I build analog darkrooms for homes, studios, schools, and community labs. Light-tight. Vented right. Laid out around how you print.
Services
Most problems show up before the first print. Where does the water go? How does the air move? Is the enlarger level and true? I step in at whatever stage you are in.
I draw a plan for your space. Garage, basement, spare room, bathroom, studio, or classroom. I draw it around your formats, your enlarger(s), and your budget. Then a contractor can build it. Or you can.
You have a room. It fights you. Fogged paper. Uneven prints. A color setup that will not hold. A build stuck halfway. I’ll problem solve and prioritize.
I work on site in LA and the Pacific Northwest. I can build the room with you or for you. I set you up on a micro and macro level and I can stay until you have a print in your hand.
I find used enlargers and darkroom gear. I check them over. I set them up. Large format included.
I lay out teaching darkrooms with more than one station. Built for classes. Built to hold up when students use them.
One to one, in your new room. Exposure. Contrast. Dodging and burning. Color balance.
I come back to check the alignment. I deep clean. I check the chemistry. For working labs and serious home printers.
The details that matter
I seal it. Then I test it. Safelight test. Light-leak test. Not just a quick look in the dark.
Fresh air in. Chemical fumes out. Sized to the room, so you can print for hours and stay comfortable.
Negatives and paper stay on the dry side. They do not cross the sink line. The layout keeps it that way.
Water at the right temperature. A sink at working height. Drainage that handles real wash volume.
Baseboard level. Stages parallel. Grain sharp corner to corner. I check it. I do not assume it.
How it works
We talk first. How do you want to print? What formats? Where is the room? We start with a call and photos of the space.
No-obligation intro callDesign. Based on our conversations, I'll draw the room to scale. Wet side, dry side, enlarger, sink, etc. You get the layout, a build spec, and an equipment list with sources that fits the budget we agree on. We can modify as needed.
Fixed-scope proposalThe build begins. Materials are sourced and things start to take shape. Ventilation in. Light is out. Sink and counters set. Safelights up. Plumbing or electrical work that needs a permit goes to licensed local trades.
On-site in LA + PNWThe details. I'll align the enlarger, test the safelights, etc. If desired, we can walk through the printing process together until the room works and you can run it on your own.
Training includedA note on scope: I design and build the darkroom itself. Layout, light control, ventilation, sinks, equipment. If a project needs permitted plumbing or electrical work, I can work with licensed local trades as they complete that portion.
Who I work with
Homes
Garages. Basements. Spare rooms. Yes, bathrooms too, done right. I build around one printer and the work they want to make.
Studios
Rooms for working photographers who print a lot. Color included. 35mm up to 8×10.
Education
Teaching darkrooms that hold up to real class loads. Multiple stations. Safe chemistry handling. A workflow students can learn fast and is sustainable.
Community
Rental and membership darkrooms. Planned for steady use. Built to last. Made for members with very different levels of experience.
In-person · Design + Build
I design, consult, and build across the LA area. A home darkroom. A studio lab. A school lab. Let’s make something.
In-person · Design + Build
At the moment, home is Bend, Oregon. I work across Oregon and Washington. Portland. Seattle. And the places in between, where the light is good and the basements are dry-ish.
Every project starts the same way. Tell me where the room is. Tell me what you want to print in it. Use the contact page to start.
About
Darkroom Design & Build is led by Seth Johnson, a photographer and art educator with an MFA in Photography and over 15 years spent in darkrooms across the US. He has spent his career printing in, and teaching in, darkrooms of every description, from professional labs to converted bathrooms. He has also led the design and build of a wide range of darkrooms, from university art departments to personal in-home builds. That range of experience is brought with him to each project, regardless of scale.
His teaching background is key. He has walked with hundreds of students through darkrooms and has learned what is intuitive and what just plain doesn’t work. He knows a darkroom isn't finished when the enlarger is set in place; it's finished when you can walk in and print without getting hung up by the space. Everything is functional, fluid, and intentional. With that in mind, every build ends with calibration, a workflow walkthrough, and a first print made together.
His desire to build for the current needs of his clients while keeping in mind the possibilities of future growth and evolution. He primarily serves the PNW and greater LA area and resides in Central Oregon where you can find him printing in his garage.
Questions
Yes. Many good home darkrooms start there. A bathroom has water and drainage already. A closet needs a water plan, or a tray and bucket setup. Then come the real questions. Can we make it light-tight? Can we vent it? Does your enlarger fit? Does your print size fit? A design consult settles all of that before you spend anything.
Not always. Trays can run without a sink of their own. Plenty of printers wash in a utility sink nearby. But print often, or print color, and plumbed water changes things. You control the temperature. I will tell you plain if your project needs it.
Yes. Color (RA-4) is where the design matters most. The temperature has to hold tight. The dichroic enlarger has to be set right. The light discipline is stricter. I design color rooms. I build them. I calibrate them. In the first session we balance your filtration on a real print.
It depends on the room. It depends on the gear. It depends on how much you want me to build, and how much you want to do with guidance. We start with a talk and a fixed-scope proposal. You know the number before you commit. Put your budget range in the form. I will design to it, not around it.
No. Early is better. Maybe the darkroom is part of picking a home, signing a studio lease, or redoing a school. An hour of advice now can point you to a space that works, and away from one that never will. Bring the floor plans or listing photos to the first call.
Yes. Most projects do. Put the make and model in the form. I will design around it. I will check it over at setup. If it needs a lens board, a bulb, or a carrier, I will flag it before build day.
Get in touch
Maybe you have a blank slate of a room. Maybe you have a dysfunctional room that just drives you mad. Maybe you are imagining the possibility of a room. All three are good places to start. Fill in what you know. Rough answers are fine.
All inquiries go to seth@darkroomdesignandbuild.com
