3 Lessons From One Artist’s DIY Art Studio Compound

Bobby Furst is known for his striking assemblage art pieces that spark conversation on social and political issues. When he moved his studio from the bustling city of Hollywood to the serene Joshua Tree desert, he built a unique art compound using steel buildings. His DIY art studios include outdoor workspaces and temperature-controlled indoor creative spaces.

 “I like the industrial look of them, and I also love their shape. I met with some local artists who own SteelMaster buildings before I decided to buy from the company, and I knew then it was what I wanted.”

Whether you want to build a DIY art studio shed in your backyard, a combination live/work art studio house, or an artistic compound to accommodate outdoor and indoor creativity, you’ll find inspiration in Bobby Furst’s story. Here are the three lessons he learned in creating an art studio and homestead. 

1. Be Opportunistic As You’re Being Creative 

Furst has never been short on creativity. Between his art and unique interior design, his art studio compound in the middle of the desert perfectly reflects his creative nature. One of his favorite ways to be creative with his buildings is to be opportunistic with building materials.

He’s always looking for opportunities to recycle or upcycle materials he comes across and incorporating them into his home and studio. Here are some of his favorite re-imagining of building materials:

• Used billboards: Furst found an old metal billboard in a junkyard with years of glue and paint still on it. He stripped it down to the metal, added some wheels on tracks to the bottom, and uses it as a gate to his property.
• Copper endwall: Furst worked with a scrapper to procure used copper sheets with a beautiful rusty patina. These not only look cool but are also the perfect material to create a cheap upcycled endwall.
• Reclaimed wood: At an auction on a military base, Furst was able to get high-quality lumber he used to create a bedroom/loft in his 21-foot-high Quonset home.
• Rolling staircase: Furst installed lofts in his taller buildings, so when he found an old rolling staircase from a defunct library, he jumped at the chance to add it to his building.
• Airstream & shipping container: For a little added storage and living space, Furst added a shipping container and an old airstream on his property, adding a few hundred extra feet of space.

Practical Tips:

• Custom Endwalls: Endwalls can be built out of anything because they provide no structural support for the building. It’s one of the best parts of your building to be opportunistically creative with.
• Local Auctions: Be on the lookout at local auctions for cheap and recycle-ready materials that you may have never thought about using before.
• Materials: Choose materials that suit the climate, so you’re comfortable while you’re working, but also so your artistic media are protected. For example, steel absorbs heat during the day and releases it at night, which is perfect for the Joshua Tree desert.

2. Be Patient & Take Your Time

Furst, a carpenter by trade and artist by choice, initially planned to combine his art and woodworking studio into his living space. However, he found it uncomfortable to live with the sawdust and art supplies.

Furst realized would need several different buildings to house his woodworking and artistic endeavors. His original plan was to build one big, 30’W X 12’H X 40’L building, but it quickly became clear he needed to think and plan bigger. Thus, he patiently planned to add to his property including:

• 3 more Quonsets: For Furst, the only thing better than one Quonset is three more! This allowed him to triple the amount of indoor space he originally had.
• Airstream camper & shipping container: Furst had the opportunity to buy both an Airstream trailer and a shipping container. They were both easy to set up on the property and required very little extra work to become usable.
• Added lofts: Because his Quonsets range between 12 and 22 feet, Furst added lofts to two out of the four buildings. This provides an extra 20 to 30% of floor space to his compound.

All these additions to his properties took time and planning on his side. In total, it took Furst about 5 years to get his vision of an art studio compound in the desert to come to life. His dream property didn’t happen overnight but came to fruition with grit and determination over time.

Practical Tips:

• Get clearspan: Get buildings with no internal supports so you have 100% usable and remixable space inside.
• Be flexible: Be willing to update your project plans with additional buildings or alterations to the existing building.
• No rush: If you’re building your dream property, whether it’s an art studio, a home, or simple storage, plan your property in stages and reassess your plans as each stage is completed.

3. Do It Yourself AND For Others

When Furst first bought the original Quonset to put up in the remote Mojave desert, he knew finding labor to help him build the building would be at a premium. A big reason why he chose Quonsets was because they allow DIY construction. Broadly, construction is easy with a Quonset: assemble arches on the ground, lift them into place, bolt them to the foundation, and repeat until you’re out of arches.

When it came to lifting the arches into place, Furst used a GenieLift, a mobile lift used with one other person to erect his buildings. Furst says he and just one other person assembled 4 to 5 arches per day and a 30-foot long and 40-foot wide building in under a week.

This saved him an incredible amount of time and money because labor was expensive and hard to find in the Joshua Tree area. Since his first Quonset studio/home was built, Furst has helped four other neighbors build and enjoy their own Quonset on their property.

“I left LA to find an affordable and peaceful place to live. Turns out I wasn’t the only one, so when my neighbors asked for help to construct their own dream property I was happy to help.”

Practical Tips:

• Go prefab: Choose a building kit to maximize your savings on labor and sourcing materials. Quonset huts use just one nut and bolt and only require a wrench to erect allowing Furst to create his own Quonsetopia.
• Lift & bolt: You can use a basic rope and pully system, a scissor lift, or simple scaffolding to lift and bolt prefab arches into place.
• Build your community: Furst has community movie nights and functions at his property so he is literally and figuratively building a community of prefab Quonset-lovers at Joshua Tree.

Making An Art Studio At Home?

If you love what you see here and want more information and ideas for setting up an artist studio at home or on your own property, get in touch with SteelMaster. Our options range from standard garden sheds to complex compounds like Bobby Furst’s.