You may have already read my posts about our major basement renovation. As part of that work, we also reclaimed a portion of the unfinished basement to create a craft room space. Keep reading below for my craft room reveal and storage recommendations.
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Overview
I have never had a craft room before. In our previous home, if I wanted to work on a project it usually meant that I had to take over the dining room table. The problem with that is that I can’t stand clutter (I have some OCD tendencies). So every time I had to stop working on a project, I felt like I had to put away all of my crafting supplies even if I wasn’t finished. The end result was that I didn’t craft as much because it became too big of a hassle to pull out and put away all of my supplies each time. Plus; out of sight, out of mind, right?
In the new house, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to create a space just for crafting. Ultimately, the size of my new craft room was determined by the three existing walls (two of which were foundation walls) and the placement of the basement stairs. We had to build a completely new wall and create a doorway in an existing wall. The space was used by the previous home-owners as a home gym. Once we knew how much space we had to work with, our designer came up with a design that complimented the rest of the newly finished basement.
The craft room design
Because we wanted the look of the craft room to be consistent with the rest of the basement, we decided to use the same floor tile that we used in the new bathroom. We also painted the walls the same color as the main living space. We considered adding built-ins to this space, but ultimately decided that it would be a much more versatile space if we brought in furniture for storage instead. This allows the space to be more easily transformed into (for instance) an office or children’s playroom in the future.
In this room, we primarily used furniture from Ikea (see the details below). I didn’t want to purchase expensive furniture because I didn’t want to have to worry about it getting ruined by glue, paint, or other crafting supplies. I also decided that I wanted white furniture so that I had a blank canvas on which to create. Because of the odd shape of the room, we really had to play around with the design to make the best use of the space.
In order to determine the best furniture layout, we used blue tape and Ikea’s room building feature to determine which furniture would work best in the space. I created two separate work spaces. One is primarily dedicated to my sewing machine, but it can be pushed back and the space can be used for other projects. The main workspace I wanted to make sure was open so that I access my projects from multiple sides. On my main workspace, I attached removable ruler tape. This makes it so easy to measure your projects without having to find a ruler or tape measure and I highly recommend it.
You can see several items that I have purchased for current or future projects, but I don’t mind. This room is for creating, so as long as I have effective storage and organization, I don’t mind a bit of clutter. Adding to the ‘lived-in’ feel of this space is the new dog bed. Baxter really likes to join me in the craft room when I am working, so we added a bed for her as well.
I have already created several posts related to my craft room décor and organization. First, we created a custom peg board for storage with leftover board from the garage. We also created the pin boards to display my enamel pins (and to act as a cover for the exposed electrical box). In addition, I just recently finished customizing my clock in this space with Baxter’s face.
Information on craft room finishes
- The clip-on desk lamps from Ikea are no longer available, but I found some great options on Amazon here and here that will provide even more light than the lamps I currently have.
- The tall cabinet is made up of the Galant cabinet with doors and the Galant add-on unit from Ikea
- The Galant drawer unit is also from Ikea
- The Lagkapten desk is supported by the Alex drawer unit and two Adils legs; all from Ikea
- The corner desk from Ikea is no longer available, but I found a few similar options on Amazon here and here.
- The Raskog utility cart is also from Ikea
- The two bookshelves are from Amazon
Storage
Because this is a craft room, it will always be a little bit messy, but my current setup works really well for me. I can even pull an additional chair into the room when I craft with family and friends. Organization was the primary concern when furnishing this space. In addition to the furniture listed above, I recommend the following storage pieces to help keep your craft area organized.
- Storage boxes
I purchased several of the Kuggis boxes and Variera boxes from Ikea. Although these boxes work well and fit into my cabinet nicely, it would be really nice to have clear storage boxes instead so that I can view my supplies. Amazon has several clear options that might work here and here.
- Paper storage
It is also important to consider storage for your craft paper. I currently use some magazine files from Ikea (which appear to no longer be available) but these only work for my 8.5 x 11” paper. You can find similar magazine files here and here. I also recommend purchasing some larger storage containers for your 12 x 12” inch paper like these and these.
- Vinyl storage
If you have a cutting machine like the Cricut or Silhouette, you will need a place to store your vinyl. I currently store mine in my Raskog utility cart from Ikea, but there are a lot of options available. There are some options that hang on the back of a door and others that sit on a table top. I recommend keeping your permanent, removable, and htv vinyl separate.
- Pegboard for tool storage
As I mentioned above, we salvaged some peg board from the garage to use in my craft room. I find that having many of my tools so easily accessible is really convenient. To organize my tools and supplies on my pegboard, I ordered a set of pegboard accessories from Amazon.
- Cord management
One issue that I found distracting and irritating in this space were my exposed electrical cords. I highly recommend purchasing some high-quality surge protectors and extension cords for your space. Because there are so many in my craft room, I wanted to hide away electrical cords as much as possible. Ultimately, I decided to attach my surge protector to the bottom of my work table. After doing some research, it seemed like the best option was to attach it using heavy-duty double-sided tape. So far, this product has worked really well.
I also purchased some self-adhesive cable management clips to keep the cords from hanging from the bottom of my work table. However, these specific cable management clips are not great. Some of the clips have already broken and the adhesive isn’t very strong. The concept is effective, but I will not purchase this specific brand in the future.
- Other storage ideas
In addition to the storage items listed below, I also have several storage pieces for specific types of crafts. For instance, I have a really cute sewing basket and pin cushion from Joann’s. I also use bead organizers for my jewelry and polymer clay storage. They also make storage for your Cricut blades and tools. The one thing I need to find better organization for is my candle-making supplies. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
Conclusions
I am so happy with the finished craft room. It allows me to easily organize my craft supplies which are quite varied. (I tend to go through crafting phases.) And if I am in the middle of a project, I can just leave it all out and shut the door. I love not having to search through numerous bins and boxes in several different closets in order to find what I need.
Have you created a craft room in your home? What are your best craft storage tips?
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