Who: Dennis Lin, 32, sculptor and installation artist with a list of corporate and private clients ranging from W Hotels and Holt Renfrew to the Victoria & Albert Museum (for more information, visit www.umomo.com); Mosa, dog, 7.

What: A large studio space in industrial-turned-artsy Liberty Village; Lin has crammed a kitchen, bathroom and living/sleeping area into the 400-square-foot front of his studio, leaving 2,200 square feet to be used as his workshop.

The story: While Lin is the first to admit that combining his work and living spaces is far from ideal, he manages to make it work. On entering, you step into a darkened kitchen area with one window to your left looking into the main living room where works from his exhibits and projects under construction fill every available shelf. Among functional office furniture, like the oversized filing cabinet for sketches and paintings, are more homey items, like a bright-red plastic shelving unit. A silver coffee pot sits atop the stove, plants and paintings are dotted around and handmade kitchen units sit beneath a glass cabinet from Kensington Market. To the right is the bathroom, with a decadent free-standing tub that Lin found in a skip, and through a door to the left is the sofa that Lin also sleeps on, positioned opposite a flat-screen TV where he watches DVDs when he needs to escape from work. Lin is quick to acknowledge the sacrifices he makes to save space. “I don’t have a bed, I don’t have a shower….”

Walking through the connecting door leading to his workshop, it’s obvious what he’s saving the space for: the light, proportions and quantity of natural materials are almost overwhelming. With shelves of wood from floor to ceiling you feel something like Alice peering into Wonderland. This enormous area seems more ordered and with a steady rotation of reggae playing in the background, it feels surprisingly calm considering the constant access to productivity. Lin points out one of the greatest advantages of combining living and working areas is increased productivity. “If I have an idea I can get up and work on it instantly.” 

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