Six Crafts Room Ideas

Confession: I don’t own a bedazzler, glue gun or even a bottle of modge podge. Still…

As a person who is not especially crafty I would enjoy  a craft room. Instead of beads and sequins, mine would be used to organize yarns, ribbons, wrapping papers, sewing remnants, mending thread, buttons, flower vases, knitting paraphernalia, and the various brushes, hooks, glues, nails and pads that my house seems to constantly require. Even though my space might have more of a hardware and paint sample vibe, I’ve started to hunt for ideas and, so far, identified half a dozen.

Combining Two Functions. A laundry room is often the perfect place to add on a craft station. Mine is too small for seated workspace, storage bins (love these sturdy ones handy rollers), baskets and open shelving. This large one [top] does both while cleverly dividing the work spaces so that it isn’t necessary to paint or glue on the same counter used for folding clean clothes and towels. Yet they have a common table and a great relationship.

Counters at Different Heights. Once I got past the harlequin floor, clown-stripe slip covers and all the handy dandy dowels making the ribbons and wrapping papers ultra-accessible, I noticed two things: this is a very expensive built-in set up with fitted cabinets and matching granite counters. And second – there is a sewing sub-station which offers a lower and more comfortable counter height for working on the machine, plus great natural light from a window that goes all the way down to the counter.

Big Work Table. A former dining room doubles as a home-schooling center, work space and crafts area for an entire family. At the heart of the space is the big table – about 4-feet wide and 6-1/2  feet long — with storage below and seating for three.

The tables, storage drawers and shelving are from Ikea’s Vika range.

Overhead, a short surface-mounted track is fitted with bulbs suspended  on colorful electrical cords to different heights. The string of pendants close together improves task lighting over the desk.

Matching Plastic Bins and Cups. Well labeled bins may not be attractive storage containers but they are the most durable, practical and are semi-transparent to boot. Small plastic condiment cups, with snap-on tops and magnets glued to the bottoms, help arrange tiny items at eye level on a magnetic board.

Different Types of Open Storage. A vintage oak cubby, hung at a strategic height over a counter, can create the illusion of a cupboard and provide accessible spaces for storing individual or boxed items.

Protected by a pair of decorative brackets, a salvage towel rod provides a convenient hanger for laces and trims which have been wound around old rulers and hardware store paint-stirrers suspended from clips.

This clever clip-hanging system is blissfully inexpensive and could be adapted to lightweight objects such as balls of twine, gloves or other protective gear, small bags or other containers by way of stick-on hooks.

Fold Away Space. My inner compulsive gene really goes for the idea of a mini-craft “room” all set up in a redone thrift-store piece that can close up and disappear. While rejiggering the interior, lining the doors and making sure all the additions fit together so it closes up smoothly would be a challenge, this is a wonderful solution for small spaces or for those for whom crafts mean a great deal but aren’t a very big deal.

(Source: abrighterplace, bh&g, thepioneerwoman, sewmanyways, mamiejanes, theembellishednest)