Having a craft room is a wonderful indulgence for people who enjoy many different kinds of crafts. A craft room will allow you to organize all of your crafting materials in one central location, so you can always find what you are looking for and can be inspired by the craft items already in your stash. Whether your craft “room” is a reclaimed child’s room, an office or a storage closet, it’s important to organize the space well so that you can work efficiently and have as much time possible for the fun stuff—the crafting.
The first step in organizing a craft room is to take a look at the space when there is nothing, or very little, in it. This blank slate will give you ideas about how you can best use the space, and while the room is empty you can paint it to suit your needs, if desired.
Consider all the different activities you might want to do in your craft room. Don’t just list the crafts you enjoy; break them down to activities like cutting out fabric, winding yarn balls, reading crafting books, stringing beads, sewing and so on. If your room is big enough you can design zones where each task will take place, such as having your sewing machine on one table, your cutting board on another, a comfortable chair for reading, a body form in the corner and an area for storing and working with beads.
If your space is not that big, think about the two or three activities you spend the most time doing. If you’re a knitter, for instance, you probably need a lot of space to store yarn but not a lot of space to work. If you’re a quilter, you need to be able to keep your sewing machine up all the time and not have to move it when you want to do another task.
Write up a list of priorities for your space, and think about what you already have that could be used to store items in your craft room. Perhaps there’s a filing cabinet in the garage that you could use to store fabric. Or maybe there’s an old bookshelf you could load with supplies.
Once you’ve raided your home, go shopping for storage boxes and other furniture you need. Remember that the goal for organizing any craft room should be to have a place for everything. There are so many wonderful storage systems, sewing machine tables and organizers out there today that you’re sure to find just what you need.
And if you can’t find the perfect accessories for your craft room, consider building adjustable shelves on tracks in the wall. Place baskets on the shelves to hold things like yarn, fabric, thread stored in clear boxes and other necessities. Add a shelf for books and you’ll be well on your way to an organized craft room. If all else fails, make your own storage pieces. That way you’ll have a perfectly designed craft room you can truly call your own.
