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Design Your Own Perfect Space

It’s been well documented how crucial the first Ironman movie and Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of the hero has been to the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Time and again I come back to this movie, and although I do enjoy seeing Tony kick ass in the Ironman armor, I think my favorite moments from this film are seeing Tony designing and creating the armor and its various pieces in his home workshop. This masterfully designed workshop is housed in a truly enviable dream garage that would make Bruce Wayne jealous!

In this article, I’ll cover the look and feel of the workshop space. We’ll then go into how the workshop is divided and organized and look at some of the underlying features. Finally, we’ll dive into some overall themes and lessons that we can take with us and apply to our own dream spaces!

Would you like to have your very own Ironman workshop setup?? Or your own Tony Stark inspired office? This article should be inspiring and helpful to anyone who does work at home, makes or builds things, or otherwise wants a space that they can enjoy and use to better pursue their hobbies. As mentioned before, this article is focused on the Marvel Cinematic Universe rather than the comics. Tony’s set up changes throughout the various Ironman movies, so here we will concentrate on just the first Ironman film. Ready? Here we go! Hold onto your helmet, Shellhead!

Ironman Garage | Overall Aesthetics

Tony’s house features a modern aesthetic overall but the workshop space is even more industrial looking. Throughout the space you’ll find lots of metal, no surprise there. You’re in Ironman’s house after all! But even the items that are not a part of the work he does there are often made of stainless steel, including tables, cabinets and even picture frames.

Glass is also heavily featured as there are screens everywhere(!), and even the doors are glass. This lends an open, transparent look to the whole space. Stained concrete walls and floors give the space a clean, smooth look and feel and no doubt aid in clean up should an over-zealous test run occur.

Below, you’ll find a basic blueprint of the space, which I found online. The artist largely responsible for the amazing set design of the Ironman film (as well as many others) is a designer named Anne Porter. You can find this original sketch and others, as well as high quality pictures on her website here- http://www.anne-porter.com/#/ironman/

On the diagram below I’ve marked four distinct areas that comprise the shop. Although Tony’s workshop is a giant wide-open space, he does seem to utilize specific areas for certain activities. Having the space loosely organized like this gives a sense of purpose and orderliness, but it’s not so constricting as having walls up between the different areas would be. It also allows the free flow of ideas to occur. If Tony’s relaxing on the sofa and has an idea for a part, it’s simple enough to walk over to the design area and start sketching it out on the computer. But I’m getting ahead of myself….

Tony Stark Garage | Organization

Quadrant 1 – The Lounge

I imagine this is the first place Tony visits when he makes his way to the workshop. As you enter and turn to the right, there is a small but nice kitchenette area complete with an espresso maker and various cups and saucers because…priorities ☕. Tony loves his coffee, and he’s often seen having a cup of black coffee or an espresso shot throughout the movie. Caffeine is known to boost mental acuity, so it makes perfect sense that the MCU’s most famous inventor would partake early and often. 

If he needs to hydrate with some actual water, there is a nice stainless-steel fridge to the left of the kitchenette, housing what looks like Perrier among other things. Although not crucial, the fridge has a glass front, which gives the space a bit of eye candy in a way that a completely stainless-steel fridge would not. Just to check all of the boxes though, he’s got one of those too to the left of the drink fridge. There is a Barnett Newman painting on the wall and a small sculpture underneath. Next to that is one of the nifty smart home touch pads that Tony’s set up throughout the house. Below those, there are a couple of trash cans (stainless-steel again) next to the kitchenette. I assume one is for recycling, because hey, Tony’s trying to be a better person.

Next to this caffeine dispensing station you’ll find a well-worn modern Chesterfield sofa as well as a classic Eames chair. These items are design classics that will always stand the test of time. Placed in front of the sofa is a glass coffee table with expected items such as magazines (issues of Classic Cars and Motorcycling I believe), but also a metal stand for the gauntlet Tony’s working on. There’s a glass side table next to the couch with a metal modernist lamp. 

