Originally Emily Carr intended the top floor of the "House of All Sorts" to be her apartment/studio. She could spend her days painting in her studio, while the two lower suites would pay her mortgage and bills. After only a year of living in the house, the rent from the two lower suites was not sufficient and Emily was forced to divide her upstairs studio/apartment into two suites. Thus creating the smaller suite Emily referred to as the "Doll's House".
Emily found she did not paint in her 'fine studio' as much as she had intended and it was never to be quite what she had invisioned.
With the constant interruptions of her tenants, Emily found it hard to concentrate on her painting. By 1915, she was only painting on Sundays. In 1916, Emily turned the top floor of the house into a boarding house for ladies, using the studio as a dining hall and common area.
Still not painting, Emily rented out the studio for a period of two years to cover her endless expenses. This added to Emily's stress, making her 'homesick for her studio'.
After dividing the top floor, the only space in her studio to store her paintings was on the walls. She also suspended her spare chairs from the studio's high ceilings, to provide an ample work space.
After turning the top floor of the house into a boarding house, Emily moved her bedroom into the attic. She accessed her attic bedroom by the narrow stairs which lead to a small door located at the east side of the studio. It is believed these sketches done by Emily (shown on the left) are the stairs which led to the attic.
After the war ended and the economy improved, Emily no longer needed the rent or the burdens her boarders provided. Discontinuing the boarding house and moving back into her studio/apartment enabled Emily to devote more of her time and energy to her painting.
Although Emily thought her studio 'was not a good room for showing pictures' she did use the space to hold various exhibitions of her paintings and pottery. In 1913 she held an open house combined with an exhibition of her work. It wasn't until 1928 when the studio hosted its second exhibition showcasing Emily's 'Indian' paintings and pottery. She held a few more smaller studio exhibitions in 1930, 1931 and 1934.
The studio has undergone many changes over the years. The ceilings have been lowered hiding the original entrance to the attic. The old brick fire place and original wood paneling removed. Two of the three large, north facing windows have been replaced with smaller ones.
Even after all these alterations the studio still possesses a certain charm and spirit.
