How Creatives Live: Artists Blur the Line Between Home and Studio

From Mallorca to the California desert, artists are collapsing the divide between living and making, finding creative freedom in spaces shaped by daily life.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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This article explores how some artists are integrating their creative practices directly into their living spaces, blurring the traditional boundaries between home and studio. It profiles several artists, including those in Mallorca, California, and Portland, whose homes serve as extensions of their creative processes, with workspaces seamlessly woven into domestic life.

Why it matters

This trend highlights how some artists are challenging the notion of the studio as a separate, dedicated workspace, and instead embracing a more holistic approach where living and creating coexist. It speaks to the desire for greater creative freedom and the ability to draw inspiration from one's immediate surroundings and daily rhythms.

The details

The article describes how artists like Dany Hazebroucq and Gilles Blanchard in Mallorca have transformed a former music school into a home that integrates their painting and drawing practices. Similarly, Duncan Niederlitz runs his fabrication studio on his own property in the California desert, allowing him to easily transition between work and personal life. Kristan Kennedy's studio in Portland is located directly below her living space, creating a "cloistered, private" creative retreat.

  • The article was published on February 13, 2026.

The players

Dany Hazebroucq and Gilles Blanchard

French artists and a couple who have transformed a former music school in Llucmajor, Mallorca into a home that integrates their painting and drawing practices.

Duncan Niederlitz

An artist who runs his multidisciplinary fabrication studio, Material Forms, on his own property in the high desert of California.

Kristan Kennedy

An artist, curator, and educator based in Portland, Oregon who lives directly above the studio where she creates her abstract paintings.

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What they’re saying

“The practice of drawing is inseparable from everyday life. There is an organic connection between the time devoted to art and the time devoted to other activities, and the presence of the studio within the living space of the house is a central element.”

— Gilles Blanchard (Elle Decor)

“It is this diversity that is our greatest source of pleasure.”

— Gilles Blanchard (Elle Decor)

“The number one thing is I can hang out with my dog. You don't feel guilty if you need to work 12 hours of the day.”

— Duncan Niederlitz (Elle Decor)

“It's cloistered, private, and not affected by the industry. It's a self-directed space where I can flow between my life and my practice.”

— Kristan Kennedy (Elle Decor)

The takeaway

This article highlights how some artists are challenging traditional notions of the studio space by seamlessly integrating their creative practices into their living environments. This approach allows them to draw inspiration from their daily rhythms and surroundings, fostering a more holistic and organic connection between life and art.