Tony’s the kind of guy who, when he’s working on a new problem or idea, will constantly work for many hours straight through. I imagine he comes here to the lounge area for short breaks to kind of reset and recharge.

While taking in the news on the TV his mind is working in the background, still mulling over problems. In fact, there’s a scene in the movie that occurs right after the Stark charity event where he’s doing just that. You can almost see his gears turning and it’s at this point that he decides to finally take action and suit up.

Directly in front of the sofa is a large LG TV mounted on the wall and a stainless-steel cabinet underneath. On top of the cabinet sit a couple of framed photos, one of which is of Tony’s dad, Howard Stark. No doubt, this is here not only because he’s family, but also for inspiration and an important reminder, as Tony is continuing his father’s legacy of trying to improve the world through technology. After helping create Captain America and co-founding S.H.I.E.L.D., those are some pretty big shoes to fill!

There’s a bowl of green apples as well, and… is that a Nintendo Wii I spot?? I do think Tony’s a gamer, in the same way that technologist Elon Musk is, although you have to wonder when in the world he has the time to play! There are also a couple of other objects on top of the cabinet I can’t quite make out. Do any of you know?

Before we leave this section, I feel it’s important to mention the propeller on the wall, as well as the row of model planes lining the top of the cabinets of the kitchenette. Tony came up working in the aerospace industry, partnering closely with the U.S. military and these props are symbols of the knowledge and hard work he’s put into this aspect of his career. Also in this shot—a skateboard! I almost didn’t catch it, but it totally makes sense. It’s very in keeping with Tony’s irreverent personality, and he actually has quite a few fun little touches of personality around the shop.

Quadrant 2 – Main Design Station

In the above shot you can see how the lounge area transitions seamlessly into the area where Tony does most of his design work. This space is where Tony’s imagination runs wild! He most likely doesn’t place any limits on crazy ideas he might have here. If he doesn’t immediately know how to bring a vision to life, he can at least record it and maybe sketch it up on some software he has running on the maxed out iMac pros he has set up here.

On the more practical ideas he has, I imagine that, much like “real-life Ironman” Elon Musk (who made a cameo in Ironman 2), he probably begins with the end in mind. He thinks of an ideal product with zero compromises and then reverse engineers it/designs it. 

This section of the workshop is not suuuper messy, but you can tell it’s a constantly used work station with papers, books, and objects strewn about the desks. The idea here is to have materials and working ideas out in plain sight, where Tony can easily get to them and pick up where he left off.

Speaking of desks, there are a few things going on here. The tables here are all on wheels and you can see throughout the movie that this area does change around over the course of the film. As you can see in the previous picture, Tony has a desk facing the lounge area that has a dual monitor set-up with large Apple cinema displays (circa 2008). To the right of that is his suuuper cool holographic display table.

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Here he can mock up holographic representations of his designs and even interact with them, such as in the scene where he slips his hand into a holographic representation of a gauntlet he designed (no, not that gauntlet).

On the other side of the dual monitors is some sort of drafting desk if Tony is feeling artistic. In the previous picture of Tony on the couch, you can see that it’s quite dark in the space, perhaps to keep the computers cool, but maybe because it’s just easier on the eyes. That being said, adequate lighting is needed in the design area and there are several task lights mounted around these various desks to illuminate certain areas where Tony would be working.

If that’s not enough displays, Tony also has a desk with a triple monitor set-up facing the wall with the kitchenette. This desk is seen earlier in the movie when Tony begins work on the Mark II design. One of the coolest items on this desk which actually kicks off the whole design scene is Tony’s keyboard. It seems to be a touchscreen sort of technology or perhaps light sensing tech, with gesture support. With a wave of his hand, Tony is able to bring up a keyboard layout that features electrical engineering symbols that would come in handy in designing the most functional, bad-ass suit of armor the world has ever known. Oh yeah.

