No More “Where Did That Go!?” — Artty Station Turned My Desk into a Gunpla Paradise
Hi to everyone with a mountain of unbuilt model kits — I’m Hide, tech journalist and part-time house-husband. My efficiency went up about tenfold.
Artty Station, which I just set up, is a really excellent storage system that makes efficient use of the vertical space on a small desk. I make all kinds of things, from sewing to electronics to resin accessories, so the tools and materials I use are all over the place.
Even so, with Artty Station I can grab what I need right away, so I recommend it for everything from Gunpla to crafts.
Set up on my sewing table — the drawer below holds the sewing machine
## Getting organized is the first step to comfortable work
It probably goes without saying, but knowing where everything is makes you way more efficient. I used to keep materials and tools in a toolbox like the one in the photo, but once I had more paints and other liquids, it couldn’t hold everything, and things ended up scattered all over my desk.
With a box, there’s also the hassle of hauling it over...
Not being able to find your tools or materials right when you’re about to start is super stressful. Then building starts to feel like a chore, and you fall into a vicious cycle where the pile of unbuilt kits keeps growing. Being organized matters.
That said, there’s only so much space in the room. The only place to put things was on top of my existing sewing desk. If I wanted more storage, I’d have to use vertical space — and that’s how I ended up with Artty Station.
The only way to make this space bigger is to go up
At first I considered a desk with built-in storage. But regular desks are designed for bigger stuff, like files, books, and computer gear.
The shelves are tall, so they’re not great for arranging small things where you can see them at a glance
For what I needed, I wanted to line up small things like paints and tools where I could see them all, but that doesn’t work here. I’d have to build shelves inside the shelves.
Depth turned out to be tricky too. There are surprisingly few desktop storage units that aren’t very deep. I even considered DIY, but the moment I saw Artty Station, I thought, “This is it!”
I knew at a glance it’d be easy to use
The first thing that caught my eye was this one. It’s a series called Opera, and it’s modular, so you can combine pieces however you like.
Opera — you can tell at a glance it’s easy to useIt’s also exciting how much it feels like a secret baseYou can buy it as a set, but pieces are also sold individually
I was going to build something by combining these modules, but the site had something that fit perfectly. That’s this one: Concert.
Even my cutting mat fit the size exactly.Close the doors and you can move it with everything still inside. Handy for a quick layout change
Opera even comes with a paint booth, which was tempting, but I really wanted to use my own booth, so I went with this one. It’s also taller than Opera, so you can pack lots into a slim width. If your desk has room vertically, I recommend this one.
They also have Piccolo for tight spaces, the one-size-bigger Symphony, and Solo for the smallest spaces — it’s great that there are products for every need. With a lineup this complete, I think it’ll fit lots of people’s setups.
The lineup is so complete that browsing the website gets me excited
Artty Station was originally made for the developer’s mother. After losing an aunt who had dementia, the developer’s mother decided to take up some kind of detailed handiwork as prevention. She started building plastic models with help from the developer.
Starting plastic models at 60 is just wonderful
She’s been buying what she needs little by little and still happily builds models today. Since it was made with the thought “I want Mom to be able to work comfortably!”, when you actually use it, you’re impressed by how well it was designed from the user’s point of view.
Her working — she’s even mastered airbrush painting, which is impressive
I think this user-first perspective is what led to such a varied product lineup.
Even with lots stored, I can grab things instantly — my efficiency went way up
The result of setting it up goes without saying. I can grab the tool I want in an instant, so my motivation to build shot through the roof.
In my case especially, I often go from models to resin to painting. I used to dread both starting and cleaning up, but since I started using Artty Station, everything has a set place, so finishing one task, tidying up quickly, and moving on to the next has become ridiculously easy.
Top left is resin materials, top right is cutters and such — I split things into sections. The drawers hold a lot, which helps
I keep frequently used tools and glue in the tray on the bottom level. There are spots to hang nippers and masking tape too, so I can grab them in a flash. Being able to stand brushes on the right side is handy too, and it makes drying them after washing easy.
Frequently used tools are grouped on the bottom and second levels.
Having a set place works surprisingly well — your body learns it. Once you get used to it, you can grab the next thing you need without looking. That’s why deciding where things go matters.
Another unexpectedly handy spot was the space on top of the shelf. It’s meant for an instruction-manual stand, but I deliberately took it off. The space was just about the length of a tissue box, so I wanted to put things there. A small compressor fits up there, which saves desk space.
I keep my compressor and nitrile gloves thereNormally a stand like this goes there
It holds plenty of paint in various sizes, and it comes with guides for several sizes from the start, so you can switch them depending on the sizes you own — super useful.
Finally, just two things that were a little inconvenient. One is assembly: the dimensions are really tight, so some parts wouldn’t go in by hand. I managed with a cloth and a rubber mallet, but if you force it, you might break a part.
At Concert’s size, just holding it steady is pretty tough, so I think it’s best to have two people, get your tools ready, and take your time.
Each part is heavy too, so I’d recommend two people for assembling Concert
The other is that the top row of paints is hard to take out. You can make your own from 3 mm MDF, so it’s not a must, but I’d appreciate it if they came in this shape from the start.
Top: the part that came with it. Bottom: the part I made
On my homemade part, I changed the circles into half circles and straight lines. That way, even on the top row where there’s little space above, you can pull paints out toward you easily. As is, they might fall forward if it shakes, but in most cases there’ll be paints lined up in front too, so I don’t think it’s a problem.
With the original shape, you have to pull them straight up, so the top row is hard to get things out of
It’s been a while since I set it up, and I’m really happy with it. Concert is a bit pricey at ¥39,600, but my work efficiency went up enough that it was worth the investment. Solo is ¥4,950, so trying something like that first could be a good idea.
Man, above all, I’m happy that my workspace looks beautiful now. Next time, I’ll build something with it.
