Four years ago my craft room did not exist. To be honest, having a dedicated craft space never even crossed my mind. Years before I’d dabbled a bit with scrapbooks but I had never created any projects that warranted any type of decimated space. The first inkling that I might need space for crafting was back in 2017. My daughter was pregnant with her first child (my first and only grandchild) so I was into EVERYTHING that had ANYTHING to do with baby showers. Pinterest and Etsy became my BESTIES!
Back then (lol like it was eons ago) I had no Cricut and really no other craft supplies other than some leftover items from when my daughter was on the drill team in High School and Dance team in College (poster making items). I found a super cute baby boy theme on Etsy and cut EVERYTHING BY HAND. When I tell you it took forever, IT TOOK FORVER! My hands ached and my living room was overtaken by baby shower decorations. In the end, everything turned out great, but I knew then that I had to do something different. Working on those decorations and seeing so many lovely creations while I researched made me want to do and try more.
Soon after the baby shower, I began to watch more and more video’s and save more and more content on Pinterest. Everything from cards, to painting to Cricut crafts. Then I purchased my first Cricut. The Explore Air 2. I needed a place to store my growing stash (in the worst way), so I picked up a few pieces from Michaels and a random folding table from Walmart. I then took a small part of what was my home office and turned it into a place to craft.
Then, what seems like overnight I went from what you see above to this…..
At this point there was no turning back, so I began to research. I went to Pinterest and searched for the best craft room storage. I watched videos, searched and watched more videos. In the end I decided to re-design the room. When I thought about the space that I was going to use, I knew I had to be strategic about furniture placement. The space is actually a designed to be a den. It even has a fireplace that is rather awkwardly placed in a corner.
After a lot of searching I finally landed on pieces from IKEA. Based on everything I saw, I felt that purchasing IKEA furniture would allow me to be flexible and provide me with room to expand (when needed). The great thing (well one of the great things) about IKEA is that the website as an option that allows you to plan how pieces will fit in your space. It was a game changer because it really helped my visualize how each piece would fit in the space. It even allowed me to account for the windows and large opening into the room (it has no doors).
Here’s version # 2 of my craft space.
Here’s version # 3
At this point I had to think really hard about how to best maximize space. I also had to consider removing a large piece of furniture (to create space) that has sentimental value. My craft stash now included an oven for making tumblers, cup turners, an Easy Press, a Mug Press plus a TON of card making supplies.
After lots of sitting and thinking I decided that I needed at least one more large storage shelf. I also realized that I would have to take everything out of the room and re-organize. So that’s what I did. I took everything out of the room. I bought a couple galloons of paint for the walls to freshen the paint (the room hadn’t been painted since the house was built in 1998) and picked up additional storage from IKEA. I ended up settling on the Kallax Unit because it can be used horizontally or vertically.
Here is my current setup. I decided to keep the large piece of furniture (couch) in the room. It was my father’s and he sat there all the time. It’s a good spot to sit and stretch my legs. It also allows room for other people to be in the room while I craft (that was/is important to me).
Quite the transformation! I absolutely love it. Everything has a place and best of all, I made it work for me not only by purchasing pieces that provided me with the space I needed, but I also kept items that were important to me like the couch and the map on the wall.
What I learned through all of these transformations is that it was less important to have the perfect craft space where everything matches and is Pinterest or Instagram Perfect and far more important to have a functional space that fits my home and my personality. One where I am comfortable, happy and can create in peace. THAT is how I made my space work for ME.
As always, I hope that you’ve seen something here that inspires you to get crafty or to re-think your own space and make it work for YOU! Leave a comment if you’d like to know more about the storage pieces or any thing else shown in the photos.
Happy Crafting!
-Ouma