Also on this desk you’ll find various coffee mugs, including one from Stark Industries. Here he keeps pens, pencils, and even the smart pen he uses with the holo-display. Next to the desk is a simple metal cart which maybe houses office supplies or some such mundane thing. On top of the cart you can see….an old blackberry? I dunno. Let me know in the comments if any of you have figured it out! To the right of this desk you can see a table that has several large books on it. These are probably textbooks and/or technical manuals Tony keeps around for reference. Although he probably remembers most of that stuff anyway. 

Finally, around to the left of the aforementioned desk and directly behind the dual monitor set-up you can see a QUADRUPLE-monitor set-up (drools slightly). There’s a whole lotta data from this new-fangled exoskeleton suit that Tony needs to keep tabs on, and it’s just easier with so many gorgeous displays. No need to keep clicking from window to window over here! As if that weren’t enough, you can spot more design related equipment beyond this setup.

Another thing worth noting here is the basket of rolled up blueprints. I expect that Tony is a fairly good draftsman and could render some pretty cool designs and ideas without all the fancy computers, with just a simple pencil and paper.

One last thing I want to mention before we leave this area is Tony’s jukebox. I love that this thing is here! Tony is obviously capable of some serious work. After all, he built a miniaturized nuclear reactor in a cave! With a box of scraps! He has other interests though, besides just being the world’s greatest inventor.

Tony loves music and there are references to it throughout the movies. When we first see him working on his hot rod in the workshop, he’s jamming out to Institutionalized by Suicidal Tendencies. In The Avengers, he overrides the sound system of the quinjet Natasha Romanov is flying in order to blast Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC (he also wears a Black Sabbath t-shirt). Finally, in Ironman 3, Tony does a perfectly cringe-worthy dance-testing of his new armor to the tune of Jingle Bells as done by Joe Williams.

I love that despite dealing with complex technology and world-ending threats, Tony knows how to make things fun and enjoy himself while working. 

Quadrant 3 – Mechanical Workstation

This is the section of Tony’s workshop where ideas come to life! Here, Tony brings to fruition the fanciful designs he’s had bouncing around in his head. It’s an engineer’s and mechanic’s dream shop, and some of the best scenes of Tony building the Mark II and III designs happen right here! This area is “controlled chaos” in that there are parts and machines and tools all over the place. However, they are loosely organized and pretty much confined to this area of the workshop.

While scouring the internet for info on the workshop, I ran across a great series of articles by Bob Warfield on the site, cnccookbook.com. If you’re really interested in building out a space that can realistically handle designing and fabricating machines and their various parts definitely go and check out this article series. Even if you’re a maker noob like me, you’ll find lots of interesting info there!

To start things off in this section, notice the contrast in lighting in this area, as compared to the previous ones. Whereas the lounge and design areas feature relaxed low light with task lighting here and there, this area has TONS of shop lighting from rows and rows of LED fixtures along the ceiling reaching all the way to the back of the space. This way Tony can see everything all at once and find all the titanium-gold alloy needles he needs, amongst the ridiculously expensive chaos of machines and machine parts that make up his haystack 👌🏼.

Tony has a couple motorcycles staged here in front of the main glass door to the shop. They’re parked right next to his 1932 Ford Flathead Roadster, which sits upon a hydraulic lift. In the movie we don’t see the car lifted up, but referencing the Anne Porter diagram you can just barely make out the words “hydraulic lift” penciled in. 

Accompanying this car is an assortment of tools and tool chests as well as a computer monitor mounted on a stand with wheels that is giving Tony readouts of the issues the car is having. Past the tool chests are various machines used for cutting, fabricating, and perfecting parts for Tony’s various inventions. 

