Create Your Own Workshop or
Studio from a Shipping Container

Ideally, shipping or storage containers were developed with the intention of transporting cargo over long distances. However, with the rising cost of housing across the world and particularly the United States, realtors began developing and offering shipping containers as an affordable housing solution. Whereas buying an existing or a new house costs about $249,500 and $379,600 respectively, manufacturers are coming up with mass-produced shipping container houses that cost as little as $40,000.

Shipping container uses do not end at affordable homes

They are now gaining popularity as alternative workspaces such as studios and workshops due to the following factors:

• Their accessibility – you can easily order a 10ft shipping container, a 20ft shipping container or a customized one online
• They are portable – you do not have to leave your office behind when moving to another location.
• They can be easily modified – are you already have the floor, walls, and ceiling in place, all you need to do is modify and customize the container’s interior to your liking.
• They are eco-friendly – each time a 40ft shipping container is used, you are repurposing about 8,000 pounds of steel.
• They are available in various sizes.
• Durability – with appropriate care and maintenance, shipping containers can last for years on end.
• They can be easily modified – are you already have the floor, walls, and ceiling in place, all you need to do is modify and customize the container’s interior to your liking.

Designing your shipping container studio or workshop

When it comes to your workshop or studio’s interior, every detail is vital. Aztec Container provides you with prefabricated containers whose plumbing and electricity is already installed. We can customize your workspace to include; workbenches, shelves, air conditioning, wall partitions, insulation, ventilation, and so on.

The following design ideas will help you make your shipping container workspace more functional and appealing.

Choose the right color

Choosing a bold color adds life to your cramped workshop or studio by inducing some visual energy. Keeping in mind that the color you choose has a huge impact on your productivity, you need to color your workspace not only based on your preference but also what is going to happen in it. For instance, if you are going to use your studio or workshop for artistic purposes, consider adding the color yellow as it inspires creativity, development, and optimism.

Use multiple containers

When creating your workshop or studio, you are not limited to one container. Get creative by stacking the containers up in an interesting way for an exciting and non-traditional design.

Light up your workshop or studio

Sufficient lighting in your workspace cannot be overemphasized. Apart from the popular overhead lighting, consider having task lights depending on what you are using your workshop for. Magnetic LED lights can be used as task lights are, they are meant for occasional use. The lights’ wiring can run beneath the container walls or on a surface mounted conduit. You can also have your container customized to bring in as much natural light as possible. Poor natural lighting is associated with sleep physiological issues and depression.

Be creative when it comes to the dividers

Dividing up your container workspace can be quite tricky due to the small space. Rather than going for the conventional dividers, get creative by using glass or plants. This helps your workspace look less cramped.

Make use of the vertical space

In most cases, the space within a container is so tiny that you probably cannot carve some storage space after installing your working areas. Installing floating cabinets in different patterns adds some character to your workshop or studio.

Conceal or get rid of clutter

Having your container workshop filled with clutter will only succeed in making your already small space smaller. Avoid having a lot of things on your desk by installing drawers under the desk or by storing what is not being used in the floating cabinets. You can also achieve a clutter-free shipping container workspace by using technological options that encourage a paperless environment.

With the escalating costs or real estate, a quality workspace is quite expensive. This has forced upcoming business owners and entrepreneurs to be innovative and adaptive. Shipping container workshops and studios are the latest fad due to their infinite customization options and lesser eco-footprint.

Sources:

• YCharts
• Organics
• Entrepreneur
• NCBI