Welcome to Swimming Pool Project Space — where practical craft meets creative curiosity. I’m Quinn Houston, founder and lead maker, and I built this space out of a single simple belief: great ideas become better when they’re shared and made together. What started as a modest workshop and a handful of neighborhood projects has grown into a creative hub for makers, designers, and anyone who loves the tactile joy of building things by hand.
Our Mission
We exist to ignite and support hands-on creativity. We create an inclusive environment where experimentation, craftsmanship, and collaboration thrive. Whether you’re a novice looking to learn the fundamentals or a seasoned maker pursuing your next ambitious project, our mission is to provide the tools, knowledge, and community to help your ideas take shape.
Our Story
I grew up fascinated by objects — how they’re made, how they age, and how they shape daily life. As a kid, I dismantled radios and furniture just to see what was inside. That curiosity turned into a career in design and fabrication, where I learned that the process of making matters as much as the final product. After years working in studios and helping run community workshops, I wanted a place that combined thoughtful design with practical skill-building — a public workshop that felt like a living studio.
In 2016, I opened Swimming Pool Project Space in [city/region]. The name nods to our roots: a converted industrial space with high ceilings, a distinct blue door, and a sense of openness that reminded us of a pool — a place to dive in. From that converted shell, we built stations for woodworking, metalworking, textiles, electronics, and digital fabrication. But more than machinery, Swimming Pool became a community hub: teachers, artists, hobbyists, and neighbors came together to learn, teach, and make.
What We Offer
- Workshops and Classes: Regularly scheduled classes cover everything from basic hand tools and safety to advanced techniques like CNC milling, metal fabrication, advanced patternmaking, and electronics. We balance project-based learning with skills training so students leave with confidence and a finished object.
- Open Shop Access: Members and registered users can book time on our machines and benches. Our instructors provide orientation and ongoing support so makers use equipment safely and efficiently.
- Project Incubation: Have an idea you want to prototype? Our incubation support pairs you with mentors and access to specialty tools to take your project from sketch to functioning prototype.
- Community Events: Talks, critique nights, open-mic show-and-tells, and pop-up markets give makers chances to share their work, meet collaborators, and sell finished pieces.
- Commissions and Collaborations: We partner with designers, galleries, and brands to produce limited runs, installations, and site-specific work.
Guiding Values
- Craft with Care: We honor techniques that stand the test of time while welcoming innovation. Good work comes from deliberate practice and respect for materials.
- Share Knowledge Openly: Making is a generous act. We maintain a culture of mentorship and approachable teaching, believing that skills grow when passed on.
- Build Community: A studio is only as vital as the people in it. We cultivate an inclusive environment where diverse voices and perspectives are welcomed.
- Practice Sustainability: We encourage mindful material choices, repair-oriented projects, and waste-reduction practices. Reuse and repurposing are central to how we work.
- Design for Use: We care about how objects live in the world. Form follows use and empathy for the people who will live with what we make.
Meet the Team
I lead the studio as founder and studio director, but Swimming Pool thrives because of the many craftspeople and educators who call this place home. Our instructors come from varied backgrounds — furniture making, industrial design, metal arts, textile design, electronics, and architecture. They bring classroom rigor and real-world practice to every class, balancing safety with creative risk-taking.
Quinn Houston — Founder, Maker, and Writer
I design projects, teach classes, and write about the intersection of craft, materiality, and everyday life. My background blends studio practice and hands-on fabrication with community education. Outside the workshop, I write essays and project instructions, aiming to make craft both accessible and thoughtful. I’m committed to building a space where curiosity and practical skill meet.
How We Teach
Our pedagogy centers on experiential learning. We structure classes into achievable projects, breaking down complex skills into digestible steps. Safety and machine orientation come first; from there, projects are scaffolded so confidence grows alongside technique. We emphasize systems thinking — how design choices influence fabrication, longevity, and user experience — so students leave with transferable skills, not just one-off tricks.
Community Projects and Impact
One of our proudest achievements is how the studio connects to the wider community. We run outreach programs with local schools, neighborhood improvement projects, and residencies that bring artists into dialogue with public spaces. Our community projects have ranged from park benches made with reclaimed wood to collaborative installations that invite public participation. These projects demonstrate how making can strengthen neighborhoods, activate forgotten spaces, and bring people together through shared labor.
Sustainability and Materials
Sustainability isn’t a buzzword here — it’s embedded in practice. We source reclaimed and responsibly harvested materials whenever feasible, offer material swaps to reduce waste, and teach repair and redesign techniques that extend product life. Our approach mixes low-impact material choices with thoughtful design that prioritizes durability and reuse.
Our Space
The shop is laid out to promote flow and collaboration. Work areas are organized by discipline — wood, metal, textiles, and electronics — each equipped with core tools and safety gear. A communal lounge and documentation area supports planning and critique, while a small gallery space displays rotating work by members and visiting artists. The environment intentionally balances industrial utility with warmth: natural light, durable surfaces, and surfaces where sketches and prototypes can accumulate.
Why Join Us
Swimming Pool Project Space is more than access to tools. It’s a place to learn, to fail safely, to iterate quickly, and to meet people who care about making. Members gain hands-on time, a network of peers, workshop discounts, and priority access to special classes and residencies. We support makers who want to turn a hobby into a side business, refine their craft, or simply learn how to build and fix things with confidence.
Notable Projects and Collaborations
Over the years, we’ve collaborated with artists, local businesses, and cultural institutions on commissions and public works. Highlights include collaborative furniture series produced from salvaged urban trees, a neighborhood bike repair pop-up, and a site-responsive installation for a local festival. These projects reflect our ethos: thoughtful making that engages craft, context, and community.
How We Document and Share Knowledge
We publish project write-ups, step-by-step guides, and photo essays so the work created here can inspire others. Our blog and resource pages provide templates, patterns, and troubleshooting tips for common techniques. We believe documentation democratizes knowledge, so many of our tutorials are freely accessible.
Safety and Accessibility
Safety underpins everything we do. All tool access requires orientation and supervised practice. We maintain robust safety protocols and updated training resources. Accessibility is also central: we work to create an inclusive physical and social environment, offer sliding-scale pricing and scholarships for those in need, and run targeted programs for underrepresented communities.
How to Get Involved
- Take a class: Join one of our workshops to learn a new skill in a supported environment.
- Become a member: Book shop time, access equipment, and plug into the maker community.
- Volunteer or teach: Share your expertise or help run outreach and events.
- Commission or collaborate: Partner with us for custom projects or installations.
- Visit and tour: Come see the studio, meet instructors, and discover current member work.
Membership and Pricing
We offer a range of membership options to fit different needs, from drop-in passes to full monthly memberships with unlimited access. Scholarships and subsidized spots are available for students, artists, and community members who need financial assistance. For current rates and availability, check our membership page or contact us directly.
Contact and Studio Hours
Our doors are open for scheduled classes and by appointment for tours and orientations. Email [studio email] or use the contact form on the site to ask about classes, membership, commissions, or collaborations. Follow our social channels for announcements about events, open studio days, and community highlights.
A Note from Quinn
Making is a conversation between material, tool, and mind. At Swimming Pool Project Space, we celebrate the messy, iterative, and surprising nature of that conversation. Whether you come with a finished concept or a vague curiosity, we’ll help you learn, build, and share your work. I’d love to meet you in the shop — bring an idea, a question, or just your hands.