft Pelican
Jordan Ferney
Belle Morizio
Staff Photographer & Assoc. Photo Editor
Belle is the in-house photographer and associate photo editor for Domino, capturing everything from home tours to gift guides, plus the occasional how-to project. She joined the photo team as an intern in 2018 and was brought on full time in January 2021.
Kate McGregor
Writer/Editor
Kate McGregor covers everything related to the home, from design inspiration to IKEA hacks. She has been the market assistant at ELLE Decor where she focused on curating product for the print magazine’s market pages.
Naomi DeMañana
Stylist
Naomi deMañana is a freelance stylist and editor who has worked in the publishing industry for the past 15 years.
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