July 31 - Ideas for Large Crafting in a Small Area

Welcome to a tour of my creative space!  I am sharing some ideas I used in my home for crafting LARGE in a small space.

We converted a small 10x10 foot room plus closet to become my office/sewing/crafting room.  The previous owners of our home had used it for a nursery.  It is off our back hallway and adjacent to our kitchen and dining rooms. 

I wanted a room that matched the rest of our home's decor and was high functioning.  I do all kinds of arts and crafts - photography, sewing, quilting, drawing, painting, and more.  I also needed lots of storage for my craft supplies, as I do tend to get an idea and want to start on it immediately - many times in the late night or early morning hours.  I like to have supplies at hand when I need them.

We pulled up the wall to wall carpeting and had a ceramic tile floor put in.  Then came the painting, wall paper, hanging 27 antique botanical flower prints, and the furniture.  We added a floral wool rug to warm up the room.

My files came from the Container Store http://www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/drawers?productId=10009264&green=DBB07DB2-05A3-50F9-0E7B-989E1EBA8EC8, the counter high desk from Pottery Barn http://www.potterybarn.com/products/bedford-project-table-set/ , my work table/desk was an unfinished table that I painted black to match the rest of the furniture. 

Then came the closet built-ins.....

We used a combination of shelves and drawers.  I covered the interior of one closet door with cork tiles to have a bulletin board and hung a clear plastic storage bag on the inside of the other door.  I have 2 of these clear plastic over-the-door storage units.  One is on the inside of the closet door and the other is hiding on the back side of the door to my office.  I use them to store supplies for projects that I am currently working and it is great to be able to see everything at a glance!  I purchased these at Homegoods and the brand is Simply Stashed models "The Original" 52"x19" 20 identical pockets and "The Details" 52"x19" with 23 various sized pockets.

I stocked the closet with plastic shoe boxes, magazine holders, and boxes from the Container Store to hold craft supplies.  I like the translucent and clear plastic ones so I can see what is inside. 

The closet also contains binders that store inspirational clippings I have collected over the years.  I bought presentation binders from Staples and inserted scrapbook paper and labels to coordinate them with the room's decor. 

My wireless photo printer is on one of the shelves.  The first drawer holds small items in plastic boxes that are recycled (they used to hold computer tapes).  As you can see, I rely heavily on my label maker to help me keep organized!

The remainder of the drawers hold the larger cuts of my fabric stash.  I also keep fat quarters and small cuts of fabric out in a couple of wire baskets organized by color for easy access.  My wool felt is rolled and ready stored in a couple of glass vases.  Buttons I am using in a current project are in a glass jar.

In one corner I use a floor standing photo carousel purchased from Pottery Barn to hold patterns, photos, and note cards http://www.potterybarn.com/products/floor-standing-photo-carousel/ .  The corner also holds a large basket to hold wrapping paper, fabric rolls, and mailing tubes containing freezer paper and Heat'n Bond.

I also repurposed a natural wicker hamper as a trash can.  It is attractive and holds a lot of fabric scraps and trash.

I use an antique tool caddy to hold my collection of drawing pencils and other tools.  I like to keep them at arms reach.  I am utilizing antique jars to hold buttons and a canister to hold beans that I am using in a current project.  These supplies are rotated from my closet to counter top depending on what I am working on at the time.

I store all my markers horizontally in a small filing cabinet purchased at the Container Store - love the orange!

As you can see, I have a lot of crafting resources packed into 100 square feet + the closet area.  I don't like clutter, so most is hidden when the closet doors are shut and the door is open to my office.  I love my space and it suits me.  I hope you enjoyed this post and some of the ideas I have used in my creative space.  I have to admit, this space does not always look this great....just view my previous blog post http://lauri-nananews.blogspot.com/2012/08/july-30-mess-in-my-sewing-room-another.html to see it in a mess!