It’s hard to make out the individual machines here and this section is a bit beyond my knowledge level. If you recognize some of these machines let me know in the comments! I imagine Tony has a CNC machine and various 3D printers here as well as an assortment of saws, but for a more detailed breakdown of other metal fabrication tools check out Part 3 of the aforementioned article series here –

Along the concrete walls, you’ll also notice industrial shelving lined up that can hold parts and rough stock. There’s also a bright yellow hazardous materials cabinet. Tony probably stores various chemicals and flammable items here.

In the middle of the mechanical workstation section are some stainless-steel worktables. I really like the look and feel of these. In a lot of workshops you might see worktables built from 2x4s or other wood pieces. Those are fine, but as Tony works on mostly machines and metal parts, plus since he’s you know….Ironman…it just makes more sense to have metal tables here.

They’d also be more durable and easier to clean. I also really dig this red fold out tool box Tony is using in these shots. Perhaps this is where he normally stores his soldering iron and some other electrical equipment. Anyone know where I can find such a toolbox?

The last thing I’ll mention here is Dum-E, Tony’s robot assistant who is not quite as intelligent as the AI, Jarvis. Earlier in the movie Tony states that he’s not sentimental, but he has managed to hang on to this robot, which was one of his first robotics projects he completed while at MIT.

The Dum-E robot is capable (with varying levels of success) of doing simple tasks such as retrieving an item and bringing it to Tony. Maybe more importantly, he’s a symbol of how far Tony has come as an inventor and technologist.

Quadrant 4 – Testing Platform and Vehicle Storage

In this final section of Tony Stark’s workshop, we see that Tony keeps a modular testing platform, as well as a small but impressive car collection (and a few motorcycles). Here he goes about testing various parts and probably spends some time bouncing back and forth between here and the mechanical workstation, refining things until he works out the kinks.

I’m not an expert on classic cars (or any cars for that matter, lol) but I found this list of the cars in Tony’s garage. It’s worth noting that he was able to score a Tesla roadster before they were even available to the public. Nice.

Tony’s Cars

–      Audi R8

–      Shelby Daytona Coupe

–      Saleen S7

–      Tesla Roadster

Later on after Tony has worked out the Mark III design, you can see just how modular this platform is, as various plates in the floor move out to reveal huge yellow robotic arms that can fit Tony with his armor and remove it after he’s done using it.

From this view, you can see that there is an exit tunnel that Tony can use to enter and exit his house via the garage anytime he wants. Off to the right of the right-most desk,  off-screen, there is a gaming station complete with a gaming chair and a multitude of screens. Why would Tony Stark, billionaire arms contractor, care about video games?? Well, being a futurist and technologist, Tony would want to stay on the cutting edge of display tech as well as virtual reality and augmented reality. The best example of augmented reality (taking a view of the world and layering information over top of it) in the Ironman movies is Tony’s in-helmet heads up display. I’d venture to guess that he got a lot of ideas and knowledge about how to incorporate this augmented reality technology from the gaming setup he’s got stashed in the corner of his workshop.

Build Your Own Ironman-Inspired Space

Alright! We’ve done it! After revisiting this iconic space from the Ironman movies in its entirety, what lessons about environment design can we take away and apply to our own lives? When it comes to environment design, there are many theories and philosophies centered around making an office or manufacturing plant safer, faster, more efficient, or more enjoyable. Some of these include Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen. You don’t have to follow one of these and I won’t define them here, but building out an Ironman-inspired space will take a little thought and effort.

Basically, it all boils down to being INTENTIONAL with our spaces and how we set them up. So many times, we put up with things in our houses and offices that are old, have broken down, or otherwise don’t serve us anymore because we’ve just gotten used to them. Now I get it, you’re busy. And you’re probably tired too. Everyone feels that way sometimes. But if you just take a minute and think about it, you may find yourself getting excited about what’s possible. Having something to look forward to is going to energize you and you’ll WANT to make the time and exert the effort to make it happen!

If there’s a space in your home that you want to improve, go ahead and sit down, or better yet go over to the space right now, and think about how it could be better. You’re going to need to spend some time thinking, developing, and writing down what an ideal vision of this space would be. But hey, that should get you excited, right!? This is the fun part! Dream a little! Or a lot!

