Carrie Smith Libman unlatches the door to her room at the Bischoff Inn to reveal a flood of colors.

On a crisply made bed, there are strips of paper in reds, purples, blues, yellows and oranges. Shelves are drenched in sunshine - and the sculptures she’s been making.

With pieces of art just about everywhere, it’s clear that Smith Libman has been busy.

“My room has become more like a studio,” the visual artist from Pittsburgh said.

And that’s why she signed up for an artists’ residency at the inn at 320 Lafayette St., Tamaqua.

It gives her - and other artists like Lauren Todd - time away from their usual everyday engagements so they can focus on their creativity and art.

Smith Libman and Todd, of Ansonia, Connecticut, are the most recent artists to spend time at the historic inn since it began offering the artists’ residencies in January.

Owner Maria Stabio opened the 5-room boutique inn at the 1870 Conrad Bischoff Furniture Factory last year after $1.1 million in renovations. “I’m an artist and I’ve attended residency programs across the country and even internationally,” she said. “They’re a great way to see new places, experience a new culture, meet other artists and make artwork without interruption.”

Stabio recalled that when she first saw the property and its buildings, she knew they had what it took to be artist studios. The open space and overall feel, she said, were perfect.

She posted online applications for artists looking for residencies between one and two weeks.

The shorter periods work well for Smith Libman, who balances a full-time corporate job with raising her three children, and for Todd, a full-time graduate student who already has two masters degrees, and is an adjunct professor at several New England universities and museum educator.

Todd said that she has been free to delve into her creative writing and personal essays.

“I was able to do so much more than I would normally do without being distracted by the everyday stuff,” Todd said. “I haven’t been an independent person on my own in such a long time.”

Smith Libman tackled collages and sculptures similar to those on her website, www.smithlibman.com.

“I think the ability to work on something for a long period of time and then wake up still immersed in it is a luxury I haven’t had since graduate school,” Smith Libman said.

But it’s not all work. The artists said they have taken time to explore the area.

“I really am enjoying Tamaqua,” Todd said. “There are many wonderful things here that smaller municipalities don’t usually have that I find amazing.”

Todd, who’s studying for a master’s degree in a Library & Information Sciences program, visited the Tamaqua Public Library - and was impressed by what she saw. She also enrolled in two painting classes at the Tamaqua Arts Center, figuring she should dabble in different artistic mediums while here and immerse herself in all things creative.

“That’s very cool to have right in town,” Todd said. “If I were in Connecticut, I would have to go 20 minutes to New Haven - one of our state’s biggest cities - for an arts center with a variety of classes like this.”

She also sang praises for Hope & Coffee in Tamaqua, which offers a number of meetings including one for the LGBTQ+ community.

“Not even my hometown has that,” she said.

Smith Libman has also spent time in the community, and has met many residents who are curious about the residencies.

“The town has been very welcoming,” Smith Libman said.

Stabio said that since the residencies opened, the Inn has hosted a wide range of artists, including fiber artists, fashion designers, photographers, painters, sculptors, writers and historians.

The majority hail from the northeast, she said, but some have traveled from southern and Midwestern states.

The inn will continue to accept applications for residencies online at bischoffinn.com/residency.

“I also plan to expand the program once the rear buildings can be renovated into full-time use,” Stabio said of the historic warehouse and former wagon shed.

The renovations completed at the inn earned Stabio a “Construction Award” from Preservation Pennsylvania late last year. It honored her for preserving the inn’s historical makeup.

Todd appreciates that historical features were left intact.

“I just love it here,” she said. “It’s beautiful. The work that was done is amazing.”

The Inn will continue accepting reservations for residencies and visitors simply wishing to stay for a night or more.