Decorating & Design
Toronto Artist Virginia Johnson Invites Us Inside Her Creative Studio
Updated on November 28, 2023

Potted geraniums heavy with pink and crimson blooms are sprinkled throughout artist Virginia Johnson’s city garden. “They reward you with very little work,” says Virginia as she steps out of her west end Toronto house and heads down the pea gravel path that winds through her backyard. “My grandmother had a potted red geranium that grew to be huge,” she adds, a little wistfully. The nostalgic charm of garden florals, the wabi-sabi allure of imperfections, pieces with a story — in less than five minutes, we’ve touched on the hallmarks that make Virginia’s art and design work so sought after. They also distinguish her newly built studio, a separate, single-storey structure tucked into the back of her garden.
In the last three years, she’s authored and illustrated a travel book, launched a line of wallpapers, created home goods for Hudson’s Bay and continued to produce her popular textiles and clothing. But what she was really craving was some healthy separation from the demands of being a mother, wife and entrepreneur. “I’d never had an art studio,” she says. “Creating this space was about valuing that more and acknowledging that it’s important to me.”
Virginia’s deep, narrow yard presented the perfect spot to build. Spanning the full width of the property, the studio neatly replaced an untamed pergola and her kids’ long-forgotten sandbox. Its overall design is simple, with clean lines and poured concrete floors. But, the exterior caters to Virginia’s preference for time-honored looks. “I’m not a modern person, so I went with more traditional doors and used reclaimed bricks on the façade to give that old texture,” she says. Virginia credits the new studio for her being able to finish her latest book, which will be published by Artisan Books next year. “I could not have done it without this space,” she says.
Scroll down to tour Virginia’s inspiring creative studio!

Virginia outside the doors of her new creative studio. The caftan she’s wearing is by Cali Dreaming and was bought at Burro, her favorite store in Venice, California. “It’s simple and colorful,” says Virginia. “I bought it one week before the world shut down. I love it because one arm is faded from being in the store window.”

A vintage chair re-covered in Lee Jofa’s botanical Althea Print fabric and a potted philodendron bring a garden feel indoors.

The ceiling is reclaimed timber that Virginia first thought she’d paint white, then decided to keep natural. “The beams are wobbly, which adds the imperfections I love,” she says. “They give the space a not-so-slick feel, so it has more warmth.”

Virginia’s inspiration wall includes a painting she did of her sister swimming in a friend’s pool, travel photos, sketches and work by other illustrators she admires.

Virginia paints, sews and more at a long table bought from an online auction. “I love that I have room to work without having to move all my stuff around,” she says.

Swatches, tubes of acrylic paint and palette knives on a friend’s old sculpting table signal creativity. “Being quiet and reflective, painting and doing things that aren’t funnelling into a business has been really significant to me,” says Virginia. “It really is about valuing your creativity and enabling it.”

A steel panel with heavy-duty magnets holds up samples of Virginia’s wallpapers. She can also use the system to hang large-scale art canvases. “I would love to paint decorative panels that people could hang in their homes,” she says.

The kitchenette is softened by a white cabinet skirt that conceals open storage. A washer and dryer will eventually be installed so Virginia can dye fabrics.

Virginia’s geranium-print wallpaper decorates the bathroom, which has a quaint cottage vibe. A vintage sink is perfect for washing away splatters of paint. “I love things that once belonged to someone else,” she says.
Alex Lukey
House & Home May 2021