forwarding to the partner 
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Tokyo living, so not very big (the room is under 15m2), which is why planning is essential to make the most of the space.
A couple things to consider if you are looking at pictures for inspiration. These examples are a bit false in practice. Notice the lack of cables in most of them. Also some show the gear in an unused state, in these instances it ignores practicality.
If there is anything useful from looking at other setups its to take note of something you either are not doing now or wouldn’t think to do yourself.
My instinctual advice would be to set all your gear up that will be used in order to have a firm idea of footprint. Keep in mind ease of use as that should be a primary concern, in my opinion.
After that, try to keep everything on the outside perimeter of the room to preserve the feeling of having some open space.
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That’s what I’m getting at.
Great thread. I’m in a similar situation; my partner and I bought a great mid-century modern house a couple of years ago, and while she’s been getting really into acquiring similar-era furniture for the rest of the house, my studio remains utilitarian and IKEA-based. I find it very difficult to figure out how I’d want everything to be laid out, let alone what would look good in that space… so I’ll be keeping an eye on this thread for some ideas.
Yeah, this is a good one. I’ve tried a few setups with tables in the middle of the room but things just get really cramped.
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For reference my current setup. The room is open, so a bit non-conventional. Anyway, just considering my options.
When I designed my place, I looked at 1000s of photos and drawings and researched lots of different architectural and design styles (to pin down what I like). Since I’m not a trained architect or designer, I found that I have trouble picturing things in 3D space without visual references, plus I have limited knowledge of what’s out there, hence the desire to see photos. Also, Elektron seems to attract people that like good design, so I thought I’d ask.
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I agree!
I think this is extremely important to consider. Poor cable routing or lack of capacity to route cable in consideration of design principle will bugger up the aesthetic of said design pretty quickly. 
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My wife always stresses the ease of keeping stuff clean (avoiding huge buildups of dust, etc), so keeping cables off the floor is a must
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I think your space is absolutely beautiful and I think I have a few things you could try for this space. The desk may feel more inviting in front of that window and the guitars can be more a part of the decor (but still ready to go) by mounting them on wall with wall mounts. Bringing a plant and an end table on either side of the couch might not be a bad idea. The end table could hold a lamp and say a PO33 or DT or whatever you like. You have an advantage with a light studio set up in that you won’t need to deal with very many cables. I can’t tell is the floor is carpeted but of not s nice rug and coffee table will do wonders. I like thelook of it though I think the trick is mostly how you arrange what you have and then maybe buy a thing or two, maybe you kinda already knew all this but it’s just what I first though while looking at your photos.
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Also with that open space it’s probably important to keep the space clutter free for aesthetic considerations? Cabling definitely a location for dust or mould accumulation (depending on one’s climate).
How is all that open concrete accoustically?
Thanks so much for the thoughtful suggestions and kind comments.
Plants are definitely something I want in there, and we have been talking about wall mounts for guitars or adjustable shelves for other gear. Great suggestion about the end table too.
I would love a carpet, but with two dogs, it’s sort of impossible as one of them loves to pee on carpets, lol. The floor is cork, which make it actually great for both dogs that are prone to leg breaks, and for absorbing sound.
One of my problems is that since those pictures were taken I added a large multitrack and got some proper monitors, so I no longer have room on my desk for everything (see attached).
I’m considering putting the multitrack on a cart with wheels so that I can move it around as necessary and normally keeping it in an L-shaped layout with the mixer back on the desk. I like modular design, meaning that stuff can be shifted around as things evolve.
One other thing my wife has suggested is moving that little sofa somewhere else and having a long desk all along that wall, almost in sort of a workbench style to have lots of room to spread out.
I also need to get the monitors up on stands, either on the desk or freestanding.
Like you said though, it’s more about getting a few bits of well-thought out furniture/fixtures than anything else.
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Surprisingly not an issue. We built a ceiling in that room, the floors are cork, and it opens up into the apartment, so that helps with reflections. The room is also shaped a bit weird, which actually seems to help. It’s not boomy at all, thankfully.
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More dog photos please!
It’s difficult to say without being there, as I think the exposed cement makes it look bigger than it is, but I second your wife’s suggestions. In fact with a long low desk on that wall (wood, i think, would look great against the wall) you could put the sofa under the window and rearrange amps etc around the desk space of to either side of the sofa?
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Surprising indeed, as my initial thought was “great space for IR impulse recordings”. It looks complicated and boomy with all those angles…but then cork is, as you say, great for softening accoustically busy spaces.
Funny you should mention that because I’ve been thinking the same thing. The rest of our place is open with exposed concrete ceilings, so I have been thinking about getting an LDC mic with omni and Figure 8 settings to experiments with miking walls and such in hopes of getting some cool room reverb sounds.
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Incredible space!
I guess you already though about it, but it seems like a nice space to play with light. Having an alternative lighting for composing /listening to music could be very very nice in a space like that, given that the room already has a sci-fi feeling.
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Thanks!
Absolutely. I got all my lights on dimmers and have some rail/spotlighting. I knew I wanted to be able to get a nice atmospheric vibe at night.
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