Whether it’s a home office, garage workshop like Tony’s, or the family living room, think about what a space with zero compromises would look like. Then begin working toward that space, a little at a time (or do it all at once if you’ve got that Tony Stark $$$, lol).

Consider the following….

Atmosphere

What things make a space enjoyable? If you’re going to be spending a lot of time here, or you want to spend more time doing a particular activity, it makes sense that you should make the environment as pleasant and enjoyable as possible. Really, your only limit here is your imagination.

Make sure that you have adequate lighting for example. Tony needs tons of shop lighting for the area of his shop where he does mechanical work. Perhaps you’re a writer and want more of a cozy, relaxed feel, in which case a small lamp and your computer screen may be enough. Maybe you’re an artist who needs access to natural light, in which case it might make sense to have your studio in a room that has some windows.

LIFX and Philips Hue, as well as other manufacturers, are putting out some great options these days for Bluetooth connected lights that can offer a whole range of colors and features. Pair this with voice control through a virtual assistant such as Siri or Alexa and you’ve got a high-tech solution that can set the right vibe in the room as well as give you some of those Tony Stark feels!

Of course, you’ll want to make sure the room is at a comfortable temperature so you’re not distracted from your work. Maybe the solution is a simple, warm blanket. If you’re into working with fabric, consider making it yourself. Even better!

If you work out of a garage, you may consider a fan or a heater, depending on the climate. Bluetooth connected thermostats make changing the temp or turning on a fan with voice control easy as well.

Speaking of fans, I know some people who are distracted by background noise, and others who are more productive because of it. Which are you? If you’re a musician or intend to make a lot of noise yourself, consider sound dampening panels. These are easy enough to make yourself and you can place them on the walls around the room.

If you enjoy music on in the background while you work like Tony does, try making some custom playlists. This can be a real mood enhancer and might be enough to get you out to your workshop when you otherwise might not feel like it. That’s one of the underlying ideas here. Think “what can I do to make this a space that I want to come and work in?” “How can I remove any excuses so I’m excited to come in here, even if it’s at the end of a long day?” Check out this inviting space from photographer Michael Sole.

As mentioned before, Tony drinks a LOT of coffee as I’m sure many of you do. Things are just more enjoyable when you have a warm drink in your hands, right? Or maybe an ice-cold beverage is a better idea if it’s a hot day. Many times, I’ve procrastinated doing work on the computer, but having an enjoyable drink and/or snack while I work makes things more enjoyable (or tolerable at least).

Tony’s got a couple refrigerators in his workshop. Maybe you’d benefit from having one in your garage or having a mini fridge in your office. It may also be cheaper and easier to get one than you think. A couple years ago, we scored a free refrigerator off of Craigslist and although it’s not a beautiful stainless-steel version like Tony’s, it works well enough. Now anytime I’m working in the garage and I need an ice-cold pick-me-up, it’s readily available!

You’ll also want to consider simple aesthetics. Are the walls of your space f’in fugly AF? It’s amazing what a free weekend and a coat of paint can do to a space. Do you love glass, stainless-steel, and stained concrete? You don’t have to have an entire space built of these materials in order to bring in the feel of them. A piece of furniture or a few items spread throughout the room can make it feel more industrial or modern.

Finally, you’ll want some pieces of inspiration staged around the space. What makes you happy and gets you excited to work on your hobby? Many garage gyms feature posters of famous athletes or a shot of Arnold at his best physique. If you’re in the tech space, maybe pictures that feature fantastic devices and vehicles or the CEOs of well-known tech companies are your jam.

I like that Tony’s place isn’t overrun with trophies or accolades, but instead contains subtle nods to his field such as the airplane propeller on the wall. You’ll also want to include some memories related to your field, whether it’s a picture of a loved one, or a shot from that amazing conference you went to last year.

Remember that the items and characteristics of your space can have an effect on your psychology. Everything you experience when you walk into the room serves to put you in the right state of mind for your activity (or distance you from it). This should be your sanctuary, one of your favorite places to be. It should be a work in progress, as you continue to refine and maximize the work you do there as well as your own enjoyment (which will keep you coming back!).

Separate Work Areas for Specific Tasks

If you’re like me, you likely have a room that needs to be multifunctional, or perhaps that’s a characteristic of your hobby. Just as Tony Stark has separate areas of his workshop dedicated to specific tasks, you’ll want to do the same in your space. This is functional of course, but also sends a signal to your brain that “work happens here, relaxation happens there”.

For instance, if you have a computer workstation in your home office where you do serious work, you may want to limit recreational activities to the couch or a separate comfy chair. That way when it’s time for a break you can leave the area of work and truly relax in a part of the room meant for it, even if it is just a couple of feet away.

There are no hard and fast rules for this though. It’s totally up to you as to what will work best for your situation. Let’s say you’re practicing an instrument. You have your chair where you sit and play and maybe you have a music stand set up as well. But when you need to listen to a piece for reference or just enjoyment during a rest period, you go over to the couch. In this case, you’re giving your body a rest while your mind is still actively listening.

An artist may have separate desks or workstations for drawing, painting, and for sketching on a tablet or computer. Woodworkers are masters of this! They will need a table saw station, miter saw station and a workbench for assembling (among other things).

Many times, these stations are just carts on wheels, which is really handy if it’s helpful to reconfigure your space for a specific project. Take another lesson from woodworkers and consider a cart or table that has wings that can be deployed to increase the work surface. Here’s a great example from the website lumberjocks.com.

I’m a big fan of creative ways to save space like this and there’s no reason this concept couldn’t be used for another activity or for a space indoors. Do a little research on the ol’ interwebs and it won’t take long to find some very innovative (and practical) ideas!

Eliminate Pain Points

We all have things we find annoying, that bug us from time to time. There are most likely some things about your current space that are keeping you from being your most effective, or worse, are keeping you from participating in your chosen hobby altogether. Now’s the time to fix it!

Occasionally, this can be as simple as replacing a battery in a device, or buying some needed item you’ve been doing without. Maybe the item you have mostly works, but can be modified to be even better. The adjustable bench I use in my garage gym is actually supposed to attach to a rack and won’t stand up on its own. I added some feet to it with some blocks of cedar wood and spare hardware I had lying around. They’re barely noticeable and they were the difference between having no bench at all (a new one would cost ~$200-300) and having a perfectly functioning fully adjustable one, basically for free.

Make sure you have enough storage and good cable management (or go wireless). Whatever you’re getting into, the lack of these two things can put a damper on any hobby. You don’t have to spend a lot of money! Plastic bins and cases can organize just fine. However, if you’re unhappy with the idea of something cheap looking (keeping in mind that aesthetics are important too, to a degree), maybe take a step back and consider the forest for a minute. If you get organized now, you can always upgrade to nicer cabinets, shelves, toolboxes, etc. later. But if you keep putting off solving your storage issues, you waste valuable time not working or worse, spending that time in frustration.

At the end of the day, it’s a balancing act and a continuous process, but whatever you do, don’t let these kinds of problem areas keep you from working or doing the thing that makes you happy! As you can probably tell, I am a huge fan of Tony Stark/Ironman and have gotten enormous inspiration from the movie and comic versions of his character!

This article has been a labor of love for me, and if you’ve made it to the end, I want to thank you for taking the time to read it. I hope you found it informative or entertaining and if so, please consider leaving a comment below and/or sharing it around. Also, if you have additional ideas about environment design or noticed things in Tony Stark’s workshop that I missed, let me know down below! If you’re interested in environment design or other superhero lairs you might enjoy the article series on Batman’s answer to Tony’s workshop- the Batcave! Thanks again and see you next time!

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