Managing Space in a Small, Gear-Heavy Studio

Working in a small studio space while owning a fair amount of gear can be tricky—sometimes very tricky. Making a studio feel clean, efficient, and visually pleasing when every square foot matters is no small task.

In one of the first videos in this series, I talked about my 13×13-foot square studio and the reality that I have a lot going on in that room. Perspective matters, of course. I’ve seen home studios on YouTube with wall-to-wall electronics that make my setup look downright minimalist. At the same time, I know plenty of people creating music on laptops at kitchen tables who would consider my room enormous.

As with most things studio-related, it’s all relative.

A Room That Has to Do Everything

My studio isn’t just a creative space—it’s my daily work environment. As an online piano and theory teacher, I spend 9–10 hours a day in that room teaching lessons. Between sessions, I’m publishing music, recording, editing, and handling business tasks. The space has to support all of it.

That means:

• A full-size, professional digital piano for teaching
  
• Multiple mounted cameras for keyboard views and instruction
  
• A large primary desk for production gear, scores, books, and admin work
  
• A secondary production desk with proper monitors and a large screen for programming and recording
  
• Space for a full drum kit, which—regardless of how compact it’s arranged—still eats up real estate
  
• Storage and access for a growing synth collection, which led to the creation of the synth wall
  

What began as roughly ten shelves has grown to seventeen, with the likelihood of adding two more now in 2026.

All of this had to fit into a single, relatively small room.

Organization as Survival

To make this possible, shelves, stands, mounting brackets, moveable trays, and custom solutions became essential. Without them, the room would have collapsed into chaos long ago.

Over time, I’ve found that organizing a studio like this isn’t about one perfect system—it’s about layering solutions until the room works for you.

That said, managing space in a small studio often means facing a recurring dilemma:

Aesthetics vs. functionality.

When Function Competes With Feel

In my studio, I have five large framed photos of jazz greats on the walls. If I took them down, I could absolutely add more shelves or racks. From a purely functional standpoint, that would make sense.

But then the room would start to feel like a storage facility rather than a creative space.

That may be perfectly fine for some—and they’d be absolutely right—but it wouldn’t feel right to me.

The same issue comes up with my ongoing Eurorack plans. I’m still trying to figure out where it could live. My house is a four-level split, and like many homes of that style, there’s a ledge in the lower rooms. On that ledge, I’ve placed my grandfather’s violin, a trumpet given to me by a relative, and some beautiful old books.

It makes the studio feel warm, personal, and lived-in.

From a practical standpoint, stripping that ledge bare would instantly solve the Eurorack problem. It could support a large system with room to expand for years.

But doing so would change the feel of the room—and that matters to me.

The Reality of Studio Compromises

This is the reality many home studio owners face. You can almost always fit more gear if you’re willing to sacrifice comfort, aesthetics, or emotional connection to the space. The question becomes: what kind of studio do you want to work in every day?

For some, customized professional solutions—stands, desks, acoustic panels—are the answer. If the budget allows, these can be incredible.

For others (and very much for me), the solution is a mix of:

• Simple storage ideas
  
• Customized or hacked furniture
  
• DIY mounting solutions
  
• And a healthy dose of compromise
  

In many ways, studio organization becomes an ongoing creative project in itself.

And maybe that’s the point.

Happy organizing—and happy